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NFS stands for Network File System. It is a protocol that lets a computer access files stored on another computer over an IP network. The server makes a directory available by exporting it; a client mounts that export at a local path, where it appears in the client’s filesystem much like a local directory. NFS is a way to access network-hosted storage, not a physical storage device.
What is a Network File System?
NFS is a distributed file system protocol for sharing files between computers. In the basic arrangement, one computer acts as the NFS server and hosts the files. Other computers act as clients, connecting to directories the server has chosen to export.
The client mounts an exported directory at a path in its own filesystem. Applications and users can then work with files through that mounted path. The data remains hosted on the server, while the client accesses it across the network. Oracle’s Oracle Linux 10 NFS overview describes this server-export and client-mount model.
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How does NFS work?
1. The server exports a directory
An administrator configures the server to make a directory hierarchy available to clients. An export is the server-side resource; it does not mean every network user can automatically access the files. Server-side permissions and the configured NFS version and security mechanisms govern access.
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2. The client mounts the export
The client connects to an export and mounts it at a local filesystem path. That path becomes the point through which the client accesses the server’s files. The files are not copied to local storage simply because the directory is mounted.
3. File operations travel over the network
When a client uses files through the mount, NFS carries the relevant file operations between the client and server. Multiple authorized systems can access data hosted centrally, subject to the permissions and behavior configured on both sides.
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What do NFS versions change?
NFS version support, defaults, and service requirements depend on the operating system and release. The distinctions below reflect the cited Oracle Linux documentation; they should not be treated as universal settings for every NFS implementation.
| Version | What it changes | Operational detail in the cited documentation |
|---|---|---|
| NFSv3 | Uses separate RPC services for tasks such as mounting and locking. Oracle documents safe asynchronous writes, more robust error handling, and 64-bit file sizes and offsets. | Oracle Linux documentation describes RPC services managed through rpcbind; service and firewall needs differ from NFSv4. |
| NFSv4 | Integrates mounting and locking into the protocol, supports ACLs and stateful operations, and includes security negotiation. | Oracle Linux documentation says NFSv4 uses TCP over IP on port 2049 and does not require rpcbind. RFC 7530 describes NFSv4 as building on NFS versions 2 and 3. |
| NFSv4.1 with pNFS | Supports parallel data access in clustered implementations by separating metadata access from data access, allowing data to be served by multiple servers in parallel. | This capability is defined in the NFSv4.1 protocol; whether it is available in a particular environment depends on the implementation. |
For the protocol definition, the IETF’s RFC 7530 states: “The Network File System (NFS) version 4 protocol is a distributed file system protocol that builds on the heritage of NFS protocol version 2 (RFC 1094) and version 3 (RFC 1813).” The RFC was published in March 2015.
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What should you check when choosing or configuring NFS?
Do not choose a version based on the name alone. Check the client and server operating systems, their supported protocol and minor versions, and the security behavior your environment requires.
- Version compatibility: Confirm which NFS versions and minor versions both client and server support.
- Network access: Check the relevant ports and services for that implementation. NFSv3 and NFSv4 can have different firewall requirements; do not assume one platform’s defaults apply to another.
- Permissions and identity: Verify how users and groups are identified and how server-side permissions, ACLs, and locking behave across your clients.
- Security: Confirm which security mechanisms and in-transit protections the specific server and clients support and have enabled. Oracle Linux 10 documents TLS support for NFS traffic, but that capability should not be assumed for all implementations.
- Clustered workloads: If parallel data access is a requirement, check whether the NFSv4.1 pNFS features you need are implemented across the systems involved.
For version-specific details, see Oracle’s NFS version documentation for Oracle Linux 8 and its Oracle Linux 10 overview. For a deployment-oriented discussion, Red Hat’s RHEL 7 NFS chapter provides platform-specific guidance. The standards are described in IETF RFC 7530 and IETF RFC 8881.
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