NFS Services Administrator's Guide

Introduction
CacheFS
Chapter 1 37
CacheFS
The cache filesystem (CacheFS) is a general purpose filesystem caching
mechanism that improves the performance of client-side applications
when dealing with slow NFS servers or a slow network. By caching the
data to a fast local filesystem instead of going over the wire, the client
sees better performance. This results in reduced server and network
load, and improves NFS response time and scalability.
In an NFS environment, the CacheFS filesystem increases the client per
server ratio, reduces server and network loads, and improves
performance on slow links.
NOTE CacheFS does not support NFSv4 filesystems.
How CacheFS Works
The CacheFS filesystem is created on a client system so that the client
can access the cached filesystem locally, instead of accessing the
filesystem on the server.