Read-only access to data in a file system on shared storage is obtained. The data may be in a file in the file system and the file may be protected by a lock, so that the lock must be acquired to enable read/write access to the file. A host may be allowed to open the file for non-exclusive read only access by establishing a limited lease on the file, without acquiring the lock for the file. In some embodiments, the files for which such a limited lease may be obtained may be restricted based on one or more criteria, such as the type of file and/or the length of the file. In some embodiments, such limited leases may only be retained for a certain period of time, which may be referred to as a timeout period. In some embodiments, a limited lease may be extended beyond the timeout period if one or more conditions are met. In some embodiments, there is a state machine for enabling the limited lease on the file.