WebNFS - Technical Overview

• Benefits
• Features
• Robust and Scalable
• Accessibility
• Ready for the Future
• A Natural Fit with the Internet

• Improves performance and reliability for software and data downloads
• Automatic error and crash recovery for reliable file transfer
• Automatically and transparently mounts files allowing them to appear local, giving users simpler access to data
• Allows Web access to the estimated 10 million NFS servers currently in use

• Supports the NFS URL: e.g. nfs://server/project/myfile
• Is based on TCP/IP.
• Works through firewalls.
• Read-ahead for faster data access.
• Write-behind for faster data writes over internet.
• Multi-component Lookup of directories.
• Print sharing and queue management.
• Centralized server administration.

Until now, the Internet has been missing one important component: a filesystem. Now, the company who brought you NFS brings you THE filesystem for the Web-- WebNFS. Ten years of open competition and performance tuning by over 75 companies have made NFS the defacto standard network filesystem, implemented on every popular computing platform from PCs to super computers. WebNFS builds upon NFS technology to bring reliable, high-performance file access and distribution to the World-Wide Web.

WebNFS servers can intelligently deliver the right amount of data requested and can easily recover from dropped lines and recover lost data. So now even remote users accessing information over slow dial-up connections get reliable access to information over the Internet.

On intranets and other fast networks, such as those with cable modems, WebNFS is five to ten times faster than HTTP for displaying graphics and animation. Net result: people browsing the Web spend less time waiting for pages to download. And because WebNFS is optimized for efficient use of bandwidth and Internet connections, a Web server can improve "site accessibility" by handling up to three times as many user requests as when using HTTP alone.

WebNFS makes remote file access simple and safe. In addition, WebNFS can work with and through firewalls, meaning system administrators can now specify which directories or files they want to "export" or make available over the Internet/intranet. Once these files are exported and an application requests it, WebNFS can automatically locate it, negotiate file access privileges, and transparently "mount" the file from anywhere on the Internet. Users can then access that data as if it were local to their machine.

Unlike current file access protocols, such as FTP and HTTP, WebNFS is a complete filesystem which supports in-place editing of a file--eliminating the need to download, edit, and upload the file. Instead, users can edit the original file right from their desktops. This saves time and preserves the integrity of shared files.

To work smarter, applications can query WebNFS for information on remote files and directories attributes. For example, with HTTP, Web crawlers and caching schemes must download or read an entire file to determine if it has changed. With WebNFS, on the other hand, they can take advantage of file attributes, such as file size and modification date, to determine whether a file has been updated, reducing the number of redundant file downloads and, ultimately, load on Web servers.

WebNFS allows any Web-enabled application, such as a browser or spreadsheet, access to information over the Internet. In addition, NFS and WebNFS are poised to become the standard file system for Network Computers (NCs), "thin" desktop computers that house little information locally but instead allows users to access applications and data over an intranet or the Internet. With WebNFS, the NCs will be able to leverage the more than 10 million NFS nodes to deliver Java applets and data back to users.

WebNFS will also help users save time and hassle with file transfers. If a connection breaks during a file transfer, current transfer protocols like FTP must start over from the very beginning. WebNFS, however, can continue the transfer from the point of the broken connection.

WebNFS is an enhanced version of NFS Version 3, resulting in a simple, platform- and OS-independent file access protocol, and the only network-based file system designed to scale and evolve with the fast-paced Internet.

WebNFS is a natural fit with the Internet and is true to the beliefs of open standards and independent implementations. WebNFS has already become a widely adopted protocol by industry leaders such as Oracle Corporation, Spyglass, IBM, Sequent Computer System, Sun Microsystems Computer Company, and Auspex Systems.