FedFsInstallationGuide0.9

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Contents

Project: fedfs-utils

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Introduction

This series of articles will help you prepare for and set up a working FedFS domain using Linux and the fedfs-utils-0.9 package. fedfs-utils allows you to manage a network file system namespace (a FedFS domain) that consists of exports across multiple fileservers.

There are three roles a host can play in a FedFS domain. A single host can play one or more of these roles.

File-access client
This is a network file system client that communicates with fileservers using a standard file-access protocol (such as NFSv4).
File-access server
This is a server that stores data or refers file-access clients to other file-access servers.
Namespace Database (NSDB)
An NSDB node stores information about the location of filesets stored on file-access servers. LDAP is used to access and manage this information. An NSDB is optional. If an NSDB is employed, an administrative entity that has write access to FedFS records on the NSDB is required to create, modify and delete the entries describing FedFS filesets.

A DNS SRV record refers file-access clients to the top-most directory in a FedFS domain, which is stored in a special export on a file server.

Participating in an existing FedFS domain

If the storage servers in your environment already support a FedFS domain, it's easy to allow your Linux NFS client(s) to participate.

What you need for a minimal FedFS file-access client

If an NFSv4 client is to use Globally Useful Names (pathnames that appear the same on all FedFS clients), some additional set up is required. Here are the administrative steps that configure your Linux NFS client to participate in a FedFS domain.

Road map for setting up a simple FedFS domain

A "simple" FedFS domain does not use a separate LDAP server to keep track of fileset locations. Only NFS basic junctions (which store fileset locations directly on file servers) are used.

What you need for a minimal FedFS file-access server

Any NFSv4 server can participate in a FedFS domain. However, an NFS server which will contain junctions must support new-style NFS referrals. Eventually this will all be set up by default. For now, the following modifications are required:

What you need to define a FedFS domain

Once you have prepared your NFS clients and servers, these steps create the FedFS name space and allow it to be discovered by FedFS-enabled clients.

Road map for setting up a complete FedFS domain

A "complete" FedFS domain stores fileset location information in an LDAP server known as the domain's Namespace Database (or NSDB). Both NFS basic junctions and FedFS junctions can be used in this type of domain. All the items in the "simple" FedFS domain set up above, and:

What you need for a minimal FedFS NSDB

What you need to allow file servers to access the NSDB

  • Install nsdbparams program on file servers and administrative clients that participate in your FedFS domain (fedfs-utils package install, or built from source)

What you need to administer junctions and NSDB connection parameters remotely

  • Optionally, install rpc.fedfsd program (fedfs-utils package install, or built from source)
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