Special Edition Using Linux®, Sixth Edition

Defining the Method of Sharing

Now that you've looked at a large part of the NFS process, you're going to look at the /etc/exports file. Other files and programs, even the programs that provide NFS services, pale in comparison. You've seen how to deny access to NFS. You've seen how to mount NFS. But the /etc/exports is the heart and soul of the NFS process. This is, without a doubt, the most important file because it defines the method of sharing, whether clients can read and write or read only, how to respond when the user root is the filesystem user on the client, and so on. This file does far more than just list those directories that other hosts can mount—it controls what they are permitted to do to the filesystem while it is remotely mounted. ...