How can I connect to NFS share on Raspberry Pi

Network File System, commonly referred to as NFS, is a file-sharing system that allows the client to access other device files over the internet. NFS is an extremely valuable system for devices like Raspberry Pi because this will help users transfer the files to the device from another system at a much faster rate.

This article will help you in connecting NFS share on Raspberry Pi so that you will be able to transfer files from your device to another system or vice versa.

How can I connect with NFS Share on Raspberry Pi

To access the Raspberry Pi folder through NFS Share, use the following steps:

Step 1: Install NFS Server

First, you will need to install NFS server on your Raspberry Pi device using the “nfs-kernet-server” package through the following command:

$ sudo apt-get install nfs-kernel-server

Step 2: Make a Directory

Next, you will require to create a directory of your choice through the following command as this directory will be accessed later on:

$ sudo mkdir /mnt/shared_drive

You can change the “shared_drive” directory name with the name of your choice.

Step 3: Grant Permission to the directory

After creating the directory, you will also need to assign the correct rights to it which you are going to share on the network through NFS share. You can do so by first using the following command to grant permission to the default Raspberry Pi user.

$ sudo chown -R raspberrypi:raspberrypi /mnt/shared_drive

The username “raspberrypi” in the above command may be different in your case and you have to ensure it first before executing the command.

Now, you will also allow permission to the directories inside the “shared_drive” through the following command:

$ sudo find /mnt/shared_drive/ -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;

The number “755” shows assigning the permission to Read, Write and Execute for the owner.

Further, assign the correct rights to the files inside the “shared_drive” directory through the following command:

$ sudo find /mnt/shared_drive/ -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;

The number “644” shows assigning the permission to Read and Write for the owner.

Step 4: Retrieving Group ID

In this step, you will need to retrieve the group ID (guid) and user id (uid) for the user that is going to access your device directory. For this reason, you will need to execute the following command:

$ id raspberrypi

Step 5: Configure Directory Access for the user

With the IDs successfully retrieved, it’s now time to allow the trusted users to access the Raspberry directory using the NFS share. You can do this by opening the configuration file through the following command:

$ sudo nano /etc/exports

With the file open, add the following line inside the file:

/mnt/shared_drive *(rw,all_squash,insecure,async,no_subtree_check,anonuid=1000,anongid=1000)

You will need to replace asterisk * sign with the IP address range that matches your network address to allow the users to access your device directory. In our case, the network address is “192.168.100.1” so we can use the address “192.168.100.0/24” in place of asterisk * to allow all IPs that match the address.

Save the file using “CTRL+X” keys, add Y and then press enter to exit the file.

Step 6: Run Exportfs file

Once the required changes are made, you can run the “exportfs” file to successfully add the shared directory so that it can easily be accessible through NFS share.

$ sudo exportfs -ra

Step 7: Finding the Hostname

You will also need to find out the hostname of your device so that you can access the device directory through NFS share on another system. You can find the hostname using the following command:

$ hostname -I

Step 8: Connecting to NFS Share on Raspberry Pi from Another device

Connecting to NFS share on Raspberry Pi is different on Windows and macOS so here you will learn both ways:

Connecting to NFS Share on Raspberry Pi on Windows OS

On Windows OS, you can connect access the Raspberry Pi directory through NFS Share using the following steps:

Step 1: Go to the Windows search and find the “Turn Windows features on or off” option:

Step 2: Find the option “Services for NFS” and check both options as highlighted in image below:

Step 3: Now, go to the “Computer” option and click on the “Map network drive” icon.

This opens the following screen on your desktop:

Now, add the address “\\192.168.100.162\mnt\shared_drive” and click on the “Finish” button.

This will open up the shared folder on your system:

You can go back to “This PC” option and see your shared drive there.

Connecting to NFS Share on Raspberry Pi on macOS

To access Raspberry Pi directory on macOS through NFS share, use the following steps:

Step 1: On desktop, navigate to the “Go” section and click on the “Connect to Server” option:

Step 2: Use the address “nfs://192.168.199.162/mnt/shared_drive” and click on the “Connect” option:

This opens the Raspberry Pi’s “shared_drive” directory on your macOS as shown below:

After successfully accessing the Raspberry Pi directory through NFS share, you are now good at copying files from the device to your system. However, you have to put the files into your created directory on your device. The same operation applies to the folder on your system as well.

Conclusion

NFS share is a handy file sharing system that enables the users to share files between multiple devices, making it easy for you to transfer files to another system. The steps mentioned above provide enough guidance to successfully set up NFS sharing using your device’s Raspberry Pi IP address, allowing you the opportunity to transfer the files from your device to your Windows or macOS laptop and vice versa.