Example Systems: NFS
The Sun Network File System (NFS) has become a common standard for distributed UNIX file access.
NFS runs over LANS (even over WANs -- slowly).
Basic idea: allow a remote directory to be “mounted” (spliced) onto a local directory, giving access to that remote directory and all its descendants as if they were part of the local hierarchy.
Ex: I mount /usr/hank on Node1 onto /students/foo on Node2. Users on Node2 can then access my files as /students/foo. If I had a file /usr/hank/myfile, users on Node2 see it as /students/foo/myfile.