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.
The connector establishes connectivity to the NFS file system of the host machine where the application is deployed, providing access to files stored on the instance's local storage. It uses a dedicated service account with the required file system permissions to access metadata from files and folders.
Overview
Connector Details
Connector Category
File Connectors
OvalEdge Release Supported
Release4.0 and later
Connectivity
[How the connection is established with NFS]
NFS JDK
Connector Features
Crawling
✅
Delta Crawling
❌
Profiling*
❌
Sample Profiling
✅
Data Preview
✅
Auto Lineage
❌
Manual Lineage
✅
Secure Authentication via Credential Manager
✅
Data Quality**
✅
DAM (Data Access Management)
❌
Bridge
✅
*Full profiling is supported through DuckDB. To enable this capability, configure the system setting (enable.duckdb) to True. When enabled, the File Data tab displays only the first 100 rows from the source file.
**Data Quality supports rule execution on supported file formats, including compressed CSV files (.csv.gz).
Metadata Mapping
The following objects are crawled from NFS and mapped to the corresponding UI assets.
Bucket
Bucket
Bucket
Bucket
Bucket
Folder
Folder
Folder
Folder
Folder
File
File
File
File
File
XLSX
File
File
File
File
XLS
File
File
File
File
CSV
File
File
File
File
TXT
File
File
File
File
PARQUET
File
File
File
File
ORC
File
File
File
File
JSON
File
File
File
File
YAML
File
File
File
File
PIP
File
File
File
File
AVRO
File
File
File
File
GIF
File
File
File
File
SQL
File
File
File
File
XML
File
File
File
File
IMAGE
File
File
File
File
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.
Service Account User Permissions
It is recommended to use a dedicated service account to establish the connection to the data source, configured with the following minimum set of permissions.
👨💻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.
Connector Validation
-
Read
Crawling & Profiling
Folder
Read and Execute (rx)
Crawling & Profiling
Files
Read
Connection Configuration Steps
Users are required to have the Connector Creator role in order to configure a new connection.
Log into OvalEdge, go to Administration > Connectors, click + (New Connector), search for NFS, and complete the required parameters.
Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are mandatory for establishing a connection.
Connector Type
By default, "NFS" is displayed as the selected connector type.
Credential Manager*
Select the desired credentials manager from the drop-down list. Relevant parameters will be displayed based on the selected option.
Supported Credential Managers:
OE Credential Manager
AWS Secrets Manager
HashiCorp
Azure Key Vault
For more details, click here.
License Add Ons
Select the checkbox for Data Quality Add-On to identify data quality issues using data quality rules and anomaly detection. For more details, click here.
Connector Environment*
Select the environment (Example: PROD, STG) configured for the connector. This field is mandatory for creating the NFS connection. For more details, click here.
Connector Name*
Enter a unique name for the NFS connection
(Example: "NFSdb").
Connector Description
Enter a brief description of the connector.
Path*
Provide the path of the location where files or folders are located (Example: E:\NFSPath).
User ID*
Enter the operating system or NFS username used to access the configured file path.
Default Governance Roles
Default Governance Roles*
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.
Admin Roles
Admin Roles*
Select one or more users from the dropdown list for Integration Admin and Security & Governance Admin. All users configured
in the security settings are available for selection.
No of Archive Objects
No Of Archive Objects*
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.
Example: Setting it to 4 retrieves the last four changes, displayed in the 'Version' column of the 'Metadata Changes' module.
Bridge
Select Bridge*
If applicable, select the bridge from the drop-down list.
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. Note: Select a Bridge only if the configured NFS path is accessed through a Bridge.
After entering all connection details, the following actions can be performed:
Click Validate to verify the connection.
Click Save to store the connection for future use.
Click Save & Configure to apply additional settings before saving.
The saved connection will appear on the Connectors home page.
Manage Connector Operations
Crawl
To perform crawl operations, users must be assigned the Integration Admin role.
Navigate to the Connectors page and click Crawl/Profile.
This action initiates the metadata collection process from the data source and loads the retrieved metadata into the File Manager > File Explorer.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
1
Error while validating connection: Please provide valid path
Description: The specified path is invalid or inaccessible. The system could not find the files or folders at the given location. Resolution
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.
2
Connection validation failed
Description: The connector cannot validate the configured NFS location because the path is invalid, inaccessible, or the NFS share is unavailable.
Resolution:
Verify the configured NFS path exists and points to a directory.
Ensure the NFS share is mounted and accessible.
Confirm read and execute permissions on the directory.
3
Invalid path
Description: The specified file or directory path is invalid, incorrectly formatted, or does not exist.
Resolution:
Verify the path exists and uses the correct format.
Ensure the path references the intended file or directory.
Correct any typing errors or invalid path separators.
4
Permission denied
Description: The requested operation cannot be completed because the configured user lacks the required file system or NFS permissions.
Resolution:
Verify the required read, write, or execute permissions.
Review file ownership and NFS export permissions.
Contact the system administrator if additional access is required.
5
File or directory not found
Description: The specified file or directory cannot be located because it has been moved, deleted, or an incorrect path was provided.
Resolution:
Verify the complete file or directory path.
Confirm the object still exists.
Ensure the configured user has permission to access it.
6
File operation failed
Description: File upload, download, deletion, or directory creation fails because of insufficient permissions, invalid destination, file locks, or storage limitations.
Resolution:
Verify the destination path and required permissions.
Ensure sufficient disk space is available.
Check whether the file is currently locked by another process.
7
File system or I/O error
Description: File operations fail because of storage issues, NFS mount problems, or temporary I/O failures.
Resolution:
Verify the NFS mount is healthy and accessible.
Check available disk space and server status.
Retry the operation after resolving infrastructure issues.
8
Unable to connect to NFS server
Description: The NFS server cannot be reached because of network issues, unavailable services, firewall restrictions, or incorrect export configuration.
Resolution:
Verify network connectivity to the NFS server.
Ensure the NFS service and exports are correctly configured.
Confirm firewall rules allow NFS traffic.
9
Operation timed out or performance is slow
Description: Operations take longer than expected because of large directory structures, network latency, or heavy NFS server load.
Resolution:
Retry the operation after verifying network connectivity.
Allow additional time for large file or directory operations.
Check NFS server performance and resource utilization.
10
Data parsing failed
Description: Metadata cannot be extracted because the source file uses an unsupported format, inconsistent structure, or incompatible encoding.
Resolution:
Verify the file format and structure are supported.
Ensure CSV headers, delimiters, and encoding are valid.
Validate Excel files are not corrupted or password-protected.
11
Folder validation failed
Description: The configured folder cannot be validated because it is inaccessible, incorrectly configured, or not a directory.
Resolution:
Verify the folder exists and is a directory.
Confirm execute permission on the folder.
Ensure the configured path matches the mounted NFS location.
FAQs
What permissions are required for NFS file operations?
Reading files requires read permission. Listing directories requires both read and execute permissions. Uploading, creating, modifying, or deleting files additionally requires write permission on the parent directory.
What is the recommended NFS path format?
Configure an absolute directory path that points to a mounted NFS location. Relative paths and paths pointing to files are not supported.
Are symbolic links supported?
No. Symbolic links and other special file types are skipped during processing to avoid invalid or unsupported file references.
Which file formats are supported for metadata extraction?
CSV and Microsoft Excel (.xls and .xlsx) files are supported. Corrupted, password-protected, or unsupported file formats cannot be processed.
Why does processing large directories take longer?
Operations such as file listing and folder size calculation require scanning all files and subdirectories. Processing time depends on directory size, network latency, and NFS server performance.
Which character encoding is used for CSV files?
CSV files are processed using ISO-8859-1 encoding. Files using other encodings may require conversion for correct character interpretation.
Limitations
1
File and folder uploads are not supported for NFS connectors through Bridge.
2
For File-based connectors, the folder count in the File Manager and Data Catalog Files module may not match if folders of files are added or deleted in the source system after crawling. Run the connection crawl again to refresh and display the latest changes.
Copyright © 2026, OvalEdge LLC, Peachtree Corners, GA, USA.
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