NFS and Backups

[Chuck Swiger]

Grant Peel wrote:
> I have recently decided to use some extra disk space on one of my servers as
> backup space. I have NFS client and Servers running OK, but was wondering how
> secure it really is.

NFS is not secure at all.  If you don't trust the local subnet, don't use NFS 
there.  Certainly don't use NFS across the Internet, unless using a secure 
tunnelling/VPN protocol....

> So if in my nfsd configuration, I specify a host called 'ahab' for example,
> how does the nfsd authenticate this host, and how secure is it?

NFS doesn't authenticate the host.  NFS trusts the resolver when reversing the 
IP addr into a hostname.

-- 
-Chuck