# NFS (Network File System)

This article outlines the integration with the NFS (Network File System) connector, enabling streamlined metadata management through features such as crawling, data preview, and manual lineage building. It also ensures secure authentication via Credential Manager.

NFS represents the file system of the host machine where the application is deployed. It allows the system to access and manage files located on that instance’s local storage.

<figure><img src="/files/SYJCN8dTwmVs49pYNSF6" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## Overview

### **Connector** Details

| Connector Category                                                      | File Connectors |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------- |
| Connector Version                                                       | Release7.1.1    |
| Releases Supported (Available from)                                     | Release4.0      |
| <p>Connectivity</p><p>\[How the connection is established with NFS]</p> | NFS JDK         |

#### Connector Features

| Feature                                      | Availability |
| -------------------------------------------- | :----------: |
| Crawling                                     |       ✅      |
| Delta Crawling                               |       ❌      |
| Profiling\*                                  |       ❌      |
| Sample Profiling                             |       ✅      |
| Data Preview                                 |       ✅      |
| Auto Lineage                                 |       ❌      |
| Manual Lineage                               |       ✅      |
| Secure Authentication via Credential Manager |       ✅      |
| Data Quality\*\*                             |       ✅      |
| DAM (Data Access Management)                 |       ❌      |
| Bridge                                       |       ✅      |

{% hint style="info" %}
\*Full profiling is supported through DuckDB. To enable this capability, configure the system setting (key: enable.duckdb) to **True**.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="info" %}
\*\*Data Quality supports rule execution on supported file formats, including compressed CSV files (.csv.gz).
{% endhint %}

### Metadata Mapping

The following objects are crawled from NFS and mapped to the corresponding UI assets.

<table><thead><tr><th width="131.75">NFS Object</th><th width="161.75">NFS Attribute</th><th width="180.25">OvalEdge Attribute</th><th width="183.5">OvalEdge Category</th><th width="171.75">OvalEdge Type</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Bucket</td><td>Bucket</td><td>Bucket</td><td>Bucket</td><td>Bucket</td></tr><tr><td>Folder</td><td>Folder</td><td>Folder</td><td>Folder</td><td>Folder</td></tr><tr><td>File</td><td>File</td><td>File</td><td>File</td><td>File</td></tr><tr><td>XLSX</td><td>File</td><td>File</td><td>File</td><td>XLSX</td></tr><tr><td>XLS</td><td>File</td><td>File</td><td>File</td><td>XLS</td></tr><tr><td>CSV</td><td>File</td><td>File</td><td>File</td><td>CSV</td></tr><tr><td>TXT</td><td>File</td><td>File</td><td>File</td><td>TXT</td></tr><tr><td>PARQUET</td><td>File</td><td>File</td><td>File</td><td>PARQUET</td></tr><tr><td>ORC</td><td>File</td><td>File</td><td>File</td><td>ORC</td></tr><tr><td>JSON</td><td>File</td><td>File</td><td>File</td><td>JSON</td></tr><tr><td>YAML</td><td>File</td><td>File</td><td>File</td><td>YAML</td></tr><tr><td>PIP</td><td>File</td><td>File</td><td>File</td><td>PIP</td></tr></tbody></table>

## Set up a Connection

### Prerequisites

The following are the prerequisites to establish a connection.

Ensure that the CSV files follow the required formatting standards for proper data processing and visibility. Refer to [CSV Format Requirements](https://docs.ovaledge.com/connectors/additional-requirements/csv-format-requirements-for-file-connectors)**.**

#### **Service Account User Permissions**

{% hint style="warning" %}
It is recommended to use a separate service account to establish the connection to the data source, configured with the following minimum set of permissions.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="info" %}
👨‍💻Who can provide these permissions? These permissions are typically granted by the NFS administrator, as users may not have the required access to assign them independently.
{% endhint %}

| Operations           | Objects              | Access Permission |
| -------------------- | -------------------- | ----------------- |
| Validate             | Connector Validation | Read              |
| Crawling & Profiling | Folder               | Read              |
| Crawling & Profiling | Files                | Read              |

### Connection Configuration Steps

{% hint style="warning" %}
Users are required to have the Connector Creator role in order to configure a new connection.
{% endhint %}

1. Log into **OvalEdge**, go to **Administration > Connectors**, click **+ (New Connector)**, search for **NFS**, and complete the required parameters.

{% hint style="info" %}
Fields marked with an asterisk (\*) are mandatory for establishing a connection.
{% endhint %}

<table><thead><tr><th width="220.25">Field Name</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Connector Type</td><td>By default, "<strong>NFS</strong>" is displayed as the selected connector type.</td></tr><tr><td>Credential Manager*</td><td><p>Select the desired credentials manager from the drop-down list. Relevant parameters will be displayed based on the selected option.</p><p>Supported Credential Managers:</p><ul><li>OE Credential Manager</li><li>AWS Secrets Manager</li><li>HashiCorp</li><li>Azure Key Vault</li></ul></td></tr><tr><td>License Add Ons</td><td>Select the checkbox for <strong>Data Quality</strong> Add-On to identify data quality issues using data quality rules and anomaly detection.</td></tr><tr><td>Connector Environment*</td><td>Select the environment (Example: PROD, STG) configured for the connector. This field is mandatory for creating the NFS connection.</td></tr><tr><td>Connector Name*</td><td><p>Enter a unique name for the NFS connection              </p><p>(Example: "NFSdb").</p></td></tr><tr><td>Connector Description</td><td>Enter a brief description of the connector.</td></tr><tr><td>Path*</td><td>Provide the path of the location where files or folders are located (Example: E:\NFSPath).</td></tr><tr><td>User ID*</td><td>Enter the operating system or NFS username used to access the configured file path.</td></tr></tbody></table>

**Default Governance Roles**

<table data-header-hidden><thead><tr><th width="220.25"></th><th></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Default Governance Roles*</td><td>Select the appropriate users or teams for each governance role from the drop-down list. All users configured in the security settings are available for selection.</td></tr></tbody></table>

**Admin Roles**

<table data-header-hidden><thead><tr><th width="220.25"></th><th></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Admin Roles*</td><td><p>Select one or more users from the dropdown list for Integration Admin and Security &#x26; Governance Admin. All users configured</p><p>in the security settings are available for selection.</p></td></tr></tbody></table>

**No of Archive Objects**

<table data-header-hidden><thead><tr><th width="220.25"></th><th></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>No Of Archive Objects*</td><td><p>This shows the number of recent metadata changes to a dataset at the source. By default, it is off. To enable it, toggle the Archive button and specify the number of objects to archive.</p><p>Example: Setting it to 4 retrieves the last four changes, displayed in the 'Version' column of the 'Metadata Changes' module.</p></td></tr></tbody></table>

**Bridge**

<table data-header-hidden><thead><tr><th width="220.25"></th><th></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Select Bridge*</td><td><p>If applicable, select the bridge from the drop-down list.</p><p>The drop-down list displays all active bridges that have been configured. These bridges facilitate communication between data sources and the system without requiring changes to firewall rules.<br><strong>Note</strong>: Select a Bridge only if the configured NFS path is accessed through a Bridge.</p></td></tr></tbody></table>

2. After entering all connection details, the following actions can be performed:
   1. Click **Validate** to verify the connection.
   2. Click **Save** to store the connection for future use.
   3. Click **Save & Configure** to apply additional settings before saving.
3. The saved connection will appear on the **Connectors home page**.

## Manage Connector Operations

### Crawl

{% hint style="warning" %}
To perform crawl operations, users must be assigned the Integration Admin role.
{% endhint %}

1. Navigate to the **Connectors** page and click **Crawl/Profile.**
2. This action initiates the metadata collection process from the data source and loads the retrieved metadata into the **File Manager > File Explorer.**
3. In the **File Manager**, click the connector name, select the specific **folder(s) or file(s)**, then click **Catalog /** **Catalog and Profile** from the **Nine Dots** menu. For more details, click [here](https://docs.ovaledge.com/release8.1/file-manager/file-explorer).

{% hint style="info" %}
Profiling is supported only at the individual file level through the File Nine Dots menu in File Manager. File columns are fetched into the system only after the profiling process has been successfully completed.
{% endhint %}

4. The File Manager displays additional metadata such as file or folder size and last modified date. Folder-level summaries, including file counts, file types, and sample files, are also available where applicable.
5. The selected files or folders will be added to the **Data Catalog > Files/File Columns** tab.

### Other Operations

The **Connectors page** provides a centralized view of all configured connectors, along with their health status.

**Managing connectors includes:**

* **Connectors Health**: Displays the current status of each connector using a **green** icon for active connections and a **red** icon for inactive connections, helping to monitor the connectivity with data sources.
* **Viewing**: Click the **Eye icon** next to the connector name to view connector details, including databases, tables, columns, and codes.

**Nine Dots Menu Options:**

To view, edit, validate, configure, or delete connectors, click on the **Nine Dots** menu.

* **Edit Connector**: Update and revalidate the data source.
* **Validate Connector:** Check the connection's integrity.
* **Settings**: Modify connector settings.
  * **Crawler**: Configure data extraction.
  * **Access Instructions**: Add notes on how data can be accessed.
  * **Business Glossary Settings**: Manage term associations at the connector level.
  * **Anomaly Detection Settings**: Configure anomaly detection preferences at the connector level.
* **Delete Connector**: Remove a connector with confirmation.

For more details, click [here](https://docs.ovaledge.com/connectors/introduction-to-connectors/setup-and-connectivity/connector-settings).

### Connectivity Troubleshooting

If incorrect parameters are entered, error messages may appear. Ensure all inputs are accurate to resolve these issues. If issues persist, contact the assigned **support** team.

<table><thead><tr><th width="86.5">S.No.</th><th width="177.5">Error Message(s)</th><th>Error Description &#x26; Resolution</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1</td><td>Error while validating connection: Please provide valid path</td><td><strong>Description</strong>: The specified path is invalid or inaccessible. The system could not find the files or folders at the given location.<br><strong>Resolution</strong>: Ensure the path provided points to the correct location in the NFS source system where the files or folders reside. Verify the path format and that the system has access permissions to that path. For example, use a path like E:\NFSPath.</td></tr></tbody></table>

***

Copyright © 2025, OvalEdge LLC, Peachtree Corners GA USA


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