NFS (Network File System) relies on several daemons to facilitate the sharing and access of files over a network. These daemons play specific roles in the NFS architecture. Here are the key NFS daemons:
Here are the main NFS daemons:
- nfsd (NFS Server Daemon): This daemon runs on the NFS server and is responsible for processing file system requests from NFS clients. It manages the actual sharing of files and directories with the clients.
- mountd (Mount Daemon): The mountd daemon is also on the NFS server. It handles mounting and unmounting of file systems on the server. When a client requests access to a shared directory, mountd processes the request and allows the client to access the requested resource.
- rpcbind (Remote Procedure Call Binder): rpcbind is a system service that runs on both NFS server and client systems. It maps RPC (Remote Procedure Call) program numbers to transport addresses, allowing clients to discover and connect to NFS services.
- lockd (NFS Lock Manager): The lockd daemon is responsible for handling file locking operations in NFS. File locking ensures that only one client can write to a file at a time, preventing conflicts in concurrent access.
- statd (NFS Status Monitor): statd is responsible for monitoring the status of NFS clients. It helps in handling recovery and cleanup tasks after a client or server has been restarted.
- gssd (Generic Security Services Daemon): gssd is responsible for handling security mechanisms like Kerberos for secure communication in NFS environments that employ authentication and encryption.
These daemons work together to enable the seamless sharing of files through NFS. It’s important to ensure that the necessary NFS daemons are running on both the server and client systems for proper functionality. Additionally, configuring and managing these daemons requires an understanding of NFS and system administration.