Omni NFS products online help

NFS Client

NFS Client enables Microsoft Windows users to gain access to the NFS file systems on UNIX networks.

With Xlink NFS client application installed and Host Editor properly configured, a user can access the NFS server system in three ways:

The first way is to run NFS client's user interface tools for NFS connection.
The second way is to utilize windows Network Neighborhood.
The last way is to run the "net use" command line in windows Command Prompt.

You can set auto mount when mounted with NFS client's tools. With this setting, the mounted drives will be listed under 'my computer' of windows explorer every time when the system is turned on.

When you want to have a regular user run NFS client, you need to first login as 'administrator' to install the software and setup 'host editor'. Then, log off 'administrator', login as the regular user to 'define' the drive and mount the remove system.

To establish NFS connection using NFS client tool, follow the steps below:

From windows 'Start' menu select 'Programs/Omni Lite/NFS Client'. Following user interface window will come up.

(Assume you have setup Host Editor) Select a "drive" from the user interface window then click on the 'define' button to bring up next dialog box.

Click on 'Browse' to open up next dialog box with all remote system defined in Host Editor listed. Select the one you want to connect to. By clicking on the system name, you bring out the exported directory of the system. Select the directory and click 'OK' to close the dialog box.

Now you are back to the first dialog box, click on 'options' to bring up next dialog box.

The option selections:

Buffer size: adjust buffer size can help to improve file transfer rate and sometimes improve data quality.
Cache Off: turn off cache to reduce possible data error
Disable NFS 3: by default NFS 3 is on
File Conversion: File conversion is bi-directional. It replaces the LF of a DOS file with a 'space' for UNIX viewing; and replace the EOL character of a UNIX file with a CR character for Windows viewing. The replacements is done to keep the file size unchanged.
Locking Method: to be supported only when application used supports the function
File attributes: all files created in the mounted drive will match the settings here
Directory Attributes: all directoris created in the mounted drive will match the settings here

Click 'OK' to close the dialog box. From the first box again, click 'next' to setup the authentication.

There are three ways to setup the authentication for access permission to the NFS connection. The first two choices require you to enter a user account and its password. To use PCNFSD method, you need to have the 'pcnfs' daemon running on the NFS server system. To use NIS method, you need to have the NFS server (in Host Editor) setup first.

The last authentication method is 'UID and GID'. UID and GID are the user id and group id numbers of a unix account.

Click 'Next' and 'Finish' to complete the 'define' configuration.

When you are back to the NFS client user interface window, click on 'mount' to make the connection. If all settings are correct, you should see the drive and path listed as in the following picture. Now from windows explorer, you will see drive "H" listed under My computer.

Set up "auto mount"

Host Editor must be correctly set and its interface window closed.
In window explorer, select 'Tools/Map Network Drive'. In the dialog box, select a drive, select from dropdown menu or type in the exported path in unicode (ie. \\host\exported directory).
Check the box 'reconnect at logon' and click 'OK'.
when the dialog box closed up, in windows explorer you will see the mounted drive under My Computer.

To access NFS server system from Network Neighborhood, follow the steps below:

Double Click the "My Network Neighborhood" icon on the desktop.
Double click "Entire Network and then "Xlink_NFS". This window should list all of the NFS Servers you have setup in "Host Editor".
Select the NFS server you wish to mount and double click to bring up the exported directories.

You can then access the files created by the authenticated user. The authenticated user is the user account you used for authentication when setup Host Editor.

Command line of "net use"

Assume there is an exported directory "myexport" in the /export directory of the NFS server system named "mynfs.

To establish NFS server connection, type: net use \\mynfs\myexport

Once the connection is established, you can use Command Prompt's commands to access files in the NFS server system.