How To Setup NFS Server Share on Solaris-10

Network File System (NFS) is a client-server file system that allows users in client system to access files across the network as if they are in the local box. Here we will see how to setup a NFS server share, where client can access it across the network.

NFS Server Side configurations

1. First check if NFS server service is running:

root@redcoral#svcs -a | grep nfs
disabled       Jan_15   svc:/network/nfs/server:default
online         Jan_15   svc:/network/nfs/client:default
online         Jan_15   svc:/network/nfs/rquota:default
online         Jan_15   svc:/network/nfs/status:default
online         Jan_15   svc:/network/nfs/nlockmgr:default
online         Jan_15   svc:/network/nfs/cbd:default
online         Jan_15   svc:/network/nfs/mapid:default

It is disabled.

2. Start the service and check again:

root@redcoral#svcadm  enable network/nfs/server
root@redcoral#svcs -a | grep nfs
online         Jan_15   svc:/network/nfs/client:default
online         Jan_15   svc:/network/nfs/rquota:default
online         Jan_15   svc:/network/nfs/status:default
online         Jan_15   svc:/network/nfs/nlockmgr:default
online         Jan_15   svc:/network/nfs/cbd:default
online         Jan_15   svc:/network/nfs/mapid:default
online         0:26:14 svc:/network/nfs/server:default

3. Start NFS share of the directory(/opt/nfsshare):

root@redcoral#share -F nfs -o ro -d "My NFS share" /opt/nfsshare/

The command syntax is:

share [-F nfs] [-o specific-options] [-d description] pathname

In the above share we have provided ro=readonly access to /opt/nfsshare

4. Now check the share:

root@redcoral#share
-               /opt/nfsshare   ro   "My NFS share"

We have successfully shared the files at location /opt/nfsshare from our server. But the shares will not persist system reboots. Let us un-share it and then share it persistently.

5. The command to unshare:

root@redcoral#unshare -F nfs /opt/nfsshare/

This will stop a NFS sharing of an already shared directory(here its /opt/nfsshare/).

For persisting the share across system reboots we need to add the entry in file /etc/dfs/dfstab.
6. Open the file /etc/dfs/dfstab with an editor e.g. vi, and add the entry:

share -F nfs -o ro -d "Our NFS share" /opt/nfsshare/

7. Reboot the box or issue the following command to start sharing:

root@redcoral#shareall -F nfs
root@redcoral#share
-               /opt/nfsshare   ro   "Our NFS Share"

Thats all, we have successfully shared the files under /opt/nfsshare.

Incase if we would want to stop all NFS shares from our server:

unshareall -F nfs

Next we will see how to setup NFS client in another box in our network.

For Sharing files between Windows and Unix, refer here.