HISTORY OF DEV

August 1984

NFS first implemented

SunSun Microsystems — maker of Java, Solaris, and SPARC; acquired by Oracle in 2010. Microsystems implemented the first Network File System kernelThe core of an operating system that manages hardware, memory, and processes — everything else depends on it. code in August 1984 — remote file access over TCPTransmission Control Protocol — a reliable, connection-oriented protocol used on the internet./IPInternet Protocol — the addressing and routing layer that moves packets across networks.; customer products shipped in spring 1985.

What it was for

Web server serving static contentNFS let workstations mount directories from a server as if they were local drives — bootless SunSun Microsystems — maker of Java, Solaris, and SPARC; acquired by Oracle in 2010. workstations, shared home directories, and centralized `/usr` trees. Built on ONC RPC and XDR, it became the default way UnixAn influential multitasking OS from the 1970s — files, pipes, and C shaped Linux, macOS, and BSD. machines shared files before SMB dominated Windows shops. Every `mount server:/export/home` traces back to Bill Joy's team at SunSun Microsystems — maker of Java, Solaris, and SPARC; acquired by Oracle in 2010..

Companies

  • Sun Microsystems

Why it's here

NFS was the first widely deployed network filesystem for UnixAn influential multitasking OS from the 1970s — files, pipes, and C shaped Linux, macOS, and BSD. workstations.

Why it mattered

It proved transparent remote file access could work at LANLocal area network — a network covering a building or campus, as opposed to wide-area links. scale and influenced later distributed storage designs.

What it solved

Diskless workstations and multi-user labs needed shared files without copying data to every machine.

Media

  • Web server serving static content
    ImageWeb server serving static content

    Ade56facc, CC BY-SA 4.0, via wikimedia

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