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Step-by-Step Guide to Set Up an NFS Server on Linux

Step 1: Install NFS Server Packages

  1. Update the package repository: 
    sudo apt update
  2. Install the NFS server package:

For Debian/Ubuntu-based systems:

sudo apt install nfs-kernel-server

For RHEL/CentOS-based systems:

sudo yum install nfs-utils

Step 2: Create and Configure the Shared Directory

  1. Create a directory to share: 
    sudo mkdir -p /srv/nfs/shared
  2. Set the appropriate permissions: 
    sudo chown nobody:nogroup /srv/nfs/shared
sudo chmod 755 /srv/nfs/shared

Step 3: Configure NFS Exports

  1. Edit the NFS exports file: Open the /etc/exports file in a text editor: 
    sudo nano /etc/exports
  2. Add the directory to be shared: Add the following line to the file to share the directory with specific client IP addresses or subnets: 
    /srv/nfs/shared 192.168.1.0/24(rw,sync,no_subtree_check)
    • /srv/nfs/shared: The directory to be shared.
    • 192.168.1.0/24: The IP address range of the clients allowed to access the share.
    • rw: Read and write permissions.
    • sync: Writes changes to disk before responding.
    • no_subtree_check: Disables subtree checking for better performance.

Save and close the file.

Step 4: Export the Shared Directory

  1. Export the shared directory: 
    sudo exportfs -a
  2. Restart the NFS server: 
    sudo systemctl restart nfs-kernel-server

Step 5: Configure Firewall (if applicable)

  1. Allow NFS traffic through the firewall:

For UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall) on Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo ufw allow from 192.168.1.0/24 to any port nfs

For firewalld on RHEL/CentOS:

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=nfs
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Step 6: Verify NFS Server Configuration

  1. Check the NFS exports: 
    sudo exportfs -v
  2. Verify the NFS server status: 
    sudo systemctl status nfs-kernel-server

Step-by-Step Guide to Set Up an NFS Client on Linux

Step 1: Install NFS Client Packages

  1. Update the package repository: 
    sudo apt update
  2. Install the NFS client package:

For Debian/Ubuntu-based systems:

sudo apt install nfs-common

For RHEL/CentOS-based systems:

sudo yum install nfs-utils

Step 2: Create a Mount Point

  1. Create a directory to mount the NFS share: 
    sudo mkdir -p /mnt/nfs/shared

Step 3: Mount the NFS Share

  1. Mount the NFS share: 
    sudo mount -o rw 192.168.1.100:/srv/nfs/shared /mnt/nfs/shared
    • 192.168.1.100: The IP address of the NFS server.
    • /srv/nfs/shared: The shared directory on the NFS server.
    • /mnt/nfs/shared: The mount point on the client machine.
  2. Verify the mount: 
    df -h

Step 4: Make the Mount Permanent

  1. Edit the /etc/fstab file: Open the /etc/fstab file in a text editor: 
    sudo nano /etc/fstab
  2. Add the NFS 
    192.168.1.100:/srv/nfs/shared /mnt/nfs/shared nfs defaults,rw 0 0