A method and apparatus for performing network file system (NFS) operations across a plurality of servers is provided. At a first server, a filehandle for a particular file is generated based, at least in part, on an identifier that uniquely identifies the particular file relative to all other files within a file system repository. The file system repository may be implemented in a database. The identifier may also be stored in the database. The first server sends a client the filehandle. The client may thereafter send another request for the performance of a file operation, containing the filehandle, to a different server. The second server may read the filehandle and use the identifier to locate the file within the repository against which to perform the file operation without receiving, from the first server, information that associates the filehandle with the file.