NFS on Debian/Ubuntu - Quick Start Guide

Linux
Audience
Public
Product
FlashBlade
FlashArray
Technology Integrations
Linux
Source Type
Documentation
Note:

For detailed explanations and alternative configurations: See NFS Best Practices.

Important:

Vendor Documentation Priority: This guide is for reference only. Always consult official vendor documentation for your distribution. Test thoroughly in a lab environment before production use.

Pre-requisites:

  • Debian 11+ or Ubuntu 20.04 LTS+

  • Everpure FlashArray with:

    • NFS file interface configured

    • NFS export policy created with NFSv4.1 enabled (recommended)

    • Export path created (e.g., /data/debian)

    • No root squash enabled for client IPs

    • Dedicated storage network interfaces (recommended)

    • Root or sudo access

  1. Install NFS Client: 
    # Update package lists
sudo apt update

# Install NFS utilities
sudo apt install -y nfs-common

# Verify installation
dpkg -l | grep nfs-common
  2. Verify Network Connectivity: 
    # Test connectivity to NFS server
ping -c 3 <NFS_SERVER_IP>

# Test NFS port (2049) - use one of these methods:
# Method 1: Using bash (works on all distributions)
timeout 3 bash -c '</dev/tcp/<NFS_SERVER_IP>/2049' && echo "NFS port 2049 is open"

# Method 2: Using nc (may require installation)
# Debian/Ubuntu: apt install netcat-openbsd
nc -zv <NFS_SERVER_IP> 2049

# List available exports (optional - may not be available on all distributions)
# Debian: included with nfs-common
showmount -e <NFS_SERVER_IP>
  3. Configure Firewall (if enabled): 
    # UFW (Ubuntu default)
sudo ufw allow out to any port 2049
sudo ufw allow out to any port 111

# Verify
sudo ufw status
  4. Create Mount Point and Mount NFS: 
    # Create mount point
sudo mkdir -p /mnt/pure-nfs

# Mount with recommended options
sudo mount -t nfs4 -o vers=4.1,nconnect=4,noatime,nodiratime \
    <NFS_SERVER_IP>:/data/debian /mnt/pure-nfs

# Verify mount
mount | grep nfs
df -h /mnt/pure-nfs
  5. Configure Persistent Mount:

    Add to /etc/fstab for automatic mounting at boot:

    # Add fstab entry
echo '<NFS_SERVER_IP>:/data/debian /mnt/pure-nfs nfs4 vers=4.1,hard,timeo=300,retrans=2,nconnect=4,noatime,nodiratime,_netdev 0 0' | sudo tee -a /etc/fstab

# Test fstab entry
sudo umount /mnt/pure-nfs
sudo mount -a

# Verify
mount | grep nfs
    Note:

    Recommended Options:

    • vers=4.1: NFSv4.1 for session recovery during controller failover
    • hard: Retry indefinitely during failover (prevents I/O errors). Do not use soft : it causes I/O errors after ~180 seconds and risks data corruption
    • timeo=300,retrans=2 : 30-second timeout, ~90 seconds total before major retry (exceeds FlashArray <30s failover target)
    • nconnect=4: Multiple TCP connections for improved throughput (values 4-8 recommended)
    • noatime,nodiratime: Don't update access times, reducing metadata I/O
    • _netdev: Wait for network before mounting

    During failover: With hard mount, I/O pauses briefly, then resumes automatically, with no errors returned to applications.

  6. Verify NFS Mount: 
    # Check mount options
mount | grep nfs

# Verify nconnect is active
cat /proc/fs/nfsfs/servers

# Test read/write
echo "NFS test" | sudo tee /mnt/pure-nfs/test.txt
cat /mnt/pure-nfs/test.txt
sudo rm /mnt/pure-nfs/test.txt
Note:

Quick Reference:

Task Command
Show exports showmount -e <server>
Mount NFS mount -t nfs4 <server>:<export> <mountpoint>
Unmount NFS umount <mountpoint>
NFS statistics nfsstat -c
Mount info nfsstat -m

Troubleshooting:

Mount Fails 

# Check network connectivity
ping <NFS_SERVER_IP>
nc -zv <NFS_SERVER_IP> 2049

# Check exports
showmount -e <NFS_SERVER_IP>

Performance Issues 

# Check NFS version and options
nfsstat -m

# Verify nconnect
cat /proc/fs/nfsfs/servers

AppArmor-specific: 

# Check AppArmor (if enabled)
sudo aa-status

For production deployments, see NFS Best Practices for:

  • Network bonding and redundancy

  • Performance tuning with nconnect

  • AppArmor configuration

  • Monitoring and troubleshooting

Related Guides: