FedFsInstallationGuide0.9
From Linux NFS
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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 FedFS domain that consists of many exports, each residing on separate 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).
- Fileserver
- 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 in a FedFS domain. 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 that describe filesets residing in the FedFS domain.
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.
Clients accessing 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 in the domain.
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.
- Linux NFS client that supports NFSv4 (any recent Linux distribution)
- FedFS automounter support
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:
- Linux NFS server that supports NFSv4 or later (any recent Linux distribution)
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.
- Define a domain root directory on a FedFS-enabled NFS server, then export it
- Define a DNS SRV record that points to that export
- Create NFS referrals in the domain root directory to other NFS servers that participate in this domain
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
- An installed and configured LDAP server
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
What you need to administer junctions and NSDB connection parameters remotely
FedFS specifies an administrative network protocol that allows domain administrators to manage FedFS junctions and NSDB connection parameters remotely. Installing this server is optional. For fedfs-utils-0.9, running the administrative daemon should not be considered on open networks, since the daemon currently does not support any form of security.
- Install the FedFS administrative daemon
