I'm currently using a RHEL system to connect to a Windows file share via NFS, but I'm encountering some strange issues. This setup is quite old, carried over from a Solaris installation from over a decade ago. The purpose is to have a repository of shares divided by department, where end users can access their specific sections. On the Windows side, user accounts are matched to RHEL/Unix UIDs for security purposes.
Lately, I've been facing random stalls with the NFS mount from RHEL, where remounting doesn't help at all. The only solution that seems to work is rebooting the Windows file server. The odd thing is that Windows clients can access the share without any problems during these times. The stalls aren't predictable, and the logs on both sides haven't been very helpful. I'm considering switching to SMB to see if it resolves these issues. I understand that while SMB adds encryption, it may also require connections to use the user specified in the mount command rather than the RHEL user. What potential issues should I be aware of when making this switch?
3 Answers
My experience with NFS from Windows Server has been generally smooth, but when you face stalls, it's good to check with `rpcinfo -p ` and `showmount -e ` to see if responses are quick and consistent with a freshly booted server. Also, do you have simultaneous client stalls or is it random? Any firewalls or real-time AV scanning could be impacting performance.
You might want to try running a rotating tcpdump filtered by the Windows file server to see what operation is happening just before the server stops responding. This could give you a clue about the root of the problem. I've used the NFS Server on the Windows side and experienced issues too, so switching to CIFS could be beneficial, though remember to handle credential rotations.
Have you looked into possible IP conflicts? Sometimes those nasty conflicts can cause unexpected issues. If everything seems fine on that end, it might still be worth trying some diagnostics on the NFS itself.
Related Questions
Can't Load PhpMyadmin On After Server Update
Redirect www to non-www in Apache Conf
How To Check If Your SSL Cert Is SHA 1
Windows TrackPad Gestures