Setting up NFS Server for VMware vSphere

Here I am setting up NFS server in my existing environment, My Active directory is already setup with below configuration

Hostname: AD

IP address: 192.168.33.11

Domain Name: vcloud.lab

Open server manager, right click Active Directory Domain Services and add role services.

Check the box "Identity Management for UNIX" (These services maps Unix accounts into active directory) and click on next, click install on the next screen, once installation get completed it will ask for restart once, you click close. Go with the restart.

Once the server restarted expand vcloud.lab in Active Directory Users and computers. And create new Organization Unit named UnixUsers.

Create a New group named "Unix_Users_group" with default settings inside Unixusers OU.

Right click Unix_Users_group under UnixUsers OU and select properties

Go to UNIX Attributes properties. From the drop down menu of NIS Domain select your Domain.(here my domain is "vcloud") keep all other settings default.

Select Members Tab and click Add administrator.

Go to Users and right click Administrator account the click properties, on the UNIX Attributes tab, Select vcloud from the NIS Domain. All the other settings will be populated automatically. (if you have added more users in unix_users_group , once you goes to those users Unix attributes tab and enable NIS domain, you will see increment in UID numbers.)

Now next step is to install File server role for NFS services. I am using here my another server called vCenter (this server is hosting my vCenter server and was already pulled in vcloud.lab domain.)

Open Server Manager and right click Roles and select add Roles. Select File services and click next.

Check Services for Network File System on the select role services. And install services.

Open services for Network File System (NFS) from Administrative Tools.

Right click Services for NFS and click Properties

Check box Active Directory domain name and type your domain name (here mine is vcloud.lab)

I have created NFS_Drive folder on the C drive of vcenter server. Right click and go to properties.

Go to NFS Sharing Tab and Click Manage NFS Sharing.

Select 2 settings and keep rest of the defaults as below screen.

· Share this folder

· Allow anonymous access

And next click Permissions button.

Select the type to Read-Write and check the box allow root access.

Open vsphere client. (you can directly connect esxi host as well), select host, go to configuration tab, then select storage from Hardware, and click on Add Storage.