Setting up NFS for file sharing

Proven on:

	11 (bullseye)	(This includes LMDE5, Proxmox, OMV...)
A little note about typographic conventions you'll see here

Install NFS Server

• sudo apt install nfs-kernel-server

Configure NFS Server

• sudo vi /etc/exports

Add/edit:

/PATH/TO/BE/SHARED *(rw,async,no_root_squash,no_subtree_check)

For the changes to take effect, export and start NFS service.

• sudo exportfs -a
• sudo /etc/init.d/nfs-kernel-server start

Pretty simple...

A bit about re-sharing

Sometimes, you may want to share something that you've actually mounted from an NFS share on another machine...

A couple of things are different in this case.

First, you need to ensure that the mounts are done BEFORE you start the NFS server.

• sudo vi /etc/init.d/nfs-kernel-server

and add:

##########################
echo "Starting out by making sure EVERYTHING is mounted..."
/usr/bin/mount -a
echo "Really..."
echo "This is NOT the right place to do this..."
echo "But, init.d kinda sucks..."
##########################

right near the start.

Then you need to provide an fsid entry (with a unique number) for each export.

/PATH/TO/BE/SHARED *(rw,async,no_root_squash,no_subtree_check,fsid=1010)

AND it STILL doesn't start at boot!!!

But, you can force it to start after booting by logging into the machine & telling it:

• sudo /etc/init.d/nfs-kernel-server start

Connecting to the NFS Server

From Linux

You'll need NFS installed

• sudo apt install nfs-common

or

• sudo apt install nfs-kernel-server

Then you can check what's shared from any particular machine:

• showmount -e [SERVERNAME or ADDRESS]
  • (requires sudo on Debian...)

will show you what's shared from a machine

Setting up & mounting a share

• sudo mkdir -p /PATH/TO/MOUNT/SHARE
• sudo mount [SERVERNAME or ADDRESS]:/PATH/TO/BE/SHARED /PATH/TO/MOUNT/SHARE

Better yet tho...

• sudo vi /etc/fstab

& add an entry:

[SERVERNAME or ADDRESS]:/PATH/TO/BE/SHARED /PATH/TO/MOUNT/SHARE nfs rw,user,exec 0 0

Then, you can mount anything listed in fstab but not yet mounted

• sudo mount -a

TBD

• Learn what flags do what in /etc/exports
• Browsing in the GUI would be nice...
• Look into automounting (including graceful failure modes)
• Work up some instructions for other non-Linux systems. (Synology, Kodi, Mac)

Some Links

• Ubuntu Linux NFS Server installation and Configuration
• The Geek Diary: Understanding the /etc/exports File
• exportfs(8) - Linux man page
• exports(5) - Linux man page
• mount(8) - Linux man page
  
• fstab(5) - Linux man page