An Introduction to NFS
Avishay Traeger
IBM Haifa Research Lab
Internal Storage Course
―
November 2010
v1.2
Outline
The Basics
NFSv2
NFSv3
NFSv4
NFSv4.1
2
Typical Use
ws-avishay ws-bob ws-carl mount -t nfs
(NFS Client) (NFS Client) (NFS Client) nfsserv:/home /home
10.0.2.56 10.0.2.103 10.0.2.81
nfsserv (NFS Server) /etc/exports:
/
/home 10.0.2.*(rw)
home …
avishay bob carl
Some benefits of NFS:
1. All clients have the same view
2. Centralized storage management
RAID Storage
3
NFS Evolution
NFS is a standardized protocol
Version Year RFC # Pages Status
NFSv2 1989 1094 27 Obsolete
NFSv3 1995 1813 126 Most popular
Available on several OSs, slowly
NFSv4 2003 3530 275
but surely replacing NFSv3
NFSv4.1 2010 5661 617 Early adopters only
4
Design Goals
OS independence & interoperability
Simple crash recovery for clients and servers
Transparent access (client programs do not
know files are remote)
Maintain local file system semantics
Reasonable performance
5
Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
NFS is defined as a set of RPCs – their
arguments, results, and effects
RPCs are synchronous
The use of RPCs makes the protocol easier to
understand
6
NFS Client/Server
7
Outline
The Basics
NFSv2
NFSv3
NFSv4
NFSv4.1
8
Stateless Protocol
The server does not keep state for RPCs
Each RPC contains the necessary information
to complete the call
This makes crash recovery easy
Server crash: server does no crash recovery, clients
resubmit requests
Client crash: no crash recovery for client or server
This is nice in theory, but
Adds complexity
Not really stateless...
File locking adds state, provided by separate protocol & daemon
Server keeps an RPC reply cache to handle duplicate non-
idempotent RPC 9
File Handles
The most common NFS procedure parameter
is a structure called a file handle (fh, fhandle)
Provided by the server and used by the client
to reference a file
The fhandle is opaque to the client
New fhandles returned by LOOKUP, CREATE,
MKDIR, ...
The fhandle for the root of the file system is
obtained by the client when it mounts the file
system
10
Operations
NULL() returns ()
Do nothing procedure to used for pinging the server
LOOKUP(dirfh, name) returns (fh, attr)
Returns a new fh and attributes for the named file in
the directory specified by dirfh
CREATE(dirfh, name, attr) returns (newfh,
attr)
Creates a new file name in the directory dirfh and
returns the new fh and attributes.
REMOVE(dirfh, name) returns (status)
Removes the file name from directory dirfh.
11
Operations
GETATTR(fh) returns (attr)
Returns file attributes (similar to stat syscall)
SETATTR(fh, attr) returns (attr)
Sets the mode, uid, gid, size, access time, and
modify time of a file. Setting the size to zero
truncates the file.
12
Operations
READ(fh, offset, count) returns (attr, data)
Returns up to count bytes of data from a file starting
offset bytes into the file.
Returns the attributes of the file.
WRITE(fh, offset, count, data) returns (attr)
Writes count bytes of data to a file beginning at
offset bytes from the beginning of the file.
Returns the new attributes of the file after the write.
13
Operations
RENAME(dirfh, name, tofh, toname) returns
(status)
Renames name in directory dirfh, to toname in
directory tofh.
LINK(dirfh, name, tofh, toname) returns
(status)
Creates a hard link toname in directory tofh, that
points to name in directory dirfh.
14
Operations
SYMLINK(dirfh, name, string) returns (status)
Creates a symlink name in the directory dirfh with
value string. The server does not interpret the
string argument in any way, just saves it and
makes an association to the new symlink file.
READLINK(fh) returns (string)
Returns the string which is associated with the
symlink file.
15
Operations
MKDIR(dirfh, name, attr) returns (fh, newattr)
Creates a new directory name in the directory dirfh
and returns the new fh and attributes.
RMDIR(dirfh, name) returns (status)
Removes the empty directory name from the parent
directory dirfh.
STATFS(fh) returns (fsstats)
Returns file system information such as block size,
number of free blocks, etc.
16
Operations
READDIR (dirfh, cookie, count) returns
(entries)
Returns up to count bytes of directory entries from
the directory dirfh.
Each entry contains a file name, file id, and an
opaque pointer to the next directory entry called a
cookie.
The cookie is used in subsequent readdir calls to
start reading at a specific entry in the directory.
A readdir call with the cookie of zero returns entries
starting with the first entry in the directory.
17
The MOUNT Protocol
The MOUNT protocol takes a directory
pathname and returns an fhandle if the client
has permissions to mount the file system
Separate protocol
Easier to plug in new permission check methods
Separates the OS-dependent aspects of the protocol
Other OS implementations can change the
MOUNT protocol without having to change the
NFS protocol
18
The Linux File Handle
Remember that information contained in the
fhandle is only meaningful on the server
If the local FS on the server reuses an inode
number, an NFS client could mistakenly use an
old file handle and access the new file. File
systems include generation numbers in the
inode to avoid this. The value is usually taken
from a counter used across the file system.
Important file handle fields:
Major/minor number of the exported device
Inode number
Generation number
19
Security
NFSv2 uses UNIX-style permission checks
The client passes uid/gid info in RPCs, and
the server performs permission checks as if the
user was performing the operation locally
Problem – the mapping from uid/gid to user
must be the same on the client and server
Can be solved via Network Information Service (NIS)
Another problem – should root on the client
have root access to files on the server?
Server specifies policy
20
Cache Consistency Problems
Clients use caching and write buffering to
improve performance, but this causes issues
Problem: Update visibility; If client C1 buffers writes
in its cache, client C2 will see the old version
NFSv2 solution: Close-to-open consistency – Clients
flush on close(), so other clients will see the
latest version on open()
Problem: Stale cache; If C1 has a file cached, it will
see old data even if the file is updated by C2
NFSv2 solution: Send a GETATTR and check the
file's modification time to see if it has been
updated. Cache attributes for a few seconds to
reduce the number of GETATTR calls.
21
Strong Semantics for Write
Because the NFS server is stateless, when
servicing an NFS request it must commit any
modified data to stable storage before
returning results
The implication for UNIX based servers is that
requests which modify the file system must
flush all modified data & metadata to disk
before returning from the call
This can be a big performance bottleneck
unless something is done to improve write
performance (e.g., NetApp's WAFL file system)
22
Outline
The Basics
NFSv2
NFSv3
NFSv4
NFSv4.1
23
Major Changes from NFSv2 to v3
Sizes and offsets are widened from 32 bits to
64 bits
A new COMMIT RPC allows for reliable
asynchronous writes
A new ACCESS RPC improves support for
ACLs and super-user
All operations now return attributes to reduce
the number of subsequent GETATTR
procedure calls
The 8KB data size limitation on the READ and
WRITE procedures is relaxed
24
Major Changes from NFSv2 to v3
A new READDIRPLUS RPC returns both file
handle and attributes to eliminate LOOKUP
calls when scanning a directory
25
Asynchronous Writes
In NFSv3, the server can reply to WRITE RPCs
immediately, without syncing to disk
When the client wants to ensure that data is on
stable storage, it sends a COMMIT RPC
Asynchronous writes are optional, and
negotiated at mount time
26
Asynchronous Writes: Crash
Recovery
The client must keep all uncommitted data in
case of a server crash
Replies for WRITE and COMMIT RPCs include
a write verifier for server crash detection
Write verifier: 8-byte value that the server must
change if it crashes (many use boot time)
The client must save verifiers returned by
async WRITE RPCs, and compare them to the
verifier returned by a leter COMMIT RPC
If the verifiers don't match, the client must
rewrite all uncommitted data
27
Outline
The Basics
NFSv2
NFSv3
NFSv4
NFSv4.1
28
Additional Goals for NFSv4
Improved access and good performance on the
Internet
Only TCP
Easy to transit firewalls: uses one port (mount & lock
protocols merged into NFS)
COMPOUNDs, delegations, uid/gid issue resolved
Strong security with negotiation built in
Better cross-platform interoperability
Better extensibility
New security types, new attributes, etc.
Big design change – NFSv4 is stateful
29
Security
For previous versions, only UNIX permissions
were widely adopted
NFSv4 mandates the use of strong RPC
security flavors that depend on cryptography
Security type negotiation is done securely and
in-band
User and groups are identified with strings, not
numbers
Access control policies compatible with both
UNIX and Windows
The problematic MOUNT protocol is removed
30
RPCSEC_GSS
A framework adopted by NFSv4 to provide
authentication, integrity, and privacy at the
RPC level
The following mechanisms must be
implemented: Kerberos v5, LIPKEY, SPKM3
Security options are negotiated at mount time
The SECINFO operation allows a client to
determine the security policy (usually on
mount, but can be on a per-filehandle basis)
RPCSEC_GSS can be used with previous
versions of NFS, but in NFSv4 support is
mandatory 31
Identifying Users
In v2 and v3, users and groups were
represented as integers
This required all clients and the server to agree
on user and group assignments - not practical
(especially over the Internet)
NFSv4 uses strings ‘user@domain’ and
‘group@domain’, where domain represents a
registered DNS domain or a sub-domain
On Linux, idmapd translates NFSv4 IDs
32
COMPOUND Procedure
NFSv4 has 2 procedures: NULL and
COMPOUND
The COMPOUND procedure can contain
several operations (similar to previous NFS
procedures)
Possible example: {LOOKUP, OPEN, READ}
Operations are evaluated in order, and each
can have a return value
If an operation fails, the server stops evaluating
the COMPOUND and returns
33
Filehandles
Current filehandle: used by most operations
Saved filehandle: used as an additional
operand
Example from Linux #1: WRITE request
PUTFH(fh): set CURFH to the target file
WRITE: write the data to the current file
GETATTR: get attributes for the current file
34
Filehandles
Example from Linux #2: CREATE request
PUTFH(dirfh): set CURFH to the directory
SAVEFH: save CURFH (SAVEDFH=CURFH)
CREATE: create the file (CURFH=NEWFH)
GETFH: return CURFH to the client
GETATTR: get the attributes of the new file
RESTOREFH: (CURFH=SAVEDFH)
GETATTR: get the attributes of the directory
35
Some Differences in Operations
CREATE now creates file, directories, and
special files
LOOKUPP was introduced to look up the
parent directory – no special meaning for ‘.’
and ‘..’ as in previous NFS versions (better
cross-platform interoperability)
READDIRPLUS removed - READDIR now
returns requested attributes
36
Filehandle Types
In previous NFS versions, the fhandle was
valid for the lifetime of the file system object
Now these fhandles are called “persistent
filehandles”
“Volatile filehandles” may become invalid, but
the client is prepared to deal with these
semantics
37
File System Migration/Replication
Migration
The file system locations attribute provides a method
for the client to probe the server about the location
of a file system
In the event of a file system migration, the client will
receive an error when operating on the file system
and it can then query as to the new location
Replication
The client is able to query the server for the multiple
available locations of a particular file system
From this information, the client can use its own
policies to access the appropriate file system
location
38
Attribute Types
Mandatory: minimal set of file or file system
attributes that must be provided by the server
type, filehandle expiration type, change indicator,
size, fsid, lease duration, etc.
Recommended: represent different file system
types and operating environments
case insensitive, hidden, max file size, max read
size, max write size, UNIX mode bits, owner string,
group string, modify/create/access time, etc.
Named: Similar to extended attributes,
implemented as hidden directories
ACLs: implemented as recommended attribute
39
Pseudo Filesystems
In NFSv4, the server presents a single seamless view
of all the exported file systems to a client
The client can use the fsid to notice changes
mount -t nfs4 servername:/ /mnt/dir
40
Client Caching
File, attribute, and directory caching is similar
to previous versions: clients determine what to
cache and for how long, and when to see if an
update occurred
Close-to-open consistency
Client checks if cached data is valid on OPEN
Client writes modified data on CLOSE
Sufficient for most applications and users
41
Leases
A lease is a time-bounded grant of control of the state of a
file, from the server to the client (lock or delegation)
During a lease interval a server may not grant conflicting
control to another client
The client may assume that a lock granted by the server
will remain valid for a fixed (server-specified) interval and
is subject to renewal by the client
The client is responsible for refreshing the lease
If the lease interval expires without a refresh from the
client, the server assumes the client has failed and may
allow other clients to acquire the same lock
If the server fails, on reboot the server waits a duration
equal to a lease interval for clients to reclaim the locks
that they may still hold, before allowing any new lock
requests 42
File Locking
Support for byte-range file locking part of
protocol
Lease-based model: lease state is stored on
the server
Clients must either explicitly renew leases
(RENEW), or implicitly renew them (usually
READ)
A refresh of any lock by the client validates all
locks held by the client to a particular server
(reduces the number of refreshes)
43
Delegations
The server may grant a read or write
delegation for a file to a client
Read delegation: client is assured that no other client
will write to the file for the duration of the delegation
Write delegation: like read delegation, but other
clients may not read or write
Delegations may be recalled using a callback
A callback is a server → client RPC
A client must support callbacks in order to get a
delegation - tested with CB_NULL request
Delegations allow clients to service operations
like OPEN, CLOSE, LOCK, READ, WRITE
without immediate interaction with the server 44
Outline
The Basics
NFSv2
NFSv3
NFSv4
NFSv4.1
45
Parallel NFS (pNFS)
Clients may now access storage devices
directly and in parallel
Eliminates the classic NFS bottleneck of having
only one server
The management
protocol is NFSv4.1
The data protocol can
be NFSv4.1, OSD,
or FC
46
Other NFSv4.1 Highlights
Sessions
Session layer on top of the transport layer
Solves many issues with dropped connections, as
well as client and server crashes
Delegation support for directories
47
References
http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~cs537-1/notes/34_file-nfs.pdf
RFC1094 - NFS version 2
RFC1813 - NFS version 3
RFC1831 - RPC: Remote Procedure Call Protocol Specification Version 2
RFC1832 - XDR: External Data Representation Standard
RFC1964 - The Kerberos Version 5 GSS-API Mechanism
RFC2025 - The Simple Public-Key GSS-API Mechanism (SPKM)
RFC2054 - WebNFS Client Specification
RFC2055 - WebNFS Server Specification
RFC2203 - RPCSEC_GSS Protocol Specification
RFC2224 - NFS URL Scheme
RFC2581 - TCP Congestion Control
RFC2623 - NFS Version 2 and Version 3 Security Issues and the NFS Protocol's Use of
RPCSEC_GSS and Kerberos V5
RFC2624 - NFS Version 4 Design Considerations
RFC2224 - Security Negotiation for WebNFS
RFC2743 - Generic Security Service Application Program Interface, Version 2, Update 1
RFC2847 - LIPKEY - A Low Infrastructure Public Key Mechanism Using SPKM
RFC3010 - NFS version 4 Protocol (Obsoleted by RFC3530)
RFC3530 - NFS version 4 Protocol
RFC5661 - NFS version 4 Minor Version 1 Protocol
48
