This document discusses distributed file systems (DFS), which allow files to be dispersed across networked machines. A DFS includes clients that access files, servers that store files, and services that provide file access. Key features of DFS include mapping logical file names to physical storage locations, transparency so file locations are hidden, and replication to improve availability and performance. DFS supports either stateful or stateless access, with stateful requiring unique identifiers but enabling features like read-ahead. Namespaces and replication help organize files across multiple servers.