Mastering NFS Mounting and Sharing: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

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🚀 Introduction

Network File System (NFS) is a time-tested protocol that allows files to be shared across Linux systems as if they were local. Whether you're in a home lab, an enterprise environment, or collaborating in an educational setup, NFS is a powerful tool for centralized file access.

In this guide, we’ll walk through:

• Setting up an NFS server

• Granting access to specific IPs with full permissions (read/write/delete)

• Mounting NFS shares on client machines

• Ensuring persistent access

• Troubleshooting NFS issues

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📦 What is NFS?

Network File System (NFS) is a distributed file-sharing protocol developed by Sun Microsystems. It allows a computer to access files over a network as easily as if they were on its own disks.

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✅ Why Use NFS?

• 🔗 Seamless file sharing across Linux systems

• 📁 Centralized storage and easier backups

• 🤝 Ideal for collaborative projects

• ⚡ Efficient use of system resources

• 📡 Works great on private or enterprise networks

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🔧 NFS Setup Scenario

You're sharing a folder /srv/shared_folder/ from the server with IP 10.212.16.28. The following client IPs should have full access (read/write/delete):

• 10.212.12.26

• 10.212.12.30

• 10.212.12.31

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🖥️ Step 1: Install Required Packages

On the Server (10.212.16.28):

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nfs-kernel-server -y

On the Clients:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nfs-common -y

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📂 Step 2: Create and Set Permissions for the Shared Folder

sudo mkdir -p /srv/shared_folder/
sudo chmod -R 777 /srv/shared_folder/
sudo chown nobody:nogroup /srv/shared_folder/

This gives full read/write/delete access. (Use stricter permissions for production.)

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📃 Step 3: Configure the Exports File

Edit the NFS exports file:

sudo nano /etc/exports

Add the following line to share the folder with the specified IPs:

/srv/shared_folder 10.212.12.26(rw,sync,no_subtree_check) 10.212.12.30(rw,sync,no_subtree_check) 10.212.12.31(rw,sync,no_subtree_check)

Then apply the configuration:

sudo exportfs -a

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🚀 Step 4: Start or Restart NFS Service

sudo systemctl restart nfs-kernel-server

You can verify with:

sudo exportfs -v

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🧪 Step 5: Check the Exported Shares (from any client)

showmount -e 10.212.16.28

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📌 Step 6: Mount the NFS Share on Clients

On each client (e.g., 10.212.12.26):

sudo mkdir -p /mnt/nfs_share
sudo mount 10.212.16.28:/srv/shared_folder /mnt/nfs_share

You should now be able to read/write/delete files from /mnt/nfs_share.

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🔄 Step 7: Auto-Mount on Boot (Client-Side)

Edit the /etc/fstab file on each client:

sudo nano /etc/fstab

Add:

10.212.16.28:/srv/shared_folder /mnt/nfs_share nfs defaults 0 0

Then test it:

sudo mount -a

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🧹 Step 8: Unmount If Needed

sudo umount /mnt/nfs_share

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🛠️ Troubleshooting NFS Issues

🔍 1. Missing NFS Packages?

Ensure correct packages are installed:

sudo apt install nfs-common nfs-kernel-server -y

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🌐 2. Network Connectivity

ping 10.212.16.28

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🔥 3. Firewall Rules

Allow NFS traffic (port 2049):

sudo ufw allow from 10.212.12.0/24 to any port nfs

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🔁 4. Restart NFS Services

sudo systemctl restart nfs-kernel-server

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🎯 Conclusion

With NFS, sharing files across Linux systems becomes fast, reliable, and easy to manage. Whether you’re working in a collaborative setting or setting up centralized file access, NFS remains a go-to solution.

By following the steps above, your /srv/shared_folder/ is now securely and fully shared with selected client machines — empowering your workflow!

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📚 Stay tuned for more Linux tutorials, system hacks, and tech insights — only on my blog!
✉️ Have questions or feedback? Reach out anytime!

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