When a client on a server creates files, the files are allocated to a brick in the volume based on the file name. This allocation may not be ideal, as there is higher latency and unnecessary network traffic for read/write operations to a non-local brick or export directory. NUFA ensures that the files are created in the local export directory of the server, and as a result, reduces latency and conserves bandwidth for that server accessing that file. This can also be useful for applications running on mount points on the storage server.

If the local brick runs out of space or reaches the minimum disk free limit, instead of allocating files to the local brick, NUFA distributes files to other bricks in the same volume if there is space available on those bricks. You must enable NUFA before creating any data in the volume.