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Mounting NFS Share on Linux

This guide demonstrates how to connect a Linux server to a remote NFS storage, allowing files stored on the NFS server to be accessed as if they were on the local disk.

The process involves three main steps:

  1. Install the NFS client
  2. Mount the share
  3. Verify if the mount was done correctly

📄 Prerequisites​

Before starting, make sure that:

  • The server is running a compatible Linux distribution (Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, Rocky, AlmaLinux, etc.)
  • The server has connectivity to the NFS server
  • The NFS share is already configured on the server
  • The user has sudo permissions

🚀 Step 1 – Install the NFS client​

First, install the package responsible for NFS protocol support on the operating system.

Debian / Ubuntu

sudo apt install nfs-common -y

RHEL / CentOS / AlmaLinux / Rocky

sudo dnf install nfs-utils -y

Older systems (CentOS 7)

sudo yum install nfs-utils -y
info

The package responsible for the NFS client may vary depending on the Linux distribution:

  • nfs-common → Debian / Ubuntu
  • nfs-utils → RHEL / CentOS / AlmaLinux / Rocky

These packages provide the necessary tools to access NFS shares.

➕ Step 2 – Mount the NFS share​

After installing the NFS client, mount the shared directory from the server.

sudo mount IP_DO_SERVIDOR:/mnt/nfs_shared /mnt

Command structure​

mount [servidor]:[diretório_exportado] [diretório_local]

Practical example​

sudo mount 172.16.40.131:/mnt/storage /storage

After running the command, the contents of the remote directory will be accessible in the defined local directory.

Network Connectivity

The NFS share can be accessed using a private IP (recommended for internal networks, greater security, and lower latency) or public IP, provided the service is properly exposed and the necessary ports are open (especially 2049/TCP).

❌ Step 3 – Verify if the share was mounted​

To confirm that the NFS share was mounted correctly, use:

df -h

If the mount was successful, the NFS storage will appear listed among the mounted file systems.

🔧 Make the mount permanent​

The mount performed with the command mount is temporary.
After restarting the server, the share will be automatically unmounted.

To make the mount permanent, add the configuration to the file:

sudo nano /etc/fstab

Add the following line:

172.16.40.131:/mnt/storage /mnt nfs defaults,_netdev 0 0
tip

The _netdev parameter ensures that the system waits for the network to start before mounting the NFS during boot.

✅ Conclusion​

After configuration, the Linux server will access the remote NFS storage as if it were a local directory, allowing file sharing between multiple servers.

This model is widely used in environments such as:

  • application clusters
  • containers
  • DevOps environments

🧠 Questions?​

Contact technical support and send your question—we are available to help you!