nfs: server not responding, still trying Networking Origin: Network OSI layer 5 · Session Last updated 5 Nov 2026

Networking: kernel: nfs: server nas01 not responding, still trying / nfs: server nas01 OK

An NFS client can't get replies from the server, so processes using the mount hang in uninterruptible sleep.

Exact message you may see nfs: server not responding, still tryingnfs: server OKNFS server not respondingmount.nfs: Connection timed outRPC: Timed out nfs
Explore the map of this error Full error map →
Seen on: Linux Networking

Meaning

Check the network path, the NFS server (rpcinfo -p, systemctl status nfs-server), firewall ports (2049, 111 and mountd) and mount options. Prefer soft,timeo,retrans only for non-critical data (hard mounts protect integrity but hang), and avoid mounting over flaky Wi-Fi or VPN.

Common causes

  • NFS server down or overloaded
  • Network outage or packet loss between client and server
  • Firewall blocking 2049/111/mountd
  • Client suspended and woken
  • Hard mount hanging on a dead server

⚡ Quick fix

  1. Ping the server and run rpcinfo -p server
  2. Check server load and exportfs -v
  3. Tune mount options (timeo, retrans, soft/hard) carefully

Detailed fix by platform

Linux

  1. bash
    rpcinfo -p nas01
showmount -e nas01
mount | grep nfs

How to diagnose

  1. Server — Reachable?
  2. Ports — Open?
  3. Mount — Hard or soft?

🔧 Still not fixed?

Many errors look alike. If the steps above didn’t solve it, one of these is probably what you’re facing:

Where this error sits

Origin: Network. Errors that are often confused with or caused by this one (click to open):

arp -a shows (incomplete) — Networking: `arp -n` shows (incomplete) / Destination Host Unreachable — no ARP reply from the next hop (Networking)arp -a shows (incompl…Cannot assign requested address (EADDRNOTAVAIL) — Networking: connect: Cannot assign requested address — ephemeral port range exhausted by TIME_WAIT connections (Networking)Cannot assign request…DHCPDISCOVER ... No DHCPOFFERS received — Networking: dhclient: DHCPDISCOVER on eth0 ... No DHCPOFFERS received. No working leases in persistent database - sleeping. (Networking)DHCPDISCOVER ... No D…High TCP retransmissions / packet loss — Networking: netstat -s: segments retransmitted / Wireshark: TCP Retransmission, TCP Dup ACK — packet loss on the path (Networking)High TCP retransmissi…nf_conntrack: table full, dropping packet — Networking: kernel: nf_conntrack: table full, dropping packet — new connections fail on a Linux firewall/NAT host (Networking)nf_conntrack: table f…No route to host — connect: No route to host (EHOSTUNREACH) (Linux)No route to hostThe specified network name is no longer available (64) — Networking: Windows error 64: The specified network name is no longer available — SMB session dropped (Networking)The specified network…nfs: serv…

Explore the map of this error Full error map →

🧠 Still stuck? Analyze your error

Paste the full message, response headers or stack trace — we'll detect the platform and point to the most likely cause.

💬 What worked for others

No tips yet — did something else fix this for you?

Share what worked for you

Tips are checked by an editor before they appear. Links are removed.