How to Configure Network File System in Windows Server 2022
Posted on 17th June 2023
Network File System, or NFS, is a server-client protocol used for sharing files between computers on a network. In order for NFS to work, a server must first be configured to export a directory, and a client must be configured to mount that directory. This document will cover how to configure a Windows Server 2022 machine to export an NFS directory, and how to configure a Windows 10 machine to mount that directory.
Before starting, make sure that the following prerequisites have been met:
• The server and client machines must be on the same network.
• The server must have the NFS Server role installed. This can be done through Server Manager > Add Roles and Features.
• The client must have the NFS Client role installed. This can be done through Control Panel > Programs and Features > Turn Windows features on or off.
Configuring the Server
1. Open the Server Manager console and select the File and Storage Services role.
2. Under the Shares heading, select the Shares option.
3. Click the Tasks drop-down menu and select New Share.
4. Select the NFS Share – Quick Wizard option and click Next.
5. Select the folder that you wish to share and click Next.
6. Select the desired permissions for the share and click Next.
7. Click Next again on the Confirmation page.
8. Click Create.
Your NFS share should now be created and accessible to clients.
Configuring the Client
1. Open the Control Panel and select Network and Sharing Center.
2. Click Change advanced sharing settings.
3. Expand the section for the network profile that you are currently using.
4. Select the Turn on network discovery and Turn on file and printer sharing options.
5. Click Save changes.
6. Open a command prompt and type the following command:
mount -o anon \ :
For example, if the server’s IP address is 192.168.1.100 and the shared folder is called share, the command would be:
mount -o anon \192.168.1.100share Z:
Replace with the drive letter that you wish to use for the mount point. In this example, we are using Z:
7. You should now be able to access the shared folder from Windows Explorer.
Network File System (NFS) is a distributed file system protocol that allows a computer to access files over a network as if they were on its local storage devices. NFS was originally developed by Sun Microsystems in the early 1980s.
NFS allows a server to share a directory with a client, and the client can access the files in that directory as if they were stored locally. NFS uses the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) protocol to communicate between the server and the client.
NFS can be used to share files between computers running Windows and other operating systems, such as Linux or UNIX. In order to use NFS, you must first install and configure a Windows NFS server.
Installing an NFS Server
To install an NFS server on Windows Server 2022, you can use either the Server Manager graphical user interface (GUI) or the PowerShell command-line interface (CLI).
To install an NFS server using the Server Manager GUI:
1. Open the Server Manager console.
2. In the left-hand pane, click on “Manage” and then select “Add Roles and Features”.
3. On the “Before you begin” page, click “Next”.
4. On the “Select installation type” page, select “Role-based or feature-based installation” and click “Next”.
5. On the “Select destination server” page, select the server on which you want to install the NFS server role and click “Next”.
6. On the “Select server roles” page, check the box next to “File and Storage Services” and click “Next”.
7. On the “Select features” page, check the box next to “NFS Server” and click “Next”.
8. On the “Confirm installation selections” page, click “Install”.
9. On the “Installation progress” page, you can track the progress of the installation. Once the installation is complete, click “Close”.
Configuring an NFS Server
Once the NFS server role has been installed, you can begin configuring it. To configure an NFS server using the Server Manager GUI:
1. Open the Server Manager console.
2. In the left-hand pane, click on “File and Storage Services”.
3. In the main pane, click on “Shares”.
4. In the Tasks pane, click on “New Share”.
5. On the “Select the profile for this share” page, select “NFS Share – Quick” and click “Next”.
6. On the “Select the server and path for this share” page, select the server on which you want to create the share and specify the path to the directory that you want to share. Click “Next”.
7. On the “Specify share name” page, enter a name for the share and click “Next”.
8. On the “Configure share settings” page, you can optionally change the share permissions. By default, the share will be accessible to all users. Click “Next”.
9. On the “Specify NFS permissions” page, you can configure the NFS permissions for the share. By default, the share will be accessible to all users. Click “Next”.
10. On the “Specify NFS client” page, you can specify which clients will be able to access the share. By default, the share will be accessible to all clients. Click “Next”.
11. On the “Confirm selections” page, review your selections and click “Create”.
12. On the “Results” page, click “Close”.
Configuring NFS Client
In order to access an NFS share, you must first install and configure an NFS client. To install an NFS client on Windows Server 2022, you can use either the Server Manager GUI or the PowerShell CLI.
To install an NFS client using the Server Manager GUI:
1. Open the Server Manager console.
2. In the left-hand pane, click on “Manage” and then select “Add Roles and Features”.
3. On the “Before you begin” page, click “Next”.
4. On the “Select installation type” page, select “Role-based or feature-based installation” and click “Next”.
5. On the “Select destination server” page, select the server on which you want to install the NFS client role and click “Next”.
6. On the “Select server roles” page, check the box next to “File and Storage Services” and click “Next”.
7. On the “Select features” page, check the box next to “NFS Client” and click “Next”.
8. On the “Confirm installation selections” page, click “Install”.
9. On the “Installation progress” page, you can track the progress of the installation. Once the installation is complete, click “Close”.
10. On the “Results” page, click “Close”.
To install an NFS client using the PowerShell CLI:
1. Open a PowerShell console with elevated privileges.
2. Run the following command to install the NFS client role:
Install-WindowsFeature -Name FS-NFS-Client
3. Press “Y” when prompted to confirm the installation.
Once the NFS client role has been installed, you can begin configuring it. To configure an NFS client using the Server Manager GUI:
1. Open the Server Manager console.
2. In the left-hand pane, click on “File and Storage Services”.
3. In the main pane, click on “Shares”.
4. In the Tasks pane, click on “Mount NFS Share”.
5. On the “Specify Network File System Share” page, enter the UNC path to the NFS share that you want to mount. Click “Next”.
6. On the “Confirm selections” page, review your selections and click “Mount”.
7. On the “Results” page, click “Close”.
Configuring NFS Client
In order to access an NFS share, you must first install and configure an NFS client. To install an NFS client on Windows Server 2022, you can use either the Server Manager GUI or the PowerShell CLI.
To install an NFS client using the Server Manager GUI:
1. Open the Server Manager console.
2. In the left-hand pane, click on “Manage” and then select “Add Roles and Features”.
3. On the “Before you begin” page, click “Next”.
4. On the “Select installation type” page, select “Role-based or feature-based installation” and click “Next”.
5. On the “Select destination server” page, select the server on which you want to install the NFS client role and click “Next”.
6. On the “Select server roles” page, check the box next to “File and Storage Services” and click “Next”.
7. On the “Select features” page, check the box next to “NFS Client” and click “Next”.
8. On the “Confirm installation selections” page, click “Install”.
9. On the “Installation progress” page, you can track the progress of the installation. Once the installation is complete, click “Close”.
10. On the “Results” page, click “Close”.
To install an NFS client using the PowerShell CLI:
1. Open a PowerShell console with elevated privileges.
2. Run the following command to install the NFS client role:
Install-WindowsFeature -Name FS-NFS-Client
3. Press “Y” when prompted to confirm the installation.
Once the NFS client role has been installed, you can begin configuring it. To configure an NFS client using the Server Manager GUI:
1. Open the Server Manager console.
2. In the left-hand pane, click on “File and Storage Services”.
3. In the main pane, click on “Shares”.
4. In the Tasks pane, click on “Mount NFS Share”.
5. On the “Specify Network File System Share” page, enter the UNC path to the NFS share that you want to mount. Click “Next”.
6. On the “Confirm selections” page, review your selections and click “Mount”.
7. On the “Results” page, click “Close”.
