You could indeed set up a TCP client/server model. The server
could be stand alone, or be run from inetd. You could use a
model where you make a connection for reach request, or you
could have a permanent connection. You could use UDP for
communication as well. Or you could create a file or database
with all the quota information, which you update from the
NFS server once every hour/day/week/whatever, and consult from
the webserver side. Yet another possibility is to forget
the entire web thing, and have people just type 'quota' on
the box itself - after all, if they don't have access to the
box, it doesn't matter what their quota is.
That's a decision you have to make, and what is the right
decision depends on many things. But one thing that hardly
plays a role in which solution you are going to take is
the language in which the solution will be written.
Abigail (wondering why someone wants to make an HTTP request to box A, just to get the quota information on box B.)
