# How to Mount a Network File Storage Share

Network File Storage is a fully managed, POSIX-compliant file storage solution built for demanding workloads like AI/ML pipelines, containerized applications, and DigitalOcean Kubernetes (DOKS) clusters. It provides scalable, high-throughput shared storage that simplifies storage management for distributed applications.

To mount a Network File Storage share to a Droplet, [connect to your Droplet using SSH](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/droplets/how-to/connect-with-ssh/index.html.md) or the [Droplet console](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/droplets/how-to/connect-with-console/index.html.md)), then either use the `mount` command for a temporary mount, or edit the `fstab` file to mount the share permanently.

## Check for NFS Support

Log in to your Droplet, then check if NFS client support is already installed by looking for the `mount.nfs` command:

```shell
which mount.nfs
```

If `which` returns a path to `mount.nfs` (for example: `/usr/sbin/mount.nfs`), proceed to [Create the Mount Target](#create-the-mount-target). Otherwise, follow the installation instructions in the next section.

## Install Packages

On Ubuntu and Debian, update the package list:

```shell
sudo apt update
```

Then install the `nfs-common` package:

```shell
sudo apt install nfs-common
```

For distributions that use DNF for package management, such as Fedora, Rocky Linux, and Alpine Linux, install the `nfs-utils` package:

```shell
sudo dnf install nfs-utils
```

## Create the Mount Target

Create a directory to mount the NFS share to:

```shell
sudo mkdir -p /mnt/example-nfs-share
```

This can be any directory, it does not need to match the share name or path, and it doesn’t not need to be in the `/mnt` directory.

## Mount the Share Temporarily

Use the `mount` command to mount the NFS share temporarily. This method does not persist across reboots. To make a persistent mount, read the next section, [Mount the Share Permanently](#mount-the-share-permanently).

```shell
sudo mount -t nfs -o nconnect=8 <your_share_ip:and_path> /mnt/example-nfs-share
```

Replace `<your_share_ip:and_path>` with the mount information shown in the control panel, and replace `/mnt/example-nfs-share` with the directory created in [Create the Mount Target](#create-the-mount-target).

The share is now mounted to the specified directory.

## Mount the Share Permanently

To mount the share permanently, first update the `/etc/fstab` file with the mount information. Open `/etc/fstab` with your preferred text editor:

```shell
sudo nano /etc/fstab
```

Add the following line to the end of the file, replacing `<your_share_ip:and_path>` with the mount information shown in the control panel, and replace `/mnt/example-nfs-share` with the directory created in [Create the Mount Target](#create-the-mount-target):

```
<your_share_ip:and_path> /mnt/example-nfs-share nfs _netdev,nofail,x-systemd.automount,x-systemd.idle-timeout=600,nconnect=8,vers=4.1 0 0
```

Save and close the file.

Use the `mount` command with the `-a` option to mount all the shares listed in `/etc/fstab`.

```shell
sudo mount -a
```

The share is now mounted to the specified directory.

## Verify the Mount

To verify that the share is mounted, use the `df` command to show the mounted filesystems:

```shell
df -hT
```

This command displays the filesystems that are currently mounted, including their types (`-T`) and human-readable sizes (`-h`). Look for **nfs4** in the **Type** column:

```
Filesystem                                               Type      Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
. . .
10.128.0.2:/2559851/363bdd82-968a-4aa6-8234-b6edf725c72a nfs4       50G     0   50G   0% /mnt/example-nfs-share
```