Setting Up NFS Server on Ubuntu 24.04

Install NFS Server

Setting up an NFS server on Ubuntu 24.04 lets your computer share files with other devices on your network. You need the ‘nfs-kernel-server’ package for this. To install it, open your terminal and run ‘sudo apt update’ followed by ‘sudo apt install nfs-kernel-server’.

Run the command below to install the [nfs-kernel-server] package.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nfs-kernel-server

sudo nano /etc/idmapd.conf

Uncomment and change the highlighted line to match your domain name.

[General]

Verbosity = 0
# set your own domain here, if it differs from FQDN minus hostname
 Domain = example.com

[Mapping]

Nobody-User = nobody
Nobody-Group = nogroup

Save and exit the file.

Export NFS Share

Exporting an NFS share on Ubuntu 24.04 makes a folder on your server ready for other computers to access. For this guide, we’ll share a folder called ‘/home/nfsshare’ from your home directory. To start, open the NFS exports file using the command: ‘sudo nano /etc/exports’.

For this tutorial, we will be exporting a folder in our home directory [/home/nfsshare].

To do that, run the command below to open the NFS exports config file.

sudo nano /etc/exports

Then, add a line to export the directory mentioned.

# /etc/exports: the access control list for filesystems which may be exported
# Example for NFSv4:
# /srv/nfs4        gss/krb5i(rw,sync,fsid=0,crossmnt,no_subtree_check)
# /srv/nfs4/homes  gss/krb5i(rw,sync,no_subtree_check)
#
#
/home/nfsshare 192.168.156.0/24(rw,no_root_squash)

Additional options one can use with NFS exports.

sudo  mkdir /home/nfsshare
sudo systemctl restart nfs-server

Setup NFS Client

Setting up the NFS client on Ubuntu 24.04 is necessary to connect to your NFS server. You need to install the ‘nfs-common’ package, which allows your computer to access shared files. If it’s not already installed, run the command: ‘sudo apt install nfs-common’.

If you haven’t done so, run the command below to install the NFS server client packages on the client computer.

sudo apt install nfs-common

After installation, please open the configuration file below and add your domain name.

sudo nano /etc/idmapd.conf

Uncomment and change the highlighted line to match your domain name.

[General]

Verbosity = 0
# set your own domain here, if it differs from FQDN minus hostname
 Domain = example.com

[Mapping]

Nobody-User = nobody
Nobody-Group = nogroup

Save and exit the file.

Mount NFS share on client

Mounting an NFS share on your client computer lets you access files from the Ubuntu 24.04 server by connecting the shared folder to a local directory. Use the command: ‘sudo mount -t nfs srv1.example.com:/home/nfsshare /mnt’ to mount it. You can check if it worked with ‘df -hT’.

sudo  mount -t nfs srv1.example.com:/home/nfsshare /mnt

To view your file system, run the command below.

df -hT

You should see output similar to the one below.

Filesystem                      Type   Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
tmpfs                           tmpfs  336M  2.1M  334M   1% /run
/dev/sda2                       ext4    49G  9.5G   37G  21% /
tmpfs                           tmpfs  1.7G     0  1.7G   0% /dev/shm
tmpfs                           tmpfs  5.0M  8.0K  5.0M   1% /run/lock
srv1.example.com:/home/nfsshare nfs4    40G  9.8G   28G  27% /mnt

If you want to mount the NFS share automatically every time, open the /etc/fstab file.

sudo nano /etc/fstab

Add a new line at the end of the file.

# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# <file system> <mount point>   <type>  <options>       <dump>  <pass>
# / was on /dev/sda2 during curtin installation
/dev/disk/by-uuid/3fe5d1b3-fd02-4c71-80df-eaf44cbec7d5 / ext4 defaults 0 1
/swap.img       none    swap    sw      0       0

srv1.example.com:/home/nfsshare /mnt               nfs    defaults     0 0

Save and exit.

Mount with AutoFS

Using AutoFS on your Ubuntu 24.04 client automatically mounts NFS shares whenever you need them, ensuring constant access. First, install the tool by running: ‘sudo apt install autofs’. Then, open its main configuration file with: ‘sudo nano /etc/auto.master’.

Run the command below to install the tool.

sudo apt install autofs

Once installed, open its master file.

sudo nano /etc/auto.master

Then, add a new line at the end of the file.

/-    /etc/auto.mount

Save and exit.

Next, open the [auto.mount] config file.

sudo nano /etc/auto.mount

Then, add a new line to the file.

# [mount point]  [option]         [location]
/mnt           -fstype=nfs,rw     srv1.example.com:/home/nfsshare

Save and exit.

Restart AutoFS services.

sudo systemctl restart autofs

Verify the mount.

df -hT /mnt

You should see an output similar to the one below.

Filesystem                      Type  Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
srv1.example.com:/home/nfsshare nfs4   40G  9.8G   28G  27% /mnt

That should do it!

Conclusion:

In conclusion, setting up an NFS server on Ubuntu 24.04 enables efficient file sharing across a network. Following the outlined steps, you can successfully configure the server and client. Here are the key takeaways:

• NFS Overview: The network file system (NFS) allows files and directories to be shared over a network.
• Installation Steps: Use sudo apt install nfs-kernel-server to 💿 install the NFS server.
• Configuration: Modify the /etc/idmapd.conf file to set your domain name and manage user permissions effectively.
• Exporting Shares: Edit the /etc/exports file to export specific directories, controlling access with various options.
• Client Setup: Install NFS client packages (nfs-common) and configure the client to access the server shares.
• Mounting NFS Shares: Use commands like mount or modify /etc/fstab for automatic mounting.
• AutoFS Tool: For automatic mounts accessible to all users, install and configure AutoFS.

These steps ensure a secure and efficient NFS setup on your Ubuntu system.