NFS Mount Options Cheat Sheet
NFS mount options cheat sheet: rsize, wsize, nconnect, noatime explained with recommended values. Copy-paste the optimal mount command for NFSv3 and NFSv4.
These are the mount options we recommend for NFS data migrations. Copy this, tweak the IP and export path, and youβre done:
mount -t nfs -o rw,hard,noatime,rsize=1048576,wsize=1048576,nconnect=8 \
192.168.1.100:/export/data /mnt/nfs
To make it persistent across reboots, add to /etc/fstab:
192.168.1.100:/export/data /mnt/nfs nfs rw,hard,noatime,rsize=1048576,wsize=1048576,nconnect=8 0 0
Option Reference
| Option | What it does | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
rsize=1048576 | Read buffer size (bytes) | 1 MB β max for NFSv3/v4 |
wsize=1048576 | Write buffer size (bytes) | 1 MB β matches rsize |
nconnect=8 | Parallel TCP connections per mount | 4-16 β ~3x throughput on 10GbE |
noatime | Skip access-time updates on reads | Always β reduces write I/O |
hard | Retry indefinitely on server timeout | Yes β prevents silent corruption |
soft | Return error after timeout | Avoid β risks incomplete writes |
intr | Allow signal interrupts during hard hangs | Deprecated since kernel 2.6.25 β ignored on modern kernels |
nocto | Skip close-to-open consistency checks | Only for read-only data |
actimeo=60 | Cache file attributes for 60 seconds | Good for mostly-static data |
vers=4.2 | Force NFSv4.2 (server-side copy, sparse files) | If server supports it |
Version requirements
nconnect requires Linux kernel 5.3+. Check with uname -r before adding it β older kernels silently ignore the option.
Quick test
After mounting, run nfsstat -m to confirm your options took effect. Some servers silently downgrade nconnect or buffer sizes.
syncopio advantage
syncopio auto-mounts NFS endpoints with optimized options β no manual mount commands needed.
Further Reading
- NFS Exports Configuration Guide β set up the server side
- NFS vs SMB: Performance, Security & When to Use Each β protocol decision guide
- The Complete rsync Guide β for the transfer commands after mounting