Introduction of NFS
- It was originally developed by Sun Microsystems in 1984 and is widely used in UNIX/Linux systems.
- NFSv4.1/4.2 is the latest version of NFS.
Definition of NFS
- Network File System (NFS) is a distributed file system protocol that allows a user on a client computer to access remote files over a network as if they were stored locally.
Features of NFS
- It enables file sharing between multiple computers over a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN).
- It is a mount protocol, i.e., helps in establishing a connection between client and server. Hence, files on a remote server can be mounted on a client system.
- It follows a client–server architecture.
- It uses standard network protocols such as TCP/IP.
- It provides transparent access, meaning users do not need to know where the file is physically stored.
- Client performs operations (open, read, write) via RPC calls.
- It has cross-platform compatibility features.
Advantages of NFS
- It supports centralized file storage.
- It supports an easy file-sharing process.
- It reduces duplication of data.
- It supports platform-independent access (mainly in UNIX/Linux).
- It allows multiple systems to share files and directories over a network.
Limitations of NFS
- Its security depends on proper configuration.
- Its performance depends on network speed.
- It is not ideal for very high-latency networks.
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