Technical data

7.3 Network File System (NFS)
The Network File System (NFS) server software lets you set up file systems on
your OpenVMS host for export to users on remote NFS client hosts. These files and
directories appear to the remote user to be on the remote host even though they
physically reside on the local system.
After the NFS server is installed on your computer, you must configure the server
to allow network file access.
_________________________ Note _________________________
If your network includes PC clients, you might want to configure
PC-NFS.
NFS software was originally developed and used on UNIX machines. For this
reason, NFS implementations use UNIX conventions and characteristics. The rules
and conventions that apply to UNIX files, file types, file names, file ownership, and
user identification also apply to NFS.
Because the TCP/IP Services product runs on OpenVMS, the NFS software must
accommodate the differences between UNIX and OpenVMS file systems, for
example, by converting file names and mapping file ownership information. You
must understand these differences to configure NFS properly on your system,
to select the correct file system for the application, and to ensure that your file
systems are adequately protected while granting access to users on remote hosts.
7.3.1 Clients and Servers
NFS is a client/server environment that allows computers to share disk space and
allows users to work with their files from multiple computers without copying them
to their local system. The NFS server can make any of its file systems available
to the network by exporting the files and directories. Users on authorized client
hosts access the files by mounting the exported files and directories. The NFS
client systems accessing your server might be running UNIX, OpenVMS, or other
operating systems.
The NFS client identifies each file system by the name of its mount point on the
server. The mount point is the name of the device or directory at the top of the file
system hierarchy that you create on the server. An NFS device is always named
DNFSn. The NFS client makes file operation requests by contacting your NFS
server. The server then performs the requested operation.
7.3.2 NFS File Systems on OpenVMS
The OpenVMS system includes a hierarchy of devices, directories and files stored
on a Files–11 On-Disk Structure Level 2 (ODS-2) or Level 5 (ODS-5) formatted
disk. OpenVMS and ODS-2 define a set of rules that govern files within the
OpenVMS file system. These rules define the way that files are named and
catalogued within directories.
If you are not familiar with OpenVMS file systems, refer to the OpenVMS System
Manager’s Manual: Essentials to learn how to set up and initialize a Files–11 disk.
You can set up and export two different kinds of file systems: a traditional
OpenVMS file system or a UNIX style file system built on top of an OpenVMS file
system. This UNIX style file system is called a container file system.
Connectivity Services 7–3