nfs-attribute-cache · shipping · also NFS metadata attribute cache

NFS attribute cache

An NFS attribute cache is a client-side copy of file or directory metadata reused until refresh or revalidation is required.

Related Observatory article: NFS attribute cache on hesela.com

Metadata such as size and change information is not the file's cached payload. Attribute freshness does not create an atomic snapshot across multiple files. Linux actimeo configures attribute-cache timers; noac additionally makes application writes synchronous, so they are not interchangeable settings.

Relations

related

nfs-storage, close-to-open-consistency, nfs-delegation, page-cache, nfs-lookup-cache

Limitations

• Disabling attribute caching does not disable all file-data caching or eliminate every coherence race. [1]

Citations

1. nfs-utils nfs(5), Debian trixie: data and metadata coherence and version-specific cto/nocto options. (accessed 2026-10-14)
2. Haynes and Noveck (editors). NFS Version 4 Protocol. RFC 7530, sections 10.3, 10.4 and 10.6 (NFSv4.0). (accessed 2026-10-14)
3. NFS stable writes: what COMMIT, flush and FUA actually promise (accessed 2026-10-14)

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