Network File System (NFS)

Overview

This project implements a Network File System (NFS) as part of an Operating Systems and Networks course project. The system provides a distributed file storage mechanism where clients can interact with multiple storage servers through a central naming server. The full specification document can be found here

Features

• Distributed File System: Supports file operations (read, write, delete, list, create) across multiple storage servers.
• Naming Server: Acts as a directory service to locate files in the network.
• Storage Servers: Handle actual file storage and retrieval.
• Client Interactions: Allows clients to request file operations seamlessly.
• Audio Streaming: Supports streaming of audio files over the network.
• Asynchronous and Synchronous Writes: Clients can opt for performance-optimized asynchronous writes.
• Multi-Client Support: Supports concurrent client access with proper synchronization.
• LRU Caching: Implements caching to optimize path lookups in the Naming Server.
• Failure Handling & Replication: Data redundancy for reliability.

Installation & Compilation

Prerequisites

• C Compiler (gcc)
• Make
• POSIX-compatible OS (Linux/macOS)
• TCP Networking Support
• LibVLC (for audio streaming)

Compilation

Run the following command in the project root:

make

This compiles the client, naming server, and storage server binaries.

Usage

1. Start the Naming Server

./nserver <port>

Example:

./nserver 5000

2. Start Storage Servers

./sserver <naming_server_ip> <naming_server_port> <storage_port> <storage_path>

Example:

./sserver 127.0.0.1 5000 6000 /mnt/nfs_storage

3. Start the Client

./client <naming_server_ip> <naming_server_port>

Example:

./client 127.0.0.1 5000

4. Execute File Operations

Reading a File

READ /path/to/file

Writing to a File

WRITE /path/to/file "Hello World"

Streaming an Audio File

STREAM /path/to/audio.mp3

Architecture Overview

The system consists of three main components:

1. Naming Server (NM): Keeps track of storage servers and file locations.
2. Storage Servers (SS): Store and serve requested files.
3. Clients: Interact with the system to perform file operations.

The communication is handled via TCP sockets. The Naming Server acts as a mediator between clients and storage servers.

Assumptions

• Copying a folder merges its contents into the destination rather than nesting it.
• Asynchronous writes assume stdin input is treated as a priority write.
• The system does not support hardcoded IP addresses for distributed testing.

Contributors

• Aryan Kumar
• Ankith Pai
• Akshara Bhatt
• Abhiram Tilak