In this guide we will show you how to install NFS Server on Windows Server 2019. NFS (Network File System) is one of the most commonly used file-based storage systems often used to access files over a network. It is a popular protocol for sharing files over the LAN on Linux, Unix, and Windows platforms. You can mount the remote directory on the local system as if they were locally mounted. It allows you to group resources onto centralized servers on a network for easy sharing. NFS server has a right on the shared directory and can give specific permission based on the client’s requirement.
Advantages of NFS (Pros)
- It provides centralized storage for all users that will decrease the workload for the administrator in terms of backups.
- Allows users to access their files from any remote PC.
- With NFS, you can keep all users’ accounts on the central NFS server. This way you can mount all user’s home directories from the NFS server to their local system.
- All data and user accounts could be kept and maintained in one place.
In this post, we will explain how to install NFS server on Windows server 2019. We will also explain to install the NFS client and mount the NFS share on the client machine.
Install NFS Server on Windows Server 2019
You don’t need to download and software file to install the NFS server. Windows Server 2019 provides an NFS role that allows you to install the NFS server from the Server Manager.
in order to install the NFS Server Role in Windows Server 2019. Follow the below steps to perform the installation:
Step 1 – Log in to the Windows server 2019 as an administrator user, press the Windows key, search for Server Manager and open it as shown on the following page:
Step 2 – Click on Add Roles and Features button. You should see the following screen:
Step 3 – Click on the Next button. You should see the Select Installation Type page:
Step 4 – Select Role-based or feature-based installation and click on the Next button. You will be asked to select the destination server as shown on the following screen:
Step 5 – Select the server you want to install NFS server and click on the Next button. You will be asked to select the Role in the following screen:
Step 6 – Expand File and Storage Services then again expand File and iSCSI Services then check the “Server for NFS” box and click on the Next button. You should see the Select Feature page:
Step 7 – Click on the Next button. You will be asked to confirm the installation as shown on the following screen:
Step 8 – Confirm all settings and click on the Install button to start the installation.
Once the installation has been finished, you will need to restart your system to apply the changes. Once your system is restarted, you can proceed to create an NFS share.
Create an NFS Share
After installing the NFS server, you will need to create an NFS share folder that your want to export to all clients. Follow the below steps to create an NFS share folder named nfsshare inside the C drive:
Step 1 – Open the Server Manager as shown in the following screen:
Step 2 – In the left pane, click on the File and Storage Services. You should see the following screen:
Step 3 – Select the Shares then click on the TASKS menu and click on New Share. You should see the following screen:
Step 4 – Select NFS Share-Quick and click on the Next button. You should see the following screen:
Step 5 – Select Type a custom path, define your nfsshare directory and click on the Next button. You should see the following screen:
Step 6 – Provide your NFS share name and click on the Next button. You will be asked to select the authentication method on the following screen:
Step 7 – Specify the authentication method and click on the Next button. You should see the following screen:
Step 8 – Click on the Add button to specify the share permission. You should see the following screen:
Step 9 – Provide the IP address of the client machine, provide read/write permission and click on the Add button. You should see the following screen:
Step 10 – Click on the Next button. You should see the following screen:
Step 11 – Confirm all settings and click on the Create button to create an NFS share. Once the NFS share has been created, you should see the following page:
Step 12 – Click on the Close button to exit from the wizard.
At this point, NFS share is created. You can now proceed to install the NFS client on the client machine and mount the NFS share.
Install NFS Client on Client Machine
In this section, we will show you how to install the NFS client on the client machine. Follow the below steps to install the NFS client on the client machine:
Step 1 – Open the Server Manager as shown in the following screen:
Step 2 – Click on Add Roles and Features. You should see the following screen:
Step 3 – Click on the Next button. You should see the Select Installation Type page:
Step 4 – Select Role-based or feature-based installation and click on the Next button. You should see the destination server selection screen:
Step 5 – Select the server you want to install NFS client and click on the Next button. You should see the Select Role screen:
Step 6 – Click on the Next button. You should see the following screen:
Step 7 – Check the box “Client for NFS” and click on the Next button. You should see the following screen:
Step 8 – Confirm the Installation selections and click on the Install button to install the NFS client.
Once the NFS client has been installed, you can proceed to the next step.
Mount the NFS Share on the Client Machine
Now, you will need to mount the NFS share from the NFS server machine to the client machine. You can mount it using the mount.exe command:
Open the PowerShell with Administrator privileges and run the following command:
mount.exe 104.245.35.28:/nfsshare E:\
Where: 104.245.35.28 is the IP address of the NFS server and nfsshare is the name of the NFS share.
Once the NFS share is mounted. Open the File Explorer and check if NFS share is mounted or not. You should see your mounted share on the following screen:
Install NFS Server on Windows Server 2019 Completed
In the above post, we explained how to install the NFS server and NFS client on Windows Server 2019. We also explained how to mount the NFS share from the server machine to the client machine.
