Option 1. The Windows Client for NFS
Windows includes an optional feature, Services for NFS → Client for NFS. Turn it on in Windows Features, then mount from a command prompt:
mount -o anon \\nas.example.com\volume1\data N:Things to know before you choose it:
- The feature is offered on Pro, Enterprise and Education editions, not on Home.
- By default it connects as an anonymous user. To write as a particular Linux user you set
AnonymousUidandAnonymousGidin the registry and restart the client — one identity for the whole machine. - A drive mounted in an elevated prompt is not visible in Explorer, and the other way round.
- It has no local cache and no recovery from a dropped connection beyond the protocol's own retries.
Option 2. Pier's built-in NFSv3 client
Pier contains its own NFSv3 client, so the Windows NFS feature is not needed and the Windows edition does not matter. The UID and GID are set per drive, in the drive's settings, without touching the registry.
- Download and run the Pier installer.
- Open Pier from the tray icon, press Add and choose NFS.
- Enter the server and the export path, for example
nas.example.comand/volume1/data. - Set the UID and GID the drive should act as — the numeric ids of your user on the server (
idprints them on Linux). - Press Check to test access, pick a drive letter and press OK.
Prepare the export on the server
The server must allow your Windows machine's address. On a Linux server that is a line in /etc/exports:
/srv/data 192.168.1.0/24(rw,sync,no_subtree_check)Apply it with exportfs -ra. On a NAS the same settings are in the shared folder's NFS permissions: the allowed client address or subnet and read/write access. Pier speaks NFSv3, so make sure version 3 is enabled — some NAS models ship with only NFSv4 switched on.
Side by side
| Windows Client for NFS | Pier | |
|---|---|---|
| Windows Home | Not available | Works |
| UID / GID | One anonymous identity, set in the registry | Per drive, in the settings window |
| Visible to all users and after reboot | Needs a logon script | Mounted by a service |
| Local cache | No | Block cache |
| Offline work | No | Offline mode |
| Protocol version | NFSv2 / NFSv3 | NFSv3 |
A word on security
NFSv3 trusts the client's address and the UID it claims; the traffic is not encrypted. Use it on a trusted LAN or inside a VPN. To reach a server across the internet, mount it over SFTP instead — the same server usually has SSH, and Pier maps that to a drive letter just the same.