NBD-CLIENT

Name

   nbd-client -- connect  to  a  server running nbd-server(1), to
   use its exported block device

Synopsis

   nbd-client [bs=blocksize] host port nbd-device [-swap]

   nbd-client -d nbd-device

DESCRIPTION

   This manual page documents briefly the nbd-client command.

   This   manual  page  was  written  for  the  Debian  GNU/Linux
   distribution  because  the  original  program  does not have a
   manual page.

   With   nbd-client,   you  can  connect  to  a  server  running
   nbd-server,  thus  using  raw  diskspace from that server as a
   blockdevice on the local client.

   To do this, support from the Linux Kernel is necessary, in the
   form  of  the  Network Block Device (NBD). When you have that,
   either  in  the  kernel, or as a module, you can connect to an
   NBD  server  and use its exported file through a block special
   file with major mode 43.

OPTIONS

   The following options are supported:

   bs=blocksize
          Use  a  blocksize  of  "blocksize".  Default  is  1024;
          allowed values are either 512, 1024, 2048 or 4096

   host
          The hostname of the machine running nbd-server.

   port
          The  TCP  port  on  which  nbd-server is running at the
          server.

   nbd-device
          The  block  special file this nbd-client should connect
          to.

   -swap
          Specifies   that  this  NBD  device  will  be  used  as
          swapspace.  If  you  intend to do that, please use this
          option  to  prevent  deadlocks.  You'll  need a special
          kernel    patch,    available    at   NBD's   homepage:
          http://atrey.karlin.mff.cuni.cz/~pavel

EXAMPLES

   Some examples of nbd-client usage:

     * To  connect  to  a  server  running  on  port 2000 at host
       "server.domain.com", using the client's block special file
       "/dev/nd0":
       nbd-client 2000 server.domain.com /dev/nd0
     * To  connect  to  a  server  running  on  port 2001 at host
       "swapserver.domain.com",  using the client's block special
       file "/dev/nd1", for swap purposes:
       nbd-client 2001 swapserver.domain.com /dev/nd1 -swap
     * To  disconnect  the  above  connection again (after making
       sure the block special file is not in use anymore):
       nbd-client -d /dev/nd1

SEE ALSO

   nbd-server (1).

AUTHOR

   The  NBD  kernel module and the NBD tools have been written by
   Pavel Macheck (pavel@ucw.cz).

   This    manual   page   was   written   by   Wouter   Verhelst
   (<wouter@debian.org>) for the Debian GNU/Linux system (but may
   be  used by others). Permission is granted to copy, distribute
   and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU General
   Public  License,  version 2, as published by the Free Software
   Foundation.