NFS Services Administrator's Guide

Configuring and Administering NFS Services
Configuring and Administering an NFS Server
Chapter 268
Sharing directories across a firewall using the WebNFS Feature
The WebNFS service makes files in a directory available to clients using
a public file handle. The ability to use this predefined file handle reduces
network traffic, by avoiding the MOUNT protocol.
How WebNFS works This section compares the process of
communication between an NFS client and an NFS server across LANs
and WANs. Table 2-4 compares the NFS session across a LAN with a
WebNFS session across a WAN.
Figure 2-2 shows a sample WebNFS session.
Table 2-4 NFS Session Versus WebNFS Session
How NFS works across LANs How WebNFS works across WANs
NFS servers must register their port
assignments with the portmapper service
that is registered on port 111, although
the NFS server uses 2049 as the
destination port.
NFS servers register on port 2049. WebNFS
clients contact the WebNFS server on port
2049.
The MOUNT service is not registered on a
specific port. The NFS client must use the
portmapper service to locate the MOUNT
port. Once the port is located, the client
must issue a request for a file handle
corresponding to the requested path.
A WebNFS client can use the PUBLIC file
handle as an initial file handle, rather than
using the MOUNT protocol.