Characteristics of the Network File System

 

The characteristics of any file system mounted through NFS are dependent on the type of file system that was mounted from the server.

It is important to realize that requests performed on what appears to be a local directory or file system are really operating on the server through the NFS connection.

This client/server relationship can be confusing. Consider, for example, that you mounted the QDLS file system from the server on top of a branch of the "root" (/) directory of your client. Although the mounted file system appears to be an extension of the local directory, it actually functions and performs as the QDLS file system.

Realizing this relationship for file systems mounted through NFS is important for processing requests locally and through the server connection. Just because a command processes correctly on the local level does not mean that it will work on the directory mounted from the server. Each directory mounted on the client will have the properties and characteristics of the server file system.

 

Parent topic:

Network File System (NFS)