Complete Guide to Installing NFS Server and Client on RHEL Systems

Learn how to Install NFS Server and Client on RHEL-based Distributions easily. Our NFS Support team is ready to assist you. 

Install NFS Server and Client on RHEL-based Distributions

This guide explains how to install and configure NFS services, create and share directories, set up an NFS client, and verify access, enabling seamless file sharing across Linux/Unix systems.

Install and Configure NFS Services

Network File System (NFS) allows Linux servers to share directories and files with other systems over a network. By following this guide, you can easily install and configure NFS Server on RHEL to enable seamless file sharing. The process covers updating system packages, installing NFS utilities, starting and enabling NFS services, verifying their status, configuring firewall access if needed, and exporting shared directories for client access.

1. Update System Packages and Install NFS Utilities

sudo yum update -y

sudo yum install -y nfs-utils rpcbind

2. Enable and Start NFS Services

sudo systemctl enable rpcbind

sudo systemctl start rpcbind

sudo systemctl enable nfs-server

sudo systemctl start nfs-server

3. Verify NFS Service Status

sudo systemctl status rpcbind

sudo systemctl status nfs-server

4. Configure Firewall (Optional)

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --zone=public --add-service=nfs

sudo firewall-cmd --reload

5. Export Shared Directories

Add the shared directory to /etc/exports and export it:

echo "/shared_data 192.168.1.100(rw,sync,no_root_squash)" | sudo tee -a /etc/exports

sudo exportfs -arv

Configure Firewall for NFS

1. Allow NFS Service

sudo firewall-cmd --zone=public --add-service=nfs --permanent

2. Allow mountd and rpc-bind Services

sudo firewall-cmd --zone=public --add-service=mountd --permanent

sudo firewall-cmd --zone=public --add-service=rpc-bind --permanent

3. Reload Firewall to Apply Changes

sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Create and Export NFS Share

To share directories over the network using NFS, you first need to create the shared folder, set proper permissions, and configure the NFS exports. After setting up, you can export the share and restart the NFS service to apply changes.

1. Create the Shared Directory

sudo mkdir -p /srv/nfs/share

2. Set Permissions

• Full access for all users (use cautiously in production):

sudo chmod 777 /srv/nfs/share

• Alternatively, set ownership for specific users/groups as needed.

3. Edit /etc/exports

sudo nano /etc/exports

/srv/nfs/share client_ip_or_hostname(rw,sync,no_subtree_check)

• rw: read/write access
• sync: writes changes to disk before confirming
• no_subtree_check: improves performance, disables subtree checks

4. Export the Share

sudo exportfs -a

5. Restart NFS Service

sudo systemctl restart nfs-kernel-server

6. Verify Exported Shares

showmount -e

Configure NFS Client

1. Verify Server Exports

showmount -e nfs_server_ip

2. Create Mount Directory

sudo mkdir -p /mnt/nfs_share

3. Mount the NFS Share

sudo mount nfs_server_ip:/path/to/exported_directory /mnt/nfs_share

4. Persist Mount in /etc/fstab

Edit /etc/fstab and add:

nfs_server_ip:/path/to/exported_directory /mnt/nfs_share nfs defaults 0 0

sudo nano /etc/fstab

# Add:

192.168.1.100:/data/nfs_share /mnt/nfs_share nfs defaults 0 0

5. Test Persistent Mount

sudo umount /mnt/nfs_share

sudo mount -a

df -h

Verify and Manage NFS Shares

1. Verify Shared Files on the NFS Server

• Check Exported Shares:

showmount -e

• Verify File Presence:

ls -l /path/to/exported/directory

2. Verify Shared Files on the NFS Client

• Check Mount:

df -h

• Access Shared Files:

ls -l /path/to/client/mountpoint

3. Unmount NFS Shares on the Client

• Unmount the Share:

sudo umount /path/to/client/mountpoint

• Remove Persistent Mount (Optional):

sudo nano /etc/fstab

[Need assistance with a different issue? Our team is available 24/7.]

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can efficiently install NFS Server and Client on RHEL-based Distributions, enabling secure file sharing, persistent mounts, and easy management of shared directories across your network.

In brief, our Support Experts demonstrated how to fix the “554 5.7.1 : Relay access denied” error.