What Is an NFS Mount Point?

In Linux, an NFS mount point is a local directory on the client machine where a shared directory from an NFS server is attached.

This allows one server to export a folder, while another machine accesses it as if it were a local directory.

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:

• An NFS server already exporting a directory
• A client machine that can reach the server over the network
• The NFS client package installed on the client

1. Install NFS Client Packages

On the client machine, install the client tools:

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sudo apt update
sudo apt install nfs-common

2. Create a Mount Point

Create a local folder that will be used as the mount point:

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sudo mkdir -p /mnt/nfs-share

3. Mount the NFS Share

Mount the shared directory from the server:

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sudo mount 192.168.1.10:/srv/nfs-share /mnt/nfs-share

Replace 192.168.1.10 with the actual IP address of your NFS server.

To verify that the mount succeeded:

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df -h

You should see the NFS share mounted under /mnt/nfs-share.

4. Make the Mount Persistent

If you want the NFS share to be mounted automatically after reboot, add an entry to /etc/fstab:

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sudo nano /etc/fstab

Add this line:

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192.168.1.10:/srv/nfs-share /mnt/nfs-share nfs defaults 0 0

Then test it with:

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sudo mount -a

5. Common Troubleshooting Tips

If the mount fails, check the following:

• The server is reachable from the client
• The NFS service is running on the server
• The shared folder is listed in /etc/exports
• Firewall rules allow NFS traffic

You can also inspect logs on the NFS Server with:

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sudo journalctl -u nfs-kernel-server

Summary

To mount an NFS share on the client side, you only need to:

1. Install the NFS client tools
2. Create a local mount point
3. Mount the remote share
4. Optionally add it to /etc/fstab for automatic mounting

Once this is set up, the shared folder behaves like a local directory on the client machine.