{"id":9474,"date":"2021-06-01T05:11:23","date_gmt":"2021-06-01T05:11:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/?p=9474"},"modified":"2026-10-06T14:55:26","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T14:55:26","slug":"mounting-filestore-file-share-on-compute-engine-clients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/google-cloud-platform\/instance\/mounting-filestore-file-share-on-compute-engine-clients\/","title":{"rendered":"Mounting Filestore file share on Compute Engine clients"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Mounting a Filestore File Share on Compute Engine Clients<\/h1>\r\n

Filestore<\/b><\/strong>\u00a0is Google Cloud’s managed file server. It serves a file share<\/b><\/strong>\u00a0over NFS, the standard network file system protocol, so that a virtual machine can use it like a folder on its own disk. Mounting is the step that makes that connection, and several VMs can mount the same share to work on the same files.<\/p>\r\n

Getting the mount working is quick, but there are three things the basic steps do not cover. The share has to be reachable, meaning the VM and the Filestore instance must be in the same project and VPC network. The mount has to be writable by the people who need it. And a manual mount is gone the next time the VM restarts, so anything you rely on needs a permanent entry.<\/p>\r\n

This walks through installing the NFS client, creating a local folder, mounting the share, and confirming it worked, then making it writable, keeping it across reboots, and mounting a subdirectory.<\/p>\r\n

Step by Step Process of Mounting a Filestore File Share<\/h2>\r\n

Step 1: Open the VM Instances Page<\/h3>\r\n

Open the console, then the menu, then Compute Engine, then VM instances.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Step 2: Open an SSH Session<\/h3>\r\n

Find the VM you want to use as the client and click SSH next to it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Step 3: Install the NFS Client<\/h3>\r\n

On Debian or Ubuntu:<\/p>\r\n

sudo apt-get -y update
sudo apt-get install nfs-common<\/p>\r\n

On RedHat or CentOS:<\/p>\r\n

sudo yum install nfs-utils<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\"\"<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Step 4: Make a Local Folder for the Share<\/h3>\r\n

Create the folder the file share will appear in, for example a folder named filestore under mnt:<\/p>\r\n

sudo mkdir -p MOUNT_POINT_DIRECTORY<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Step 5: Open the Filestore Instance<\/h3>\r\n

In the console, open Filestore, then Instances, and click your instance.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Step 6: Copy the NFS Mount Point<\/h3>\r\n

Copy the NFS mount point shown for the instance. It combines the instance’s IP address and the file share name, and it is what you give the mount command.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Step 7: Mount the File Share<\/h3>\r\n

Replace the first placeholder with the NFS mount point you copied, and the second with the folder you made in Step Four:<\/p>\r\n

sudo mount -o rw IP_ADDRESS:\/FILE_SHARE MOUNT_POINT_DIRECTORY<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Step 8: Confirm the Share Is Mounted<\/h3>\r\n

df -h –type=nfs<\/p>\r\n

The original page typed the option with an en dash, which makes the command fail. It needs two real hyphens. The output should list your file share with its size.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Make the Share Writable<\/h3>\r\n

After mounting, the folder may not be writable by every user who needs it. Google’s guide handles this with a chmod command. For example, this lets the group that owns the folder and all other users read and write:<\/p>\r\n

sudo chmod go+rw MOUNT_POINT_DIRECTORY<\/p>\r\n

Choose the permissions that fit your situation, and avoid opening a folder wider than the people using it need.<\/p>\r\n

Keep the Mount After a Reboot<\/h3>\r\n

A mount made with the command above is gone when the VM restarts. Google’s documentation says to use fstab or autofs to keep a share mounted. For fstab, open the file:<\/p>\r\n

sudo nano \/etc\/fstab<\/p>\r\n

Add one line, using your own values:<\/p>\r\n

IP_ADDRESS:\/FILE_SHARE MOUNT_POINT_DIRECTORY nfs defaults,_netdev 0 0<\/p>\r\n

The _netdev option marks this as a network mount, so the system waits for the network before trying it. To test the entry without restarting, run the following, which mounts everything listed in fstab:<\/p>\r\n

sudo mount -a<\/p>\r\n

Step 9: Create and Mount a Subdirectory<\/h3>\r\n

To create a subdirectory on the mounted share:<\/p>\r\n

sudo mkdir -p MOUNT_POINT_DIRECTORY\/SUBDIR<\/p>\r\n

To mount just that subdirectory, give it its own empty local folder and point the mount command at the share path plus the subdirectory name:<\/p>\r\n

sudo mkdir -p SUBDIR_MOUNT_POINT
sudo mount -o rw IP_ADDRESS:\/FILE_SHARE\/SUBDIR SUBDIR_MOUNT_POINT<\/p>\r\n

Confirm both mounts:<\/p>\r\n

df -h –type=nfs<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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 <\/p>\r\n

If the Mount Fails<\/h2>\r\n