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Asked: 2024-09-27T05:36:34+05:30 In:

What are the steps to share a mounted drive using NFS on Ubuntu?

I’ve been trying to share a mounted drive using NFS on my Ubuntu machine, and it’s been quite a journey! I managed to mount the drive, but when it comes to sharing it over NFS, I’m feeling a bit lost. I’ve read a few tutorials online, but they seem to skip over some steps or assume that I know more than I do.

So, here’s where I’m at right now: I have this external drive mounted at `/mnt/mydrive`, and I want to share it with another machine on my local network. I’ve already installed the necessary NFS packages on both machines, but after that, I’m not too sure what to do.

I remember seeing something about editing the `/etc/exports` file, but I’m not exactly sure how to format that properly. Do I just add a line for my drive? And what about permissions? I want to make sure that the other machine can access and modify the files without any issues.

Also, I’ve heard something about exporting the shared directory after editing the file, but I’m not quite clear on how to do that. Is it just a simple command I can run? And I’m assuming I need to restart the NFS service afterwards, right?

I could really use a detailed, step-by-step guide here, and if you have any tips or tricks that might help, I would love to hear them! Are there any common pitfalls to watch out for? Like, are there specific permissions I should set on the drive, or configuration settings I need to check on the client machine?

It feels like every time I think I have it figured out, I hit another snag. I just want to get this working so I can access my files easily from that other machine. Any help would be massively appreciated! Thanks in advance!

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    2 Answers



    1. NFS Sharing Guide

      NFS Sharing Guide for Your Mounted Drive

      Okay, first things first! Since you’ve already got your drive mounted at /mnt/mydrive, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of sharing it over NFS.

      1. Editing the /etc/exports File

      You were right about the /etc/exports file! This is where you tell the NFS server what to share and with whom. Just open the file using your favorite text editor:

      sudo nano /etc/exports

      Now, add a line for your mounted drive. Here’s a simple example:

      /mnt/mydrive *(rw,sync,no_subtree_check)

      Let’s break that down:

      • /mnt/mydrive – This is the path of your mounted drive.
      • * – This means you’re allowing access from any host. You can specify an IP address or hostname for more control.
      • rw – This allows read and write access to the drive.
      • sync – This ensures that changes are written to disk immediately.
      • no_subtree_check – This helps prevent issues if the shared directory structure changes.

      2. Exporting Your Shared Directory

      After saving the changes in /etc/exports (don’t forget to save in Nano with CTRL + O and then exit with CTRL + X), you need to export the shared directory. Just run this command:

      sudo exportfs -a

      3. Restarting the NFS Service

      Now, let’s restart the NFS service to make sure everything’s applied correctly. Use this command:

      sudo systemctl restart nfs-kernel-server

      4. Check Your Settings

      So you don’t run into permission issues, check the permissions on /mnt/mydrive. You want to ensure that the drive’s permissions allow the user on the client machine to read and write. You can do this by setting the permissions like:

      sudo chmod -R 777 /mnt/mydrive

      Be careful with 777, though, as it gives permission to everyone. Adjust it to your needs!

      5. Accessing from the Client Machine

      On the client machine, you need to mount the shared directory. You can do this with:

      sudo mount :/mnt/mydrive /path/to/mountpoint

      Replace <server_ip> with the IP address of your Ubuntu machine and /path/to/mountpoint with where you want it mounted on the client.

      Common Pitfalls

      • Make sure your firewall isn’t blocking NFS. You can check your firewall settings if you run into connection issues.
      • Always double-check the IP address of your server and the client.
      • If you change any settings in /etc/exports, remember to run exportfs -a and restart the NFS service!

      That should cover it! Take it step by step, and if something breaks, check each part of the process. Good luck!


    2. To share your mounted drive using NFS on Ubuntu, you’ll need to edit the `/etc/exports` file to define the directory you want to share and the permissions associated with it. Open the file with your preferred text editor, like this: sudo nano /etc/exports. In this file, you can add a line for your mounted drive. For instance, if you want to share `/mnt/mydrive` with another machine whose IP address is `192.168.1.100`, you can add:

      /mnt/mydrive 192.168.1.100(rw,sync,no_subtree_check)

      This line gives read-write permissions (`rw`), allows synchronous writes (`sync`), and disables subtree checking (`no_subtree_check`). After editing the `/etc/exports` file, run the command sudo exportfs -a to apply your changes, which tells NFS to re-read the exports file. Next, restart the NFS service to ensure all changes are active using sudo systemctl restart nfs-kernel-server. Make sure that the directory permissions on the external drive allow access for the NFS service; you can set appropriate permissions using sudo chmod -R 777 /mnt/mydrive, which allows read, write, and execute permissions for everyone. On the client machine, ensure that NFS is correctly installed and that you can mount the shared directory by using the command sudo mount 192.168.1.xxx:/mnt/mydrive /path/to/mountpoint (replace `192.168.1.xxx` with the server’s IP address).

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