export block device over network without root

Question

I'm trying to export a file as a block device over the network. I do not have root access on the machine where the file exists. I do have root access on the machine(s) where I will mount the block device.

I've seen ATA-Over-Ethernet and ISCSI but there don't seem to be any implementations which allow me to export the block without root at least (some even require kernel modules).

Is there an implementation of either of these or some other protocol that doesn't require root? Perhaps I can tunnel ethernet over IP to do this?

What OS/distribution/version are you using? – Christopher Cashell Mar 26 '12 at 23:24 — Christopher Cashell, Mar 26 '12 at 23:24

score 0 · Accepted Answer · answered Mar 26 '12 at 23:26

0

Assuming you're using Linux, it looks like Network Block Device (NBD) supports this. For more details, check out the brief write-up on Wikipedia, or the documentation:

NBD does require a kernel module to mount (client-side), but does not require any kernel modules on server-side, and allows you to select your port, so you can choose a non-privileged port.

answered Mar 26 '12 at 23:26

Christopher Cashell

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Sorry it took me so long to respond to this excellent answer. NBD is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks a lot – dschatz Mar 30 '12 at 16:13

export block device over network without root

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