Shared file systems on serverplus: network NFS folders

A shared file system (a share) is a network disk that several servers mount simultaneously and use to work with common files. They all see the same folder: what one server writes is immediately available to the others.

Technically the section is powered by OpenStack Manila. On serverplus shares work over the NFS protocol — the standard way to mount a network folder in Linux.

How it differs from a disk and from S3

• Disk/volume (block storage). Attaches to one server as a local disk. A share attaches to many at once, like a common folder.
• S3 storage (object). Works via an API/links, suited to backups and file distribution. A share is mounted as a regular folder (/mnt/...) — applications work with it as with local files, without rewriting for an API.
• A shared file system. Needed when several servers must together read and write one set of files: a site's shared uploads, documents, a media library, /home.

The section's tabs

• Shares — the shares themselves (creation, size, access).
• Snapshots — point-in-time snapshots of a share for rollback/recovery.
• Networks — share networks: which tenant network the share is bound to.
• Groups and Group snapshots — combining shares for joint management and snapshots.
• Security services — integration with LDAP / Active Directory / Kerberos for access.
• Messages — system notifications about operations (including errors).

How to create a share

Click + Create share and fill in the form:

• Location — the region (uz-tas1 / RegionOne).
• Share name and Description.
• Share protocol — NFS.
• Size (GiB) — the share's volume; it can be increased later.
• Share type — default.
• Share group (optional) — if you combine shares into a group.
• Share network — which network to bind the share to (see below). Created in advance on the "Networks" tab.

Click + Create share. When the share enters the available state, it gets an export path (an address like IP:/path) used for mounting.

Share network

A share network binds a share to your private network in the cloud. Thanks to this, servers on that network see the share and can mount it, while outsiders cannot. It is created on the Networks tab → + Create share network (based on your network and subnet from the "Network" section).

The access logic. The share lives inside your network, not "on the open internet". So it is mounted by servers on the same cloud network — that is the first layer of isolation.

Access rules

For a server to mount a share, the share needs an access rule. For NFS, access is granted by the server's IP address (or subnet): you open the share for read-write (rw) or read-only (ro) to a specific address. Rules are configured in the created share's card.

How to mount on a server (Linux)

On the server that has been granted access, install the NFS client and mount the export path:

# Ubuntu / Debian sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y nfs-common # create a mount point and attach the share sudo mkdir -p /mnt/share sudo mount -t nfs 10.0.0.50:/shares/myshare /mnt/share # check df -h /mnt/share

For the share to attach automatically after a reboot, add a line to /etc/fstab:

10.0.0.50:/shares/myshare  /mnt/share  nfs  defaults,_netdev  0  0

The export path is from the panel. The address 10.0.0.50:/shares/myshare here is an example. Take the real path from the share's card after it is created.

Snapshots

A snapshot captures the state of a share at a point in time. From a snapshot you can restore data or create a new share. It is handy to take a snapshot before risky changes. Group snapshots do the same for a group of shares at once — consistently.

Typical scenarios

• A web farm with shared files. Several web servers behind a balancer use one share for uploads/media — a file uploaded to one server is visible on all.
• Shared document storage. A single folder for a team or applications, available to several servers.
• A shared /home or configs. Identical data on a group of servers without manual synchronization.
• Data processing. Several workers read a common set of input files and write results to a common folder.

FAQ

Why is a share better than just copying files to each server?

Copies drift out of sync: you update a file on one server — the others keep the old version. A share is one source of data for all, without manual synchronization.

How many servers can mount one share?

Several at once — that is the whole point. They all read and write to one folder; NFS provides shared access.

Is this the same as a disk in the "Disks and volumes" section?

No. An ordinary disk (volume) is a block device for one server. A share is a network file system for many servers at once.

Can I increase a share's size?

Yes, a share's size can be increased later — the data is preserved.

Why does the server not mount the share?

Check that: the server is on the same share network as the resource; there is an access rule for its IP; the nfs-common package is installed; the export path is specified correctly (from the share's card).