# Create Shares

A share represents individual file systems within the Network File Storage cluster. Each cluster can contain multiple shares within it.

## Prerequisites

Only contract administrators, owners, and users with **Access and Manage Network File Storage** privilege are allowed to create shares. You can set the privilege through the DCD group privileges. For more information, see [<mark style="color:blue;">Set User Privileges for Network File Storage</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/backup-and-storage/network-file-storage/how-tos/set-user-privileges).

## Create a Share

To create a share within a Network File Storage cluster, follow these steps:

1\. In the **DCD**, go to **Menu** > **Storage & Backup** > **Network File Storage**.

2\. Select a cluster from the list of clusters and select **Manage Shares** from the **OPTIONS** column.

![Select Manage Shares](https://1737632334-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MifAzdGvKLDTtvJP8sm%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-98d51521c6a371e1ccab2564b1b86dc2b031d344%2Fnfs-manage-shares.png?alt=media)

3\. Select **Create Share** in the **Manage shares** window and enter the following details:

* [<mark style="color:blue;">Define Share Properties</mark>](#define-share-properties)
* [<mark style="color:blue;">Add Client Groups</mark>](#add-client-groups)

4\. Click **Save** to create a share.

{% hint style="success" %}
**Result:** A share is created within the selected Network File Storage Cluster.
{% endhint %}

## Define share properties

To define share properties, specify the following details:

1. **Directory Name:** Enter an appropriate name for the share.
2. *(Optional)* **Quota:** Specify the quota in MiB to restrict the amount of data that can be stored within the export file. Set the value to zero to disable the quota for export.
3. *(Optional)* **Group Id:** The ID of the group that owns the exported share. The default value is 65534.
4. *(Optional)* **User Id:** The ID of the user who owns the exported directory. The default value is 65534.

![Define Share Properties](https://1737632334-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MifAzdGvKLDTtvJP8sm%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-721c1e2f4620c298aee2be8d0e389195dbff5bf2%2Fnfs-create-share-properties.png?alt=media)

## Add Client Groups

Multiple VMs from within a VDC can be connected to shares of a Network File Storage's cluster through a private LAN.

1. *(Optional)* **Description:** Enter necessary information about the client group.
2. **NFS Squash Mode:** Select a squash mode for export. For more information, see [<mark style="color:blue;">Squash security</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/backup-and-storage/network-file-storage/overview/features-benefits). You can choose one of the following:
   * **No squash mode:** Select if you do not want a squash mode. For security reasons, we do not recommend setting the mode to **None**.
   * **Map root user to anonymous user id:** Select to map a root user to an anonymous user.
   * **Map all users to anonymous user id:** Select to map all users to anonymous user.
3. **IP Networks:** Select **+ Add another IP Network** to add an IP address with the mask CIDR notation. The specified network therefore becomes an authorized network while restricting access to all other networks. Example: 127.0.0.1/24.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Note:** The **IP Networks** setting will always supersede the list of hosts. Only use this field if you want the share access on the entire network. To grant access to specific hosts, leave this field blank.
{% endhint %}

4. **Hosts:** Select **+ Add another Host** to add the number of VMs that is allowed to access the share. Example: `10.234.62.123`.

![Add Client Groups](https://1737632334-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MifAzdGvKLDTtvJP8sm%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-17cac96f93661066df1d8cb4d3a6d0655ab0f1a5%2Fnfs-create-share-client-groups.png?alt=media)

## Mount an NFS share on a Linux machine

For mounting an NFS share, you need the IP address of the cluster and the UUID of the NFS in the format `mount -t nfs <cluster-ip>:<share-uuid> <local-mount-path>`.

**Example**

* **IP address:** `10.7.228.5`
* **UUID:** `7b1ef56d-dfc6-51fe-aff0-7af2d6747868`
* **Format:** `mount -t nfs 10.7.228.5:7b1ef56d-dfc6-51fe-aff0-7af2d6747868 /my/local/folder`


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