How to mount NFS and CIFS file systems on Linux with the Seagate BlackArmor NAS

The BlackArmor NAS supports the NFS (Network File System) and CIFS protocols which can be used on Linux and other operating systems. This article provides some advanced tips on using NFS and CIFS with Linux, but please consult your system documentation for more information. Familiarity with Linux, the command line, and security privileges (becoming root or the sudo command) is recommended.

NOTE: Please see this Knowledge Base article for more information on Linux support for the Seagate BlackArmor NAS 440.

NOTE: The easiest way to access the shares and files is to use Windows sharing (CIFS) via a file manager. Please see this Knowledge Base article.

NOTE: The nfs-common package may need to be installed on Linux to get support for NFS clients. Please check for package manager for it or equivalent. 

Setup

1. Access the management page of the BlackArmor.

• Get the IP address from the LCD of your BlackArmor.
• Open a web browser and enter the IP.

2. Ensure the share you want to access is setup for NFS.

• Go to the Network section and then to Shares.
• If NFS is enabled for a particular share, there will be a green checkmark on it.
  • If it is not, check on the modify and make sure to check the NFS box.

3. Setup the NFS Service

• Go to the Network section and then to Services.
• Under NFS Service, ensure that it is set to Enable.
• Make sure to enter the IP Addresses of your Linux computers.
  • When adding them, do it one at a time, clicking Add each time.
• Click Submit once you are finished.

Mounting the Share in Linux

1. On your Linux machine, open terminal.

• Make sure you have the nfs-common package installed. To do this in Unbuntu:

sudo apt-get install nfs-common

• Otherwise, consult your system documentation or package manger for more info.
• To mount an NFS, you first have to create the folder to which you want it to mount. Type this to create a directory:

sudo mkdir /mnt/

• Now, once that is created, you can mount the share. Type:

sudo mount -t nfs :// /mnt/

• What all this means:
  • -t : Is used to tell the system that this is just an ordinary mount command. You use this when you do not have the drive information located in /etc/fstab
  • nfs : Tells the type of share you are trying to mount.
  • :/ : IP address of the drive you are trying to mount.
  • / : Volume Name of the actual hard drive that you want to mount. This defaults to DataVolume.
  •  : The Share within the Volume of the hard drive that you want to mount.
  • /mnt/ : The location to which you want your share to be mounted. Remember that it is the folder that you already created.
• Note: This will not create a shortcut on your desktop, nor will it show up in Computer. You will have to browse to the location of the folder. Normally this will be in Computer, under Filesystem and then mnt.

For example:

sudo mount -t nfs 192.168.10.204:/DataVolume/Public /mnt/Public

Mount errors

"Access is denied" during the mount may indicate some of the following:

1. The client (Linux computer) is not on the allowed list of IP addresses.
2. The share name (for example /DataVolume/Public) is not shared.
   • For instance, trying 192.168.10.204:/Public (note no volume name) will cause an "access is denied" error.

Troubleshooting NFS

Use the showmount command to see what is exported by the BlackArmor:

showmount -e 

The -e stands for "exports" or a list of shares exported by NFS on the BA.
It will show something like this:

Export list for 192.168.10.204:

/DataVolume/Public *

Mounting with CIFS

Most of everything is the same, except the syntax you use to actually mount the share.

sudo mount -t cifs -o noperm /// /mnt/

• Note the addition of "-o noperm". Without this, you will be able to mount the share but will not be able to write to it. Folders and files can be created, but they can not be edited.