Why will my NFS server not allwo connections

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around troubleshooting connection issues with an NFS (Network File System) server, specifically regarding permission denied errors when attempting to connect from a Linux box to a Mac. The scope includes technical explanations and potential configurations related to NFS exports and network settings.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses frustration with NFS and describes a permission denied error when trying to connect to their exported home directory from a Mac to a Linux box.
  • Another participant suggests that issues may arise from differences in NFS implementations across UNIX systems, particularly between Linux and non-Linux systems.
  • Concerns are raised about DNS/NIS configurations, with a recommendation to use consistent hostnames or IPs in the exports file to avoid reverse lookup issues.
  • There is a mention of "secure" NFS exports, which may restrict connections from non-root users, potentially causing permission issues when requests are sent from non-privileged ports.
  • A later reply challenges the validity of a previous claim regarding FreeBSD's export limitations, stating that different NFS implementations may allow for more flexibility in exporting filesystems.
  • Another participant inquires about the configuration of the /etc/hosts.allow file, questioning whether it defaults to allow connections if not specified.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the causes of the connection issues, with no consensus on the best approach to resolve the permission denied error. Multiple competing explanations and configurations are discussed without agreement on a single solution.

Contextual Notes

Participants note potential limitations in their configurations, such as the need for proper DNS settings and the implications of using secure versus insecure NFS exports. The discussion does not resolve these limitations.

ComputerGeek
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Why will my NFS server not allwo connections!

Grrr... NFS is really driving me nuts.

On my Mac, I have exported my home directory so that I can use the files on my Linux box. The problem is that when I try to connect to the Mac I get a permission denied error.

I have exported my home directory seemingly correctly.

I did come across some FBSD NG posts about how FBSD will only allow filesystems exported under /usr. could OS X have inherited this when they moved to tiger?
 
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ComputerGeek said:
Grrr... NFS is really driving me nuts.

On my Mac, I have exported my home directory so that I can use the files on my Linux box. The problem is that when I try to connect to the Mac I get a permission denied error.

I have exported my home directory seemingly correctly.

I did come across some FBSD NG posts about how FBSD will only allow filesystems exported under /usr. could OS X have inherited this when they moved to tiger?

There's a number of things that could be at fault here:

(1) Like most features of UNIX origins, Linux has them implemented poorly. This is definitely the case, especially when you're working with non-Linux implementations. Even worse is when you're working with different NFS versions from different NFS implementations.

(2) DNS/NIS are generally good things to have on your network when working with NFS. Most NFS implementations try to reverse the IP to match it with the value in the configuration file. If you specify a hostname or network in your exports file, double check to make sure the system you're trying to mount the exported volume on has a correct reverse. I suggest you either (a) always use hostnames or networks or (b) IPs when working with NFS -- don't mix and match.

(3) Finally, you may be using "secure" exported NFS volumes, which means a client cannot send a request from a port > 1024 (this would imply the request was being sent by a non-root user -- hence, the "secure"). IIRC, since the user you normally are in working with an OS X -- a non-root user, 'Finder' or whatever will send the request via a non-privileged port. I haven't worked with the Linux NFS implementation in awhile, but it may export 'secure' volumes by default, so consult your documentation ('man exports' should provide you with the relevant information) to figure out how to explicitly specify that you wish you to export the volume in an insecure manner.

Edit: The "FBSD NG post" that you consulted was blatantly wrong. Depending on the NFS implementation and version, you may only be able to export the filesystems as a whole. By default, FreeBSD creates a /, /usr, and /var filesystems, so you may only be able to export /, /usr, /var, but not any specific subdirectories of any of those filesystems -- other implementations and versions of NFS allow you to do this. This has nothing to do with a client mounting a filesystem, though.
 
Last edited:
Did you setup your /etc/hosts.allow properly?
 
I thought that if you do not specify any allow or deny that it defaulted to allow.

how should I set it up?
 

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