🔗 Mastering NFS in Linux: Setup, Mounting, Management & Troubleshooting

NFS (Network File System) is a powerful way to share files between Linux systems over a network. This guide will walk you through:

• How NFS works
• Server-side configuration
• Client-side mounting (including multiple clients)
• Making mounts persistent
• Useful commands and tools
• Troubleshooting tips

🧠 What is NFS?

NFS allows a Linux server to share directories with other Linux machines (clients) over the network. Clients can mount these directories and access them like they are part of their own filesystem.

🛠️ Part 1: NFS Server Setup

Let’s assume your NFS server has the IP 192.168.1.100.

✅ 1. Install NFS Server

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nfs-kernel-server

✅ 2. Create a Shared Directory

sudo mkdir -p /srv/nfs/shared
sudo chown nobody:nogroup /srv/nfs/shared

✅ 3. Configure /etc/exports

Open the exports file:

sudo nano /etc/exports

Add this line to share with all clients in subnet 192.168.1.0/24:

/srv/nfs/shared 192.168.1.0/24(rw,sync,no_subtree_check)

✅ 4. Apply Export Changes

sudo exportfs -ra

✅ 5. Start and Enable NFS Service

sudo systemctl restart nfs-kernel-server
sudo systemctl enable nfs-kernel-server

🖥️ Part 2: Mounting NFS on Clients (e.g., 192.168.1.101, 192.168.1.102)

✅ 1. Install NFS Client

sudo apt install nfs-common

✅ 2. Create Mount Point

sudo mkdir -p /mnt/shared

✅ 3. Mount the NFS Share

sudo mount 192.168.1.100:/srv/nfs/shared /mnt/shared

Now, you can access /mnt/shared as if it’s a local folder.

🔁 Mounting on Multiple Clients Simultaneously

Run the same installation + mount steps on each client machine (192.168.1.101, 192.168.1.102, etc.), or use a script like this:

#!/bin/bash
MOUNTPOINT="/mnt/shared"
SERVER="192.168.1.100:/srv/nfs/shared"

mkdir -p "$MOUNTPOINT"
mount "$SERVER" "$MOUNTPOINT"

You can deploy this with SSH, Ansible, or by login script.

📌 Making NFS Mount Persistent (Fstab Method)

Add this line to /etc/fstab on the client machine:

192.168.1.100:/srv/nfs/shared  /mnt/shared  nfs  defaults  0  0

Then test:

sudo mount -a

🧾 Useful NFS Configuration Files

🛠️ Essential Commands for NFS

🧯 NFS Troubleshooting Tips

⚙️ Optional: Autofs (On-Demand Mounting)

If you want shares to mount only when accessed, install autofs:

sudo apt install autofs

Then configure /etc/auto.master:

/mnt/nfs /etc/auto.nfs

Then create /etc/auto.nfs:

shared -rw,soft,intr 192.168.1.100:/srv/nfs/shared

Restart autofs:

sudo systemctl restart autofs

Now, accessing /mnt/nfs/shared will trigger automatic mount.

✅ Summary

• Use /etc/exports to define NFS shares.
• Clients can mount shares manually or via /etc/fstab.
• Tools like showmount, findmnt, and df help monitor NFS.
• Automate and scale across multiple clients via scripts or Ansible.
• Ensure correct subnet (192.168.1.0/24) permissions are in place.

🧩 Example Network Layout

All clients mount:

192.168.1.100:/srv/nfs/shared → /mnt/shared