When using NFS shares between OSX and Linux VirtualBox instances for development workflows, particularly with Git operations, we're observing unacceptable latency:

# Example of problematic git operation timing
$ time git status
real    0m5.214s
user    0m0.143s
sys     0m0.321s

The baseline setup shows significant performance gaps:

# Local disk vs NFS comparison (100 samples each)
Local:
Median: 1.020s | IOPS: 65.5k | Latency: 6μs

NFS:
Median: 6.390s | IOPS: 1.4k | Latency: 703μs

First, verify and optimize the VirtualBox network adapter settings:

# Check current network mode in VirtualBox
$ VBoxManage showvminfo [VM_NAME] | grep "NIC"
NIC 1:           MAC: 080027BECB7A, Attachment: NAT, Cable connected: on

# Recommended configuration for NFS
$ VBoxManage modifyvm [VM_NAME] --nic1 bridged --bridgeadapter1 en0
$ VBoxManage modifyvm [VM_NAME] --nicpromisc1 allow-all

On the Ubuntu 12.10 NFS server (VirtualBox guest):

# /etc/exports optimization
/home/vagrant/share 192.168.1.0/24(rw,sync,no_subtree_check,no_root_squash,async)

# Kernel parameters (add to /etc/sysctl.conf)
sunrpc.tcp_slot_table_entries=128
sunrpc.udp_slot_table_entries=128
fs.nfs.nfs_callback_tcpport=8765

Replace the basic mount with optimized parameters:

# Current basic mount
mount -t nfs -o resvport 192.168.1.100:/home/vagrant/share /Users/me/share

# Optimized mount command
sudo mount -t nfs -o \
resvport,hard,nolock,noatime,nodiratime,vers=3,tcp,rsize=65536,wsize=65536,\
timeo=600,retrans=2,actimeo=0 \
192.168.1.100:/home/vagrant/share /Users/me/share

For immediate relief with Git operations:

# Configure Git to minimize stat calls
git config --global core.ignoreStat true
git config --global core.trustctime false
git config --global core.preloadIndex true

# Alternative: Use a local Git cache
git clone --reference /local/cache/repo.git nfs://path/to/repo.git

When NFS proves insufficient:

# Consider using sshfs instead
sshfs -o auto_cache,reconnect,defer_permissions,\
negative_vncache,volname=share \
vagrant@192.168.1.100:/home/vagrant/share /Users/me/share

# Or rsync for periodic sync
rsync -az --delete --info=progress2 \
vagrant@192.168.1.100:/home/vagrant/share/ /Users/me/share/

---

When working with Git operations on NFS-mounted directories between OSX and VirtualBox Linux VMs, we often encounter painfully slow performance. Here's what I've observed in my Vagrant setup:

# Typical git status delays
Local SSD: 0.2-0.5s
NFS mount: 3-5s

# Repository clone times (small repo)
Local: 5-10s 
NFS: 2-5 minutes

Benchmarking reveals significant latency differences:

# dd benchmark (100 samples)
Local drive median: 1.02s
NFS mount median: 6.39s
VM internal median: 0.515s

# ioping results
Local latency: 6μs (65.5k IOPS)
NFS latency: 703μs (1.4k IOPS)

The key issues are metadata operations and small file throughput - exactly what Git depends on.

On your Ubuntu NFS server (/etc/exports), try these optimizations:

/path/to/share  *(rw,async,no_subtree_check,no_root_squash,no_wdelay)

Then reload the config:

sudo exportfs -ra
sudo service nfs-kernel-server restart

For your OSX mount command (/etc/fstab or manual mount):

nfs://vm-ip/path /mount/point -o rw,resvport,hard,intr,timeo=600,retrans=2,noatime,actimeo=0

Key parameters explanation:

• resvport: Required for OSX compatibility
• hard/intr: Better recovery from network issues
• noatime/actimeo=0: Reduce metadata updates

For your Vagrantfile:

config.vm.network "private_network", ip: "192.168.50.4",
  virtualbox__intnet: "dev-network",
  nic_type: "virtio"

Consider these additional optimizations:

• Use bridged instead of NAT networking if possible
• Enable virtio-net paravirtualization
• Increase network adapter buffer sizes

For better Git performance on NFS:

# Configure these git settings globally
git config --global core.preloadindex true
git config --global core.fscache true
git config --global gc.auto 256

Alternative approaches:

• Keep the working directory on local storage
• Use git worktree for multiple checkouts
• Consider git cache-daemon for metadata

If NFS performance remains unacceptable:

• Switch to SMB3 (often better on OSX)
• Try sshfs with compression
• Use 9p filesystem in newer VirtualBox
• Consider Docker volumes for container workflows

Each solution has tradeoffs in setup complexity and feature support.