Configuring NFS Storage for Alike

NFS Storage is often the most reliable and highly performing storage type for the A2. It can also be somewhat confusing and difficult to configure for those unfamiliar with NFS storage. So the following is a quick KB to help folks get the A2 up and running with NFS storage for either their ADS or ODS.

User IDs

The most common problem with NFS storage is permissions, which are based on user/group IDs (uid/gid). The client (A2) and the NFS server ids must match on both sides, or be "squashed" by the server to a specific set of ids.

The A2 ids are always:

uid=1000

gid=1000

This means that the root folder (on the filesystem) of the NFS Server's share must be owned/fully writable by the server's uid 1000.

If that is not possible, a common alternative/work-around is to "squash" all client access down to a specific uid/gid on the NFS server.

For example, if your NFS Server has a user called backup, with a uid of 201, and a gid of 202, then you could set your /etc/exports file to the following to allow the A2 to access it:

(/etc/exports)

/share/vol1   *(rw,sync,all_squash,no_subtree_check,anonuid=201,anongid=202)

Then, if your "/share/vol1" directory is owned by uid 201, the A2 will be able to setup it's storage on that share.

Often NAS vendors don't expose the command line for you to use, so you will need to follow their instructions to accomplish the above. For example, Synology based systems will look like the following when setup properly:

For QNAP customers, you can refer to the following KB article on configuring NFS shares. Please note, the "map_all" option (shown at the bottom) is likely necessary for the A2 to function properly.

NFSv3 or NFSv4

Most NAS or other storage devices support either NFSv3 or NFSv4. NFSv4 has been around for quite a while now, so it is very likely that is what you'll be using.

While there are many differences, both will work for the A2. The only difference that could possibly be troublesome is the path address of the share. With v4 it is generally "relative", while with v3 it is the "full address". For example:

If the NFS Server (192.168.1.100) is exporting the following path:

/share/vol1

NFSv3 client mount:

192.168.1.100:/share/vol1

NFSv4 client mount:

192.168.1.100:/vol1