NFS Server

A lightweight, secure NFS server implementation in Rust, supporting NFSv3 protocol with TCP transport.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Quick Start
• Prerequisites
• Building from Source
• Running the Server
• Configuration
• Deploy with Docker
• Client Setup
• Testing
• Troubleshooting
• Security Considerations
• License
• Acknowledgments

Features

• NFSv3 protocol support
• TCP transport
• Secure non-root execution
• Docker containerization
• Data persistence
• Minimal resource footprint

Quick Start

Using Cargo

# Clone repository (replace with actual repository URL)
git clone https://github.com/username/nfs-server.git

> Replace `username` with your actual GitHub username or organization.
cd nfs-server

# Build and run
cargo run --example nfs_server

# In another terminal, mount the share
mount -t nfs -o nolocks,vers=3,tcp,port=2049 localhost:/ /mnt/nfs-share

Using Docker

# Build image
docker build -t nfs-server .

# Run container
# Create data directory first to avoid permission issues
mkdir -p ./data
docker run -d -p 2049:2049 -v ./data:/nfs/data --name nfs-server nfs-server

# Mount the share
mount -t nfs -o nolocks,vers=3,tcp,port=2049 localhost:/ /mnt/nfs-share

Prerequisites

• Rust 1.74.0 or higher
• Cargo (Rust package manager)
• Docker (optional, for container deployment)
• NFS client utilities (for testing)

Building from Source

Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/nfs-server.git
cd nfs-server

Build the Project

# Build in release mode
cargo build --release

# Run the server directly
cargo run --example nfs_server

Running the Server

After building the project, you can run the NFS server using either Cargo or the compiled binary.

Basic Usage

# Using cargo
cargo run --example nfs_server

# Using the compiled binary
./target/release/examples/nfs_server

Configuration

The server can be configured through environment variables or command-line arguments.

Environment Variables

• NFS_PORT: Set custom port (default: 2049)
• DATA_DIRECTORY: Set data storage path (default: ./data)
• LOG_LEVEL: Set logging level (default: info, options: trace, debug, info, warn, error)
• MAX_CONNECTIONS: Set maximum concurrent connections (default: 100)

Example Configurations

Development Configuration

LOG_LEVEL=debug NFS_PORT=3049 cargo run --example nfs_server

Production Configuration

LOG_LEVEL=warn MAX_CONNECTIONS=500 DATA_DIRECTORY=/var/nfs/data ./target/release/examples/nfs_server

Note: The server currently supports environment variable configuration only. Command-line arguments may be added in future releases.

Deploy with Docker

Build Docker Image

docker build -t nfs-server .

Run Docker Container

docker run -d -p 2049:2049 --name nfs-server -v ./data:/nfs/data nfs-server

Docker Deployment Notes

• -v ./data:/nfs/data: Mounts the local data directory to the container for data persistence
• -p 2049:2049: Maps the default NFS service port
• Optimized Docker image features: smaller size, non-root user execution, security hardening

Client Setup

Mounting the NFS Share

To access the NFS server from a client machine, use the following command:

mount -t nfs -o nolocks,vers=3,tcp,port=2049,mountport=2049,soft <server-ip>:/ /mnt/nfs-share

Client Compatibility

• Linux: Native support through nfs-common package

  sudo apt-get install nfs-common  # Debian/Ubuntu
  sudo yum install nfs-utils       # RHEL/CentOS

• macOS: Native support with mount_nfs

  sudo mount_nfs -o vers=3,tcp localhost:/ /mnt/nfs-share

• Windows: Requires NFS client feature enabled or third-party software

  # Enable NFS client feature
  Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -FeatureName ServicesForNFS-ClientOnly, ClientForNFS-Infrastructure -Online
  
  # Mount share
  mount -o nolocks,vers=3,tcp \\localhost\mnt\nfs-share Z:\

Client Options Explained:

• vers=3: Use NFS version 3 protocol
• tcp: Use TCP transport (recommended for reliability)
• port=2049: NFS service port
• mountport=2049: Mountd port
• nolocks: Disable file locking
• soft: Use soft mount (fail quickly if server unavailable)

Verifying the Mount

After mounting, verify with:

mount | grep nfs
# Should show your mounted share

# Create a test file
touch /mnt/nfs-share/testfile.txt
ls -l /mnt/nfs-share/testfile.txt

Testing

Basic Server Validation

Verify the server is running correctly:

# Check if server is listening on port 2049
# For Linux
netstat -tulpn | grep 2049
# Or alternatively
ss -tulpn | grep 2049

# For macOS
lsof -i :2049

# For Windows
netstat -ano | findstr :2049

# View server logs
# (If using systemd or similar service manager)
journalctl -u nfs-server

Performance Testing

Test read/write performance with dd:

# Write test
dd if=/dev/zero of=/mnt/nfs-share/test bs=1M count=100 oflag=direct

# Read test
dd if=/mnt/nfs-share/test of=/dev/null bs=1M count=100 iflag=direct

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

• Mount Failures: Verify NFS client utilities are installed (nfs-common on Debian/Ubuntu, nfs-utils on RHEL/CentOS)
• Permission Denied: Check directory permissions on server and client
• Performance Issues: Consider adjusting TCP buffer sizes or using hard mounts
• Data Corruption: Never use soft mounts for critical data

Debugging Tips

• Mount Failures: Verify NFS client utilities are installed (nfs-common on Debian/Ubuntu)
• Permission Denied: Check directory permissions on server and client
• Performance Issues: Consider adjusting TCP buffer sizes or using hard mounts

Debugging Tips

# Enable verbose output on client
mount -t nfs -v -o vers=3,tcp <server-ip>:/ /mnt/nfs-share

# Check server logs
RUST_LOG=debug cargo run --example nfs_server

Security Considerations

• Non-root Execution: The server is designed to run as an unprivileged user for enhanced security
• Network Security: Always use a firewall to restrict access to the NFS port
• Data Protection: Consider using encryption for sensitive data (NFS itself doesn't provide encryption)
• Mount Restrictions: Limit NFS mounts to trusted clients only
• Regular Updates: Keep the server and dependencies updated for security patches

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Known Limitations

• Only NFSv3 protocol is supported
• Limited to TCP transport (UDP not supported)
• Basic file operations only (some advanced features may be missing)

Future Improvements

• Add NFSv4 protocol support
• Implement UDP transport option
• Add command-line argument configuration
• Enhanced logging and monitoring

Acknowledgments

• Rust NFS protocol implementation
• Docker for containerization support
• The Rust community for excellent libraries