NFS Storage

Configure NFS servers and clients for network file sharing across Linux systems. Covers NFSv4 server setup, export options, client mounting, autofs for on-demand mounts, Kerberos security, performance tuning, and Kubernetes integration.

When to Use

• Sharing directories between multiple Linux servers (web farms, build clusters)
• Providing shared storage for containerized workloads (Kubernetes ReadWriteMany)
• Centralizing home directories or application data across a fleet
• Setting up a development environment with shared project files
• Migrating from local storage to network-attached storage

Prerequisites

• NFS server: nfs-kernel-server (Debian/Ubuntu) or nfs-utils (RHEL/CentOS)
• NFS client: nfs-common (Debian/Ubuntu) or nfs-utils (RHEL/CentOS)
• Network connectivity between server and clients (TCP/UDP 2049 for NFSv4)
• Firewall rules allowing NFS traffic
• For NFSv4 Kerberos: krb5-user and a functioning KDC