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Clarify NFS limitations, quota, and solutions (CRW-9475) #2980

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dkwon17 merged 2 commits into from
Nov 3, 2025
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Clarify NFS limitations, quota, and solutions (CRW-9475) #2980

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Clarify NFS limitations, quota, and solutions (CRW-9475)
btjd Oct 21, 2025
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Update modules/administration-guide/pages/configuring-storage.adoc
btjd Nov 3, 2025
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14 changes: 12 additions & 2 deletions modules/administration-guide/pages/configuring-storage.adoc
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Expand Up @@ -7,9 +7,19 @@
[id="configuring-storage"]
= Configuring storage

[WARNING]
[IMPORTANT]

.Understanding supported storage protocols and requirements

====
{prod-short} does not support the Network File System (NFS) protocol.
OpenShift Dev Spaces workspaces require storage with **volumeMode: FileSystem** because the development environment is designed to store project files, code, and configurations in a standard, hierarchical directory structure (such as /projects).

While Network File System (NFS) is one of the few protocols that natively supports the necessary **ReadWriteMany (RWX)** access mode for running concurrent workspaces (the Per-User strategy), standard {Kubernetes} NFS provisioning presents certain operational challenges:

* *Quota Enforcement Failure:* Kubernetes Persistent Volume Claims (PVCs) cannot reliably enforce storage quotas on a generic NFS volume. This limitation means a single workspace could exceed its allocated storage, potentially consuming the entire shared volume and leading to resource exhaustion, which causes widespread instability for all other users.
* *Stability and Concurrency:* Generic NFS implementations often lack the robust locking and cache coherency required to maintain data integrity when multiple cluster nodes access the same volume concurrently, potentially leading to workspace instability.

To overcome these stability and quota issues, it is recommended to use certified **clustered or managed storage solutions** that provide robust CSI drivers. These solutions use the NFS protocol but enforce enterprise-grade features, including strict quota enforcement and high-performance RWX file access, ensuring reliable operation for the Per-User strategy. Examples include community-supported distributed storage projects or third-party CSI drivers offered by most cloud providers.
====

* xref:configuring-storage-classes.adoc[]
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