CNIT 344: UNIX Administration - Lecture 7: Network File Sharing

These flashcards cover key concepts related to UNIX file sharing, focusing on NFS and Samba, and important protocols, commands, and configurations for effective network file sharing.

NFS

Network File System; used to share UNIX filesystems.

Samba

UNIX implementation of Windows networking based on Server Message Block (SMB).

FTP

File Transfer Protocol; uses TCP and provides user authentication in clear text.

TFTP

Trivial File Transfer Protocol; uses UDP and has no user authentication.

SCP

Secure Copy Protocol; part of SSH, provides authentication and encryption of traffic.

NFSv2

Released in 1989; UDP based, stateless, with a 2 GB file size limit.

NFSv3

Released in 1995; supports large file sizes and TCP.

NFSv4

Introduced in 2000; stateful protocol with better concurrency control but complex.

ACLs

Access Control Lists; used in NFS v4 for permissions.

UDP

User Datagram Protocol; a communications protocol used for time-sensitive transmissions.

TCP

Transmission Control Protocol; ensures reliable communication over a network.

SMB

Server Message Block; a network protocol mainly used for providing shared access to files.

CIFS

Common Internet File System; an enhanced version of SMB.

NAT

Network Address Translation; allows multiple devices on a local network to share a single public IP address.

RPC

Remote Procedure Call; a protocol to request a service from a program located on another computer.

NIS

Network Information Service; used for mapping user IDs and group IDs in NFS.

smb.conf

Configuration file for Samba server settings.

Mount

The process of making a filesystem accessible at a certain point in the directory structure.

Soft Mounts

NFS configuration where an error notifies the application if an NFS error occurs.

Hard Mounts

Keep the application waiting until NFS is available; no error notification occurs.

NetBIOS

Network Basic Input/Output System; allows applications on different computers to communicate within a local area network.

UID/GID

User Identifier / Group Identifier; used to define user permissions on a UNIX system.

rpcinfo

Command that displays information on remote RPC services.

showmount

Command that shows remote file systems available for mounting.

nfsstat

Command providing statistics for NFS RPC calls.

smbclient

Command-line tool for accessing shared files and printers on a Samba server.

Automounter

Component that automatically mounts NFS filesystems when needed.

Filesystems

A method for storing and organizing files on a storage device.

Installation

The process of setting up software on a system.

Configuration

The arrangement of specifics that define the way software or hardware functions.

File Ownership

The user and group that own a file, determining its access permissions.

Export

A filesystem that is made available for remote access in NFS.

Mount Point

A directory in a filesystem where a different filesystem is attached.

Connection Timeout

The period after which a connection attempt is aborted if it has not succeeded.

Retransmissions

Attempts to resend data packets in case of failures.

SSH

Secure Shell; a protocol for secure remote login and other secure network services.

Encryption

The process of converting information into a code to prevent unauthorized access.

User Authentication

The process of verifying a user's identity to grant access.

Data Corruption

Errors in data that can occur due to various issues, particularly during transmission.

Performance Metrics

Statistics that indicate the efficiency and effectiveness of a network or system.

Virtual Filesystem (VFS)

An abstraction layer on top of a concrete filesystem that allows access to various filesystems.

NFS Client

A machine that accesses files on a server using the NFS protocol.

NFS Server

A machine that shares its filesystem over the network using the NFS protocol.

Machine Authorization

The process of verifying whether a particular server is allowed to access resources.

Name Mapping

The process by which unique identifiers (UID/GID) are associated between two systems.