RFC 2055 (rfc2055) - Page 1 of 10

WebNFS Server Specification

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Network Working Group                                       B. Callaghan
Request for Comments: 2055                        Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Category: Informational                                     October 1996


                      WebNFS Server Specification

Status of this Memo

   This memo provides information for the Internet community.  This memo
   does not specify an Internet standard of any kind.  Distribution of
   this memo is unlimited.

Abstract

   This document describes the specifications for a server of WebNFS
   clients.  WebNFS extends the semantics of versions 2 and 3 of the NFS
   protocols to allow clients to obtain filehandles more easily, without
   recourse to the portmap or MOUNT protocols.  In removing the need for
   these protocols, WebNFS clients see benefits in faster response to
   requests, easy transit of firewalls and better server scalability
   This description is provided to facilitate compatible implementations
   of WebNFS servers.

Table of Contents

   1.    Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
   2.    TCP vs UDP . . . . . . . . . . . . .   . . . . . . . . . . 2
   3.    Well-known Port  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
   4.    Server Port Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
   5.    Public Filehandle  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
   5.1     Version 2 Public Filehandle  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
   5.2     Version 3 Public Filehandle  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
   6.    Multi-component Lookup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
   6.1     Canonical Path vs. Native Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
   6.2     Symbolic Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
   6.3     Export Spanning Pathnames  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
   7.    Location of Public Filehandle  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
   8.    Index Files  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
   9.    Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
   10.   Security Considerations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
   11.   Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
   12.   Author's Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10








Callaghan                    Informational
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