Network File System facts for kids

Network File System (NFS) is a way for computers to share files over a network. It lets you use files stored on another computer as if they were on your own. NFS was first made by Sun Microsystems in 1984. It's like having a shared folder that many computers can access at the same time. NFS is an open standard, meaning anyone can use and improve it.

How NFS Works

Imagine you have a main computer (called the server) that holds many files. Other computers (called clients) want to use these files. Here's how NFS helps them:

• The server sets up special programs called daemons (like helpful background workers). These daemons make its files ready to be shared.
• The server's owner decides which folders to share. This is called exporting the folders.
• The server makes sure only allowed client computers can connect and see the shared files.
• The client computer then asks to connect to these shared folders. This is often called mounting them.
• Once connected, users on the client computer can open, save, and work with files on the server. It feels just like using files on their own computer!

Different Versions of NFS

NFS has changed and improved over the years. Each new version adds cool features and makes sharing files even better.

NFS Version 2 (NFSv2)

This was the first version released to the public in 1989.

• It worked well for sharing files.
• However, it had a limit: you could only read the first 2 gigabytes (GB) of a file. This was because of how older computers handled numbers (32-bit systems).

NFS Version 3 (NFSv3)

Released in 1995, NFSv3 brought big improvements:

• It could handle very large files, much bigger than 2 GB. This was a huge step forward!
• It made writing files faster.
• It also started using TCP more often. TCP is a reliable way to send data, which made NFS work better over longer distances, like the internet.

WebNFS

WebNFS was a special addition to NFSv2 and NFSv3. It made it easier to use NFS through firewalls. Firewalls are like security guards for your network. WebNFS used a fixed port number (2049), which helped it get past these guards more easily. This feature was later added into NFSv4.

NFS Version 4 (NFSv4)

NFSv4 came out in 2000. It was a major update, influenced by other file sharing systems.

• It focused on making security much stronger.
• A big advantage is that it uses only one port (2049) for all its services. This makes it much simpler to use NFS when you have firewalls.
• NFSv4.1 (2010) added features for sharing files across many servers at once. This is called pNFS (Parallel NFS) and helps with very large systems.
• NFSv4.2 (2016) added even more features, like copying files on the server itself and better ways to manage storage space.

Where NFS is Used

NFS is very popular with Unix-like operating systems. These include:

• Linux
• macOS (Apple computers)
• FreeBSD
• And many others like Solaris, AIX, and HP-UX.

It can also be used on other systems, like Microsoft Windows. However, Windows often uses a different sharing method called Server Message Block (SMB). Apple computers also have their own sharing method called Apple Filing Protocol (AFP).

NFS is great for sharing files in schools, businesses, and research labs. It helps many computers work together and access the same information efficiently.

Protocol Development

The development of NFS involved many smart people and groups.

• In the early days, there were different ideas about how computers should talk to each other.
• Sun Microsystems worked with the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). The IETF is a group that creates and publishes internet standards.
• This cooperation helped make NFS an official internet standard. This means many different companies and people can use and build upon it.
• Events called "Connectathons" were held. These were meetings where different companies could test their NFS programs together. This helped make sure NFS worked well on all sorts of computers.

Images for kids

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  This graph shows how well NFS performs in different tests.

See also