Accessing NFS from ESXi

[NSITPS]

Hi

How is ESXi configured to access an NFS mount - either windows based with services for unix or something like freeNas?

I have found a lot of info on how to access this from ESX 3.5 with config like copying /etc/exports etc etc - however, how is this done from ESXi as this does not have the service console and thus files like /etc/exports?

Thanks

[weinstein5]

You should be able to configure it through the VI Client - conifgure a vswitch that has a vmkernel port on the NFS network and add the NFS share - also you will need to make sure the security is set so that the ESX host has root level access to the NFS share -

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[nick_couchman]

I'm not sure I understand which way you're trying to go...are you trying to mount an NFS volume on the ESXi machine, or share a VMFS volume from the ESXi machine to another machine? I don't think ESXi has an NFS server in it, so I don't think you can share from an ESXi machine TO another one. If you're trying to go the other way around, see the other response to your post, about configuration through the Configuration -> Storage tab.

[KBuchanan]

Nael:

ESXi and ESX are TOTALLY different. ESXi is a very scaled down version of Linux...most commands just aren't available in ESXi. SO...you can NOT export a NFS directory from ESXi.

But you CAN attach to a NFS Server (see other responses).

[Dave_Mishchenko]

ESXi uses some Linux and opensource bits (drivers, busybox for console, etc), but the vmkernel of ESXi is not based on Linux.

[Doc_Rice]

I wouldn't say that ESXi is a scaled down version of Linux. If you do a uname -a, you'll see it's not a Linux kernel, but rather the "VMkernel." The (officially non-existent) Service Console is akin to RHEL, but it's certainly not like ESX.

In regards to NFS, I've mounted an NFS share on a Windows machine before (running a third-party NFS server) with the ESXi host being the client.

[NSITPS]

Thanks - to answer the other questions, I am looking to attach 2 esxi hosts to NFS for the creation on a datastore for demoing stuff like vmotion etc.

[KBuchanan]

I stand corrected - ESXi is not a scaled down version. I didn't mean it literally...because I KNOW IT ISN'T LINUX.

What I should have said was that ESXi is scaled down and is a small-footprint OS. It is very similar to Linux, but without a lot of the functionality that is available in a Linux distro.

So - I apologize for not being technically accurate with that statement. The point I was trying to make was that ESXi doesn't have all the features of ESX and exporting NFS directories an available function/feature with ESXi (...sorry if I mislead you/anyone....)