Xsan 2 Administrator Guide for Xsan 2.
KKApple Inc. © 2011 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Under the copyright laws, this manual may not be copied, in whole or in part, without the written consent of Apple. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, the Mac logo, Macintosh, Mac OS, and Xsan are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Apple Remote Desktop, Finder, and Spotlight are trademarks of Apple Inc. The Apple logo is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Contents 11 12 13 13 13 14 Preface: About this book 15 15 16 16 17 18 18 18 21 21 22 22 23 27 29 30 Chapter 1: Quick SAN setup 31 32 33 33 33 33 34 34 35 What’s new in Xsan 2 Version compatibility Upgrade from an earlier version of Xsan More information Notation conventions Is this chapter right for you? Equipment you’ll need What you need to know SAN setup instructions Step 1: Unpack and install the SAN hardware Step 2: Connect the SAN networks Step 3: Set up the client computers Step 4: Set u
35 36 36 37 37 37 38 38 38 Affinities and affinity tags Volumes Folders with affinities How Xsan uses available storage Metadata and journal data Stripe at a higher level Security Expand storage Xsan capacities 40 40 40 41 41 42 43 44 44 45 45 51 52 52 52 52 52 53 53 54 54 54 Chapter 3: Plan a SAN 56 56 56 57 57 57 58 58 58 58 4 Hardware and software requirements Supported computers Supported storage devices Fibre Channel fabric Ethernet TCP/IP network Directory services Outgoing mail service Plan
8 58 59 59 59 60 61 62 62 63 64 65 68 68 68 68 69 69 69 70 Get help SAN and volume setup summary Set up an Xsan volume on a SAN Step 1: Set up the Fibre Channel network Step 2: Set up the Ethernet networks Step 3: Configure SAN computers to use a time server Step 4: Set up SAN users and groups Step 5: Set up RAID systems Step 6: Create a metadata array Step 7: Enable Xsan on clients and controllers Step 8: Configure the SAN Step 9: Create a volume Step 10: (Optional) Set up SAN status notificati
84 84 85 85 85 86 87 88 88 Set the storage pool stripe breadth Maintain SAN volumes Rename a volume Check volume fragmentation Defragment a volume Check the integrity of a volume Repair a volume Check RAID devices Destroy a volume 89 89 91 91 92 93 93 94 95 95 96 96 96 97 97 97 98 99 100 100 102 103 104 105 105 106 Chapter 6: Manage clients and users 107 109 109 110 110 111 Chapter 7: Manage metadata controllers 6 Add a client Add an Xsan serial number Move a client to a different SAN Mount a vol
112 112 112 113 113 114 Make a standby controller the primary controller Convert a controller to a client Access controller computers remotely Control a controller using screen sharing Connect to a controller using SSH in Terminal Monitor controller status 115 115 116 116 117 118 119 120 121 Chapter 8: Monitor SAN status 122 122 122 122 123 123 123 123 123 123 124 124 124 125 125 125 126 Chapter 9: Solve SAN problems Check SAN status Check volume status Monitor RAID devices Check free space Graph SA
128 Step 2: Disable Spotlight on all volumes 129 Step 3: Upgrade the primary controller to Mac OS X Lion Server 129 Step 4: Upgrade the remaining controllers 130 Step 5: Reestablish Open Directory replicas 130 Step 6: Upgrade the SAN clients 131 Step 7: Enable extended attributes 131 Step 8: Change filename case sensitivity 132 Step 9: Reenable Spotlight 132 Upgrade SAN hardware and software 133 Step 1: Back up your SAN volumes 133 Step 2: Disable Spotlight on all volumes 133 Step 3: Adjust volum
153 Create and preallocate a file (cvmkfile) 153 Initialize a volume (cvmkfs) 154 Apply volume configuration changes (cvupdatefs) 154 Defragment a file, folder, or volume (snfsdefrag) 156 Control the Xsan file system (xsanctl) 157 Mount an Xsan volume 157 Unmount an Xsan volume 158 View logs 158 Xsan configuration files 159 Glossary 162 Index Contents 9
Preface About this book Use this guide to learn how to use Xsan 2 to set up and manage volumes on a storage area network. This guide shows how to use Xsan 2 to combine RAID arrays into large, easy-to-expand volumes of storage that clients use like local disks, but which are actually shared over a high-speed Fibre Channel fabric. The guide is updated for Xsan 2 version 2.3 and contains the following sections.
ÂÂ Appendix B, “Combine Xsan controllers and StorNext clients,” contains information to help you use Xsan metadata controllers with Quantum StorNext clients. ÂÂ Appendix C, “Use command-line tools” describes command-line tools and configuration files you can use to manage an Xsan SAN from the Terminal app. What’s new in Xsan 2 Xsan 2 offers these new features and capabilities: ÂÂ The Xsan Admin app is redesigned to simplify SAN management.
Version compatibility The following table shows the compatibility of Xsan 2.3 metadata controllers and clients with earlier Xsan versions and with StorNext controllers and clients. For the latest information about compatibility with StorNext controllers and clients, see the AppleCare Support article at support.apple.com/kb/HT1517. Controller Client Compatible Xsan 2.3 Xsan 2.3 Yes Xsan 2.2.1 with Mac OS X or Mac OS X Server v10.6 Snow Leopard Yes Xsan 2.2.1 with Mac OS X v10.
Notation conventions The following conventions are used in this book where command-line tools are described. 14 Notation Indicates fixed-width font A command or other text entered in a Terminal window $ A shell prompt [text_in_brackets] An optional parameter (one|other) Alternative parameters (enter one or the other) italicized A parameter you must replace with a value [...
Quick SAN setup 1 Follow the instructions in this chapter to set up a volume on a storage area network (SAN) using Xsan 2. Is this chapter right for you? To keep setup instructions simple, this chapter assumes: ÂÂ You’re setting up a SAN for the first time using new computers and RAID systems. ÂÂ Your SAN computers are running Mac OS X Lion or Lion Server. ÂÂ You’ll let Xsan set up a SAN directory service on your metadata controllers. ÂÂ You’ll use the Xsan Admin app to create SAN user accounts.
Equipment you’ll need To set up a new SAN using the instructions in this chapter, you need: ÂÂ Fibre Channel RAID storage devices for SAN storage ÂÂ Two computers that have Mac OS X Lion Server to act as SAN metadata controllers ÂÂ One or more SAN client computers that have Mac OS X Lion or Lion Server ÂÂ An Intel processor and at least 2 GB of RAM in each SAN computer ÂÂ An additional 2 GB of RAM per SAN volume in each metadata controller ÂÂ Two Ethernet ports for each SAN computer ÂÂ An Apple Fibre Chann
Ethernet (public) Ethernet (private) The following illustration shows the hardware components of an Xsan SAN. Clients Ethernet switches RAID arrays (LUNs) Metadata controller Standby controller Fibre Channel switch Metadata RAID array (LUN) Intranet/ Internet SAN setup instructions Use the instructions on the following pages to set up your SAN for the first time.
Step 1: Unpack and install the SAN hardware To install the components of your SAN, follow the instructions that come with each computer, RAID storage system, and switch. Don’t turn on any equipment until instructed to do so. Install the hardware: 1 Unpack each computer that will be part of the SAN. 2 If you need to install Fibre Channel or Ethernet cards or adapters for any of the computers, follow the instructions that come with the computer to install the card or adapter.
Use one of the next two procedures—“If a Client Has Mac OS X Lion Installed” or “If a Client Has Mac OS X Lion Server Installed”—as appropriate, with each client computer on the SAN. When you finish setting up the client computers, they’re ready to join the SAN and are detected during SAN setup. After you finish setting up client computers, go to “Step 4: Set up the standby metadata controller” on page 21. If a client has Mac OS X Lion installed: 1 Turn on the client computer.
6 In the Date & Time pane of System Preferences, make sure the computer is configured to set the date and time automatically using a time server. 7 In the Sharing pane of System Preferences, enter a computer name that’s different from other SAN computer names. Giving each SAN computer a unique name is optional but allows you to distinguish them in Xsan Admin. 8 In the Xsan pane of System Preferences, click Enable Xsan.
Step 4: Set up the standby metadata controller Now set up the standby metadata controller. This computer must have Mac OS X Lion Server installed but not yet set up. Set up the standby controller: 1 Turn on the computer you’re using as the standby metadata controller.
Step 6: Create a metadata array Ten GB of disk space is enough to store the metadata for a volume containing 10 million files, so a two-drive RAID 1 (mirrored) array is generally large enough to store the metadata for your SAN volume. If you dedicate a spare drive to this array to guarantee availability, three drives are adequate for your SAN metadata.
Xsan Controller Type: Select “Configure as Primary Xsan Metadata Controller.” Network: Enable only the public Ethernet port (Ethernet 1 at the top of the list). Choose a configuration method from the pop-up menu and enter the appropriate settings for the client computer. See “What you need to know” on page 16.
2 In the Initial SAN Setup pane, select “Configure new SAN.” 3 In the SAN Settings pane, enter a name for the SAN and the SAN administrator’s name and email address.
4 In the Add Computers pane, make sure all computers that you want to be in the SAN are selected. If a computer you want to include isn’t listed, make sure Xsan is enabled in that computer’s Xsan preferences, check that it’s connected to both Ethernet networks, and verify the network settings in the computer’s Network preferences. You can also click Add Remote Computer to add computers manually.
6 In the Choose Metadata Controllers pane, select your primary and standby metadata controllers and deselect any client-only computers that appear in the list. 7 In the Private Metadata Network pane, select “Yes, manage private Ethernet network settings.
8 Review the Summary pane, and if all settings are correct, click Continue. To change a setting, click Go Back until you reach the pane where you can correct the setting. Then click Continue until you return to the Summary pane. Step 9: Create a SAN volume When the Xsan setup assistant finishes basic SAN configuration, it asks if you want to create a volume. Create a volume: 1 In the “Create Volume” pane, select “Create a volume now” and click Continue.
2 In the “Volume Name and Type” pane, enter a name for the volume and choose a volume type that matches the type of work the volume will support. 3 If the Label LUNs pane appears, select “Automatically label all unlabeled LUNs with prefix” and click Continue. 4 In the Configure Volume Affinities pane, drag LUNs from the left column to the corresponding affinity tag in the right column.
5 When the Volume Failover Priority pane appears, you can change the failover order for the volume you’re creating, and then click Continue. 6 In the Setup Complete pane, click Continue. Xsan Admin displays a summary of your SAN configuration, and the new volume is mounted and ready to use in the Finder on all clients and metadata controllers. Step 10: Add users and groups When your volume is ready, the SAN setup assistant closes and Xsan Admin opens.
What’s next? Your SAN volume is now ready to use. When SAN users log in to client computers, they’ll see the volume in the Finder. For information about using and managing the SAN, see the other chapters of this guide. They cover topics such as: ÂÂ Controlling access to files and folders on SAN volumes ÂÂ Setting folder affinities ÂÂ Managing available space with user quotas ÂÂ Monitoring the status of the SAN and its volumes You can also find information about these and other tasks in the onscreen help.
2 Overview of Xsan Learn about storage area networks (SANs) and how Xsan helps you set one up. Read this chapter for an overview of Xsan and how you can use it to set up a SAN to provide fast, shared storage. Mac OS X SAN_ Volume Storage pools Xsan lets you combine RAID arrays into volumes clients use like local disks.
Xsan SANs A SAN is a way of connecting computers and storage devices so computers have fast, shared access to files while making it easy for administrators to expand storage capacity.
Shared SAN volumes A user or application on a client computer accesses shared SAN storage the way they would access a local volume. Xsan volumes are logical disks made up of pools of RAID arrays. The elements you combine to create an Xsan volume are described in “How Xsan storage is organized” on page 34. Metadata controllers When you set up an Xsan SAN, you assign at least one computer to act as the metadata controller.
How Xsan storage is organized Although an Xsan volume mounted on a client computer looks like a single disk, it consists of multiple physical disks combined on several levels using RAID techniques. The following illustration shows an example of how disk space provided by drive modules in several RAID systems is combined into a volume that users see as a large local disk.
The illustration on page 34 shows eight LUNs. The LUN that stores metadata and journal information uses RAID level 1 (mirrored) to prevent metadata loss. One LUN stores users’ data on a RAID 0 array (striping only) for best speed and storage efficiency but no data protection. The other data LUNs use RAID 5 (distributed parity) for high performance and storage efficiency with data protection. Xsan sees the RAID arrays as LUNs that can be combined to create a volume.
You use Xsan Admin to assign affinity tags to storage pools and associate folders with those affinity tags. Volumes Storage pools are combined to create the volumes that users see.
For example, you can associate some folders with an affinity whose storage pools have faster LUNs, and associate other folders with an affinity whose storage pools have safer LUNs. Users can choose between faster and safer storage by putting files in the appropriate folder. In the illustration on page 34, the Other folder has an affinity for the faster storage pool based on a RAID 0 array. Any file that a user copies into the Other folder is stored on the faster array.
Security There are several ways you can control access to a SAN volume: ÂÂ Unmount a volume on client computers that shouldn’t have access to it. However, users who have administrator accounts on client computers with Mac OS X Lion or Lion Server can browse and mount SAN volumes. ÂÂ Specify owner, group, and general access permissions in Xsan Admin. ÂÂ Specify owner, group, and general access permissions in the Finder.
Parameter Maximum File or folder name length 251 ASCII characters Storage pool name length 255 ASCII characters Affinity name length 255 ASCII characters LUN name (label or disk name) 242 ASCII characters Chapter 2 Overview of Xsan 39
Plan a SAN 3 Learn Xsan hardware and software requirements and planning guidelines and performance tips to help you design a SAN for your needs.
Supported operating systems Computers with Mac OS X Lion or Lion Server can be used as Xsan 2.3 metadata controllers and clients. Mac OS X Lion Server is recommended for metadata controllers. Xsan 2.3 is included with Mac OS X Lion and Lion Server. To join an Xsan 2.3 SAN, Windows, AIX, IRIX, Linux, and Solaris clients must be running Quantum’s StorNext File System. For version compatibility information, see “Version compatibility” on page 13.
Fabric configuration You must connect the computers, storage devices, and switches in your Fibre Channel network to form a Fibre Channel fabric. In a fabric, Fibre Channel cables connect node ports (F or N_Port). For more information about setting up your fabric, see the documentation that came with your Fibre Channel switches. Ethernet TCP/IP network Computers on the SAN must be connected to an Ethernet network.
Directory services If you plan to use user and group privileges to control access to files and folders on the SAN, you should set up or join a central directory of users and groups. A central directory service lets you manage SAN users and groups from one computer instead of having to visit and painstakingly configure each SAN client and metadata controller.
Important: If you create users and groups on each SAN computer, be sure that: ÂÂ Each user or group has a numeric user ID (UID) or group ID (GID) that is unique throughout the SAN ÂÂ Each user or group defined on more than one computer has the same UID or GID on each computer Outgoing mail service Xsan can send SAN status notifications via email on your local network (IP subnet) without using a separate mail server.
Preliminary planning questions As you plan, consider the following questions: ÂÂ How much storage do you need? ÂÂ How do you want to present available storage to users? ÂÂ What storage organization makes the most sense for user workflow? ÂÂ What levels of performance do users require? ÂÂ How important is high availability? ÂÂ What are your requirements for security? Your answers to the questions above will help you decide the following: ÂÂ What RAID schemes should you use for your RAID arrays? ÂÂ How many
How should users see available storage? If you want users working on a project to see a volume dedicated to their work, create a separate volume for each project. If it’s acceptable for a user to see a folder for his or her work on a volume with other peoples’ folders, create a single volume and organize it into project folders.
ÂÂ Choose a different primary metadata controller for each volume, and set up volume failover priorities to minimize the possibility of more than one volume failing over to the same metadata controller. ÂÂ If all computers on your SAN are Macs, enable Extended Attributes for your volumes to eliminate the overhead of file information being stored in multiple hidden files.
LUNs configured as RAID 0 arrays (striping only) or LUNs based on single drives are difficult or impossible to recover if they fail. Unprotected LUNs such as these should be used only in storage pools that store scratch files or other data that you can afford to lose. Most RAID systems support all popular RAID levels. Each RAID scheme offers a different balance of performance, data protection, and storage efficiency, as summarized in the following table.
For best performance, assign LUNs in the multiples shown below. These multiples apply to affinity tags used for user data, not to the Metadata and Journal affinity tag, which needs one LUN. Important: Assigning LUNs other than in the multiples shown below can result in serious fragmentation.
When you add a client to the SAN, volumes that are currently mounted on all SAN computers will be mounted automatically on the new client. If a volume isn’t mounted on all SAN computers, and you add a new client, the volume isn’t mounted automatically on the new client. If a volume isn’t mounted on all SAN computers but is mounted on all metadata controllers, and you add a metadata controller, the volume is mounted automatically on the new metadata controller.
Estimate metadata and journal data storage needs To estimate the amount of space required for Xsan volume metadata, assume that 10 million files on a volume require approximately 10 GB of metadata on the volume’s metadata storage pool. The journal requires between 64 KB and 512 MB. Xsan configures a fixed size when you create a volume. Due to the small size, you can use a single RAID 1 LUN for the journal storage pool.
Use a private metadata network Non–SAN-related Ethernet traffic can interfere with the exchange of metadata among Xsan controllers and clients. For example, using the same connection for Xsan metadata exchange and Internet access can slow file system performance. Similarly, using the same Ethernet network to connect client computers to directory services and SAN metadata can affect SAN performance.
Check cables One faulty cable in a fabric can slow the entire network. Check all cables to make sure they’re capable of full transmission speed. Use your switch management software to isolate the faulty cable by checking the performance of specific connections. Use qualified transceivers Check with the manufacturers of the devices you’re connecting to your fabric to be sure that the transceivers (GBICs) you’re using are qualified for use with their devices.
Connect RAID systems to an Ethernet network For best performance, don’t connect RAID controller Ethernet management ports to the SAN’s metadata network. Connect the ports to the separate Ethernet network that you use for other types of network traffic, such as directory services, Internet access, and remote Xsan management. Choose RAID levels for LUNs Use RAID 1 for metadata LUNs and RAID 5 for data LUNs.
When RAID controller write caching is enabled, a request to write data is considered finished when the data is in the cache. This is sometimes called write-back caching. Write requests are processed more quickly because the file system only needs to write to the fast cache memory and doesn’t need to wait for the slower disk drives. Be sure to enable write caching on RAID controllers that support metadata storage pools. Although some large write requests might benefit from caching, often they don’t.
Set up a SAN 4 Follow step by step instructions for setting up a shared volume on an Xsan SAN. This chapter explains how to connect SAN networks, prepare RAID arrays (LUNs), use the Xsan Admin app, set up a SAN, and create a shared volume. This chapter also tells you how to administer Xsan remotely, rename a SAN, remove a SAN, set up additional SANs, and manage multiple SANs.
Be sure to create arrays of the same size if you plan to add them to the same affinity tag (or the same storage pool of a custom volume). For more information, see “Assign LUNs to affinity tags” on page 48. Use the server setup assistant to configure controllers You use the server setup assistant to configure servers as Xsan metadata controllers. The server setup assistant runs when you start up a new server or a server on which you have performed a clean installation of Mac OS X Lion Server.
Use another directory server When using the server setup assistant to set up your primary metadata controller, you can also choose to connect to a directory server, including Active Directory or Open Directory, after you finish setup. In this case, you use the Users & Groups pane of System Preferences (the Accounts pane in Mac OS X or Mac OS X Server v10.6) on each metadata controller and client computer to configure a connection to your directory server.
ÂÂ Step 9: Create a volume (page 65) ÂÂ Step 10: (Optional) Set up SAN status notifications (page 68) ÂÂ Step 11: (Optional) Assign folders to affinity tags (page 68) ÂÂ Step 12: (Optional) Set user and group quotas (page 68) Set up an Xsan volume on a SAN Step 1: Set up the Fibre Channel network Set up the SAN Fibre Channel network: mm Connect controller computers, client computers, and RAID storage systems to a Fibre Channel switch to create a Fibre Channel fabric for the SAN.
For the private metadata network, you can have the Xsan setup assistant configure the network settings if you’re setting up new computers or computers on which you’ve just performed a clean installation of Mac OS X Lion Server. To make sure the Xsan setup assistant offers this option, don’t configure the Ethernet port connected to the private metadata network: ÂÂ On client computers, leave this Ethernet port unconfigured in Network preferences.
Step 4: Set up SAN users and groups Here are several ways you can set up users and groups for your SAN: mm If you’re setting up a new primary metadata controller or one you’ve just performed a clean installation of Mac OS X Lion Server on, select an option in the “Users and Groups” pane of the server setup assistant. Manage users and groups with Xsan Admin: Select this option to have the server setup assistant create a centralized directory of users and groups on the primary metadata controller.
After setting up the primary metadata controller, use the Users & Groups pane of System Preferences (the Accounts pane on client computers with Mac OS X or Mac OS X Server v10.6) to connect the computer to your directory server. mm If you don’t use a directory server, you must create the same set of users and groups in System Preferences on each SAN computer.
You can use leftover drives from the original array to create a separate array, or save them for use as spares. Step 7: Enable Xsan on clients and controllers Enable Xsan on a computer with Mac OS X Lion or Lion Server: mm On each computer that has Mac OS X Lion or Lion Server and is connected to the SAN, open System Preferences, click Xsan, and then click Enable Xsan. Enable Xsan on a computer that has no keyboard or display: 1 Log in to a computer that does have a keyboard and display.
Step 8: Configure the SAN You use Xsan Admin to configure the SAN. Configure the SAN: 1 Open Xsan Admin. You can open Xsan Admin after you finish installing the Xsan software on your primary metadata controller computer. You can also open Xsan Admin on any computer with Mac OS X Lion Server and an intranet or Internet connection to your SAN computers. (You can use Xsan Admin on a computer that isn’t connected to the SAN’s private metadata network or its Fibre Channel network.
6 In the Authenticate SAN Computers pane, choose how you’ll provide authentication information for the SAN computers: Use same authentication information for all SAN computers: Select this option to have Xsan Admin authenticate to all computers using the administrator name and password you enter in this pane. Authenticate to SAN computers one by one: Select this option to authenticate to each computer individually.
Create a volume: 1 In the “Create Volume” pane, select “Create a volume now” and click Continue. If you want to create volumes later, follow the instructions in “Add a volume to a SAN” on page 73. 2 In the “Volume Name and Type” pane, enter a name for the volume and choose a volume type that matches the type of work the volume will support. For the volume name, use only uppercase letters (A–Z), lowercase letters (a–z), numbers (0–9), and underscores ( _ ). Don’t include spaces or hyphens.
4 In the Configure Volume Affinities pane (or the Configure Volume Storage pane, if you’re configuring a custom volume type), drag LUNs from the left column to the corresponding affinity tag (or custom storage pool) in the right column. a Drag the special metadata LUN you created (in Step 6, “Create a Metadata Array”) to the MetadataAndJournal affinity tag (or custom storage pool). b Drag your other LUNs to the other affinity tags (or storage pools).
6 If the Volume Failover Priority pane appears, arrange the list so as few SAN volumes as possible have the same metadata controller first on their failover priority lists, and then click Continue. 7 In the Setup Complete pane, click Continue. Xsan Admin displays a summary of your SAN configuration and the new volume is mounted and ready to use in the Finder on all clients and metadata controllers. For information about creating additional volumes, see “Add a volume to a SAN” on page 73.
Rename a SAN The SAN name appears in the Overview pane of Xsan Admin. The SAN name is initially set when the SAN is set up. You can change this name using Xsan Admin. Change the name of a SAN: 1 Open Xsan Admin and click Overview. 2 Choose Edit SAN Properties from the Action pop-up menu (gear). 3 Type a name in the SAN Name field and click OK. Set up another SAN You can use Xsan Admin to set up more than one SAN.
Destroy a SAN Follow these steps to take a SAN out of service and remove its metadata controllers, clients, and volumes. WARNING: Removing a SAN destroys its volumes. Data stored on the volumes is no longer available. Destroying a SAN also removes all Xsan configuration files from all SAN computers.
Manage SAN storage 5 Use Xsan Admin and related command-line tools to expand, add, modify, check, and repair SAN volumes. This chapter shows how you can expand an existing Xsan volume to provide more free space. It also contains information about volume and storage pool settings, and shows how to check and resolve volume integrity and fragmentation problems.
If you're using a custom volume type, you can increase storage by adding volumes or storage pools, but don't add LUNs to an existing storage pool. Adding LUNs to an existing storage pool in a custom volume can result in serious fragmentation. Prepare LUNs Each LUN in an Xsan volume is a RAID array. How you set up your arrays depends on the storage device you use.
Add a volume to a SAN A single Xsan SAN can provide access to multiple volumes. Select to view current volumes. Click to add a new volume. Add a volume: 1 In Xsan Admin, select Volumes in the SAN Assets list and click the Add Volume button (+). 2 In the Volume Name and Type pane of the assistant, enter a name for the volume and choose a volume type that matches the kind of work the volume will support. Xsan Admin sets the underlying volume settings accordingly.
3 In the Configure Volume Affinities pane (Configure Volume Storage, if you chose the custom volume type), drag LUNs to affinity tags (or storage pools). 4 In the Volume Failover Priority pane, drag the controller that you want to host the volume whenever possible to the top of the list, and arrange the other controllers in descending order of preference. For information about advanced settings, see “Change advanced volume settings” on page 79 or “Change storage pool settings” on page 83.
5 In the Configure Volume Storage pane, click New Affinity Tag (or New Pool) to add an affinity tag (or storage pool), and then drag LUNs to the new tag (or pool). Important: Add LUNs to a new affinity tag in the recommended multiples. Otherwise, serious volume fragmentation can result. 6 Click Continue to unmount and stop the volume, add the new storage, and remount the expanded volume. From the command line You can also add a storage pool by editing the associated volume configuration file in Terminal.
Choose compatible LUNs LUNs you add to an existing storage pool must be at least as large as the LUNs in the pool, but if a new LUN is larger than the other LUNs in the pool, its extra capacity can’t be used. Always try to add LUNs that are identical or similar in performance and capacity to the LUNs already in the storage pool. Mixing LUNs of different sizes or speeds in the same storage pool wastes capacity and can degrade performance.
5 In the Configure Volume Storage pane, drag the new LUNs to affinity tags. Important: Add LUNs to affinity tags in the recommended multiples. Don’t add LUNs to existing storage pools in a custom volume. Otherwise, serious volume fragmentation can result. 6 Click Continue to unmount and stop the volume, add the storage, and remount the expanded volume.
Using Xsan Admin, you can choose an affinity for an existing folder or create a folder with an affinity. Action pop-up menu Assign an affinity tag to a folder: 1 In Xsan Admin, select File Management in the SAN Assets list. 2 Select the folder in the columns that list the volume’s contents, choose Set Affinity from the Action pop-up menu (gear), and choose an affinity tag.
Files in the folder aren’t moved to the new storage pool. To move the files that were in the folder to a storage pool with the new affinity tag, use the snfsdefrag commandline tool in Terminal. For information and an example, see the snfsdefrag man page. Remove an affinity You can undo a folder’s affinity for a storage pool by choosing None for the folder affinity. Remove the affinity from a folder: 1 In Xsan Admin, select File Management in the SAN Assets list.
View or change volume settings: mm Select Volume in the SAN Assets list, select the volume in the list, and choose Edit Volume Settings from the Action pop-up menu (gear). The following sections contain information about each setting. Set the block allocation size Xsan uses the volume block allocation size with the storage pool stripe breadth to decide how to write data to a volume.
Enable or disable Spotlight on a volume You can use Xsan Admin to control whether a volume is indexed and searchable using Spotlight. Enable or disable Spotlight on a volume: 1 In Xsan Admin, select Volumes in the SAN Assets list. 2 Select the volume and choose Edit Volume Settings from the Action pop-up menu (gear). 3 Select or deselect the checkbox next to Spotlight and click OK. Note: After you click OK, the volume restarts.
Enable or disable access control lists You can use Xsan Admin to specify whether the Xsan file system uses access control lists (ACLs) on a volume. Xsan 2 clients and Windows StorNext clients recognize ACLs. UNIX clients ignore ACLs on Xsan volumes. If you have a mix of Windows clients and Xsan clients, they must all be bound to the same directory domain, whether provided by Open Directory configured as a primary domain controller (PDC) or by Windows Active Directory.
Change the Windows ID mapping If you have Windows clients on your SAN, the Windows ID Mapping setting determines how they map user and group information to the Xsan-compatible user IDs and group IDs they need in order to access this volume. For more information, see “Map Windows user and group IDs” on page 100.
Change the exclusivity of an affinity tag The “Use for” affinity tag setting specifies the type of data—metadata, journaling, or user data—a storage pool with that affinity can store. You choose the type of data when you create a volume, and you can’t change the type of data an affinity stores without recreating the volume. If an affinity allows user data only, you can specify whether to allow only data that has the matching affinity.
Rename a volume You can use Xsan Admin to change the name of a volume. You can’t rename an Xsan volume using the Finder. Important: During renaming, the volume is unmounted and restarted, and therefore unavailable to clients. Rename a volume: mm In Xsan Admin, select Volumes in the SAN Assets list, select the volume, and then choose Rename Volume from the Action pop-up menu (gear).
Defragment a file, folder, or volume: 1 Open Terminal (in the /Applications/Utilities/ folder) on any SAN computer. If you aren’t working at a SAN computer, use SSH to log in to a SAN computer remotely: $ ssh user@computer Replace user with the name of an administrator user on the SAN computer and computer with the SAN computer’s name or IP address. If you have trouble making an SSH connection, check the Sharing pane of System Preferences on the SAN computer to make sure Remote Login service is turned on.
Repair a volume If the cvfsck tool reveals problems with a volume, you can use the cvfsck commandline tool to repair the volume. Repair a volume: 1 Stop the volume. Open Xsan Admin, select the volume, and click Stop Volume in the Action pop-up menu (gear). The volume will be unmounted on all SAN computers. 2 Open Terminal (in the /Applications/Utilities/ folder).
Check RAID devices If a RAID array that belongs to an Xsan volume becomes damaged and unrecoverable due to a failed disk drive or other hardware failure, the data on the volume can be lost. To avoid this possibility: ÂÂ Regularly check the state of your RAID hardware, either by using the management app that came with the RAID system or by visiting the hardware to check the state of the status lights. You might be able to set up your RAID system management app to notify you when an array is degraded.
Manage clients and users 6 You can use Xsan Admin and related command-line tools to add, control, and remove client computers and their users. Xsan clients are computers that have Fibre Channel connections to a SAN. SAN users log in to client computers to access files stored on SAN volumes. This chapter shows you how to add clients, control client access to volumes, and manage user quotas. Add a client Before a computer can use a SAN volume, you must add the computer to the SAN as a client.
Add a client computer to a SAN: 1 Connect the client to the SAN’s Fibre Channel and Ethernet networks. 2 On a client that has Mac OS X Lion or Mac OS X Lion Server, open System Preferences, click Xsan, and then click Enable Xsan. The client can now use Xsan volumes. 3 On a client with Mac OS X or Mac OS X Server v10.6 Snow Leopard, install the Xsan software, and then use Software Update to get the latest Xsan 2.2 update.
Add an Xsan serial number If you want to add Xsan software serial numbers for client computers with Mac OS X or Mac OS X Server v10.6 Snow Leopard, you can enter the numbers in Xsan Admin. Select to view current serial numbers. Add button Add an Xsan serial number: 1 In Xsan Admin, select Serial Numbers in the SAN Assets list. If you don’t see Serial Numbers in the SAN Assets list, add a computer that has Mac OS X or Mac OS X Server v10.6 to the SAN. 2 Click the Add button (+).
3 In Xsan Admin, open the window for the SAN you want to move the computer to. 4 In the new SAN window, select Computers in the SAN Assets list and click the Add button (+). 5 Make sure there’s a check next to the computer in the list, and then click Continue. 6 In the Authenticate Clients pane, enter the administrator name and password for the client and click Continue. Mount a volume on a client When you create a volume, it is mounted on SAN computers.
A volume remains mounted on a client even if the user logs out or the client computer restarts. If you unmount a volume using Xsan Admin, or if the client computer has Mac OS X Lion and the user unmounts the volume using Xsan preferences, the volume remains unmounted after logout and restart. If a user unmounts the volume in the Finder, it remounts in a few moments. From the command line You can also mount a volume on a client using the xsanctl command-line tool in Terminal.
Manage users and groups with Xsan Admin When you first set up your SAN controllers, you can use Xsan Admin to manage SAN user and group accounts. An Open Directory master is created on your primary metadata controller, with replicas on your standby controllers. You can then use Xsan Admin to create or remove user and group accounts.
Note: These instructions apply only if, during initial SAN setup, you chose to use Xsan Admin to manage users and groups. If you have a different directory configuration, use the management software for your directory to add user accounts. Add a user: 1 In Xsan Admin, select Users and Groups in the SAN Assets list. Users and Groups appear only if you chose to have Xsan manage users and groups during initial setup. 2 Click the Users button above the list of users and groups. 3 Click the Add button (+).
Delete groups You can use Xsan Admin to delete a group. Note: These instructions apply only if, during initial SAN setup, you chose to use Xsan Admin to manage users and groups. If you have a different directory configuration, use the management software for your directory to delete groups. Delete a group: 1 In Xsan Admin, select Users and Groups in the SAN Assets list. 2 Select the group in the list and choose Delete User or Group from the Action pop-up menu (gear).
3 Choose Local Only from the Home Folder pop-up menu. If you don’t see a Home Folder pop-up menu above the Groups field, all users have local home folders. The Home Folder pop-up menu isn’t shown unless the network account server is configured to provide network home folders. Configure a local home folder with Workgroup Manager: 1 Open Workgroup Manager and authenticate to your SAN’s Open Directory master.
Assign permissions using Xsan Admin: 1 Make sure ACLs are enabled on the volume. For help, see “Enable or disable access control lists” on page 82. 2 In Xsan Admin, select File Management in the SAN Assets list. 3 Select the file or folder you want to protect, and choose Set Permissions from the Action pop-up menu (gear).
To select more than one client, hold down the Command or Shift key as you select clients in the list. Remove a client from a SAN You can remove a client computer from a SAN to prevent it from accessing SAN volumes. Select to view computers already in the SAN. Action menu Remove a client from a SAN: 1 In Xsan Admin, select Computers in the SAN Assets list, select the client, and choose “Remove computer from SAN” from the Action pop-up menu (gear).
3 To prevent any possible connection to the SAN, physically disconnect the client computer from the SAN’s Ethernet and Fibre Channel networks. Map Windows user and group IDs You can use the Windows ID Mapping setting for a volume to specify how Windows clients map user and group information to Xsan-compatible user IDs (UIDs) and group IDs (GIDs), which they need in order to access Xsan volumes. Note: To use ID mapping, Windows clients must be running StorNext 2.7.
Set a storage quota for a user or group: 1 In Xsan Admin, select Users and Groups in the SAN Assets list. If you’re not using Xsan Admin to manage users and groups, you’ll see Quotas in the SAN Assets list instead of Users and Groups. 2 Choose a volume from the Volume pop-up menu. 3 Select a user or group in the list. To select multiple users or groups, hold down the Command or Shift key as you select users or groups in the list.
Remove a quota: mm Select the user or group and choose Delete Quota from the Action pop-up menu (gear). If your Xsan computers connect to another Mac server for user and group accounts, use the Server app or the Workgroup Manager app to create users and groups as needed. The Server app is included with Mac OS X Lion Server. Workgroup Manager is available for Lion Server as part of the Server Admin Tools, which you can download from the AppleCare Support Downloads website at www.apple.com/support/downloads/.
Soft quotas change to hard quotas If a user or group exceeds the soft quota for a time longer than the grace period, the soft quota is changed to a hard quota. The user or group can’t save additional data on the volume until the user or the group members delete enough old files to bring their usage below the soft quota. Example Suppose you assign Aldo a soft quota of 75 GB, a hard quota of 100 GB, and a grace period of 48 hours.
View quota status: mm In Xsan Admin, select “Users and Groups” or Quotas in the SAN Assets list. (You see Users and Groups only if you chose to have Xsan Admin manage your users and groups. Otherwise, you see Quotas.) To see current information, click Refresh at the top of the window. Xsan Admin displays the following information for each user or group: Used: The amount of space the user’s files are occupying. Quota: The soft and hard quotas.
Manage client computers remotely Xsan Admin can help you connect to an Xsan client computer so you can observe or control it over the network. Using Xsan Admin, you can: ÂÂ Start a screen sharing session so you can observe or control another computer. ÂÂ Open Terminal so you can log in using SSH and control another computer. You can also connect and manage a server in the SAN by using the Server app on a computer that has it installed.
If you have trouble sharing the screen of a remote computer, check the Sharing pane of System Preferences on the remote computer to make sure Remote Management service is turned on. If you have trouble starting a screen sharing session with an Xsan client, open the Security pane of System Preferences on the client, click Firewall, and make sure the option to block all incoming connections isn’t selected.
Manage metadata controllers 7 To increase SAN security and redundancy, you can add, switch, and monitor Xsan metadata controllers. Every SAN volume you set up is managed by a metadata controller. To be sure that the volume is available to clients even if the primary metadata controller becomes unresponsive, you can set up standby controllers, one of which will assume control of the volume if the primary controller fails.
Important: For best performance, metadata controllers should have Mac OS X Lion Server, and the “Dedicate system resources to server services” option should be turned on in the Server app. Select to view computers already in SAN. Add button Add a metadata controller: 1 Connect the new controller computer to the SAN’s Fibre Channel and Ethernet networks. 2 Open System Preferences, click Xsan, and click Enable Xsan.
Set controller failover priority When the primary metadata controller for a volume fails, Xsan uses the failover priorities of the available standby controllers to decide which one to switch to. Different volumes can be hosted by different metadata controllers, and you can choose a failover priority for each volume. Set a metadata controller’s failover priority: 1 Open Xsan Admin, select Volumes in the SAN Assets list, and select a volume in the list.
Find out which controller is hosting a volume Control of a volume can move from one metadata controller to another as a result of controller failover. You can use Xsan Admin to find out which metadata controller is hosting a volume. The controller that is currently hosting the volume View a volume’s metadata controller: mm In Xsan Admin, select Volumes in the SAN Assets list and look in the Hosted By column.
From the command line You can also find out which volumes are hosted by a metadata controller using the cvadmin select command in Terminal. For information, see the cvadmin man page or “View or change volume and storage pool settings (cvadmin)” on page 145. Change a controller’s IP address Follow these instructions to change the IP address of an Xsan metadata controller.
Make a standby controller the primary controller Make a standby metadata controller the primary metadata controller: 1 In Xsan Admin, select Computers in the SAN Assets list. 2 Select the standby metadata controller you want to promote, and choose Make Primary Controller from the Action pop-up menu. Convert a controller to a client If you no longer want a computer to act as a metadata controller for SAN volumes, you can demote the controller to a SAN client.
You can also connect and manage a server in the SAN by using the Server app on a computer that has it installed. Connection options Action menu Control a controller using screen sharing You can use the screen sharing feature of Mac OS X to view and control the screen of a SAN metadata controller over the network. Connect to a metadata controller using screen sharing: 1 In Xsan Admin, select Computers in the SAN Assets list. 2 Select the metadata controller you want to observe or control.
Connect to a metadata controller using SSH: 1 In Xsan Admin, select Computers in the SAN Assets list. 2 Select the metadata controller you want to connect to. 3 Choose “Connect using ssh” from the Action pop-up menu (gear). If you have trouble making an SSH connection, check the Sharing pane of System Preferences on the remote computer and make sure Remote Login service is turned on. If the computer is a Mac server, you can also turn on remote login in the Server app or Server Admin.
Monitor SAN status 8 You can use Xsan Admin and related command-line tools to check the condition of a SAN and its components. This chapter shows you how to check the status of a SAN and its volumes and how to set up notifications so you’ll be alerted to changes in the SAN. Check SAN status You can use Xsan Admin to view status and configuration information for the SAN and its components. View the overall status of the SAN: mm Open Xsan Admin and select Overview in the SAN Assets list.
View a component’s status and configuration information: mm Open Xsan Admin, click the Inspector button at the top of the window, and then select the component in the SAN Assets list or in the main pane of the Xsan Admin window. Check volume status You can use Xsan Admin to view the status of a volume. View the status of a volume: mm Open Xsan Admin, select Volumes in the SAN Assets list, select the volume, and click the Inspector button at the top of the window. You can also double-click the volume.
Check free space There are several ways to see how much space is available on a SAN volume or on storage pools in a volume. Available space Check the free space on a volume: mm From a client or controller computer that has the volume mounted, select the volume in a Finder window, and look at the size information at the bottom of the window (in Column or List view) or choose File > Get Info. You can also use Disk Utility.
If you don’t see the storage pools for a volume, click the volume’s disclosure triangle. From the command line You can also check volume free space using the cvadmin stat command, and you can check storage pool free space using the cvadmin show command. For information, see the cvadmin man page or “View or change volume and storage pool settings (cvadmin)” on page 145.
Set up status notifications You can set up Xsan to send an email or a text message to notify you or other administrators when: ÂÂ A controller switches to its backup ÂÂ A Fibre Channel connection fails ÂÂ Free space on a volume falls below a specified percentage ÂÂ A user or group exceeds the designated soft quota To send email notifications outside the local network, the controller needs access to an SMTP server. Set up status notifications: 1 Open Xsan Admin and select Overview in the SAN Assets list.
View Xsan logs You can use Xsan Admin to view the informational and diagnostic messages that Xsan writes to the SAN logs.Fibre Channel connection failures or errors are recorded in the system log. Choose a SAN computer. Type to search for entries containing specific text. Location of the selected log file View the SAN logs: mm In Xsan Admin, click the Logs button at the top of the window, and then in the Logs window that appears, use the Computer and Log pop-up menus to choose the log you want to view.
Check volume clients You can use Xsan Admin to see a summary of which clients are using a volume. Choose a volume. Select to see which computers have a volume mounted. See how many clients have a volume mounted: mm Open Xsan Admin, select Volumes in the SAN Assets list, select the volume in the list, and click the Inspector button at the top of the window. See which clients are using a volume: mm Open Xsan Admin, select Mounts in the SAN Assets list, and choose the volume from the Volume pop-up menu.
Solve SAN problems 9 Use this chapter to find solutions to common problems you might encounter while working with a SAN. Look here for solutions to common problems you might encounter while setting up, managing, or using an Xsan SAN. If you can’t connect to a computer using Xsan Admin If there’s a firewall between the computer you’re using Xsan Admin on and the SAN computer, make sure TCP port 311 is open on the firewall.
ÂÂ The computer is on the same TCP/IP subnets as the other SAN components. (If you’re using a private and a public Ethernet network, all SAN components must be connected to both networks.) ÂÂ The computer is connected to the SAN’s Fibre Channel networks. If you can’t mount a volume on a client ÂÂ Restart the client computer, and then try mounting the volume again. ÂÂ Check that all Fibre Channel cables are plugged in.
If you can’t add a storage pool Some words are reserved and can’t be used to name a storage pool. If a storage pool is used for user data, the first eight characters of the storage pool name can’t be a reserved word. If you enter a reserved word as the storage pool name, the OK button in the storage pool sheet is dimmed. Examples include: Affinity, Exclusive, Journal, Log, MetaData, Regular, and Type.
If you can’t add LUNs to a storage pool You can’t add a LUN to a storage pool unless the LUN is at least as large as the smallest LUN you added when you created the pool. You can add a larger LUN, but space beyond the smallest LUN size isn’t used. You can only expand storage pools that can be used for user data. You can’t add a LUN to a storage pool if the storage pool is used only for journaling and metadata.
If a volume unexpectedly restarts Xsan can restart a volume for a variety of reasons, including controller restart and volume failover. The notification is the same in all cases, but you can examine the log files for more details. View the logs: 1 Open Xsan Admin and click the Logs button at the top of the window. 2 In the Logs window that appears, use the Computer and Log pop-up menus to choose a log.
A Appendix Upgrade to Xsan 2.3 This appendix shows you how to upgrade your Xsan 2 SAN to Xsan 2.3. Follow the instructions in this appendix to upgrade an existing Xsan 2 SAN and its volumes to Xsan 2.3. Upgraded metadata controllers must have Mac OS X Lion Server. Upgraded SAN clients must have Mac OS X Lion or Lion Server, which include Xsan 2.3, or Mac OS X or Mac OS X Server v10.6 with Xsan 2.2.1 or later installed. Before you begin Review the following information before you upgrade your SAN.
Version compatibility For information about the compatibility of Xsan 2.3 metadata controllers and clients with earlier Xsan versions and with StorNext controllers and clients, see “Version compatibility” on page 13. Upgrade your SAN software Follow these instructions if you want to keep using your current metadata controllers and upgrade them to Xsan 2.3 and Mac OS X Lion Server. If you need to replace your metadata controllers, follow the instructions in “Upgrade SAN hardware and software” on page 132.
Disable Spotlight on a volume: 1 Open your current version of Xsan Admin. 2 In Xsan Admin, select Volumes in the SAN Assets list. 3 Select the volume and choose Edit Volume Settings from the Action pop-up menu (gear). 4 Click to deselect “Enable on this volume” next to Spotlight. Step 3: Upgrade the primary controller to Mac OS X Lion Server To upgrade to Xsan 2.3, you must upgrade your metadata controllers to Mac OS X Lion Server.
Step 5: Reestablish Open Directory replicas If you don’t use Xsan Admin to manage SAN users and groups, skip to the next step. If you use Xsan Admin to manage SAN users and groups, you now have an Open Directory master on your primary controller (the first controller you upgraded in step 3). However, you must reestablish replicas of that directory on your other controllers. Recreate the directory replicas: mm Open Xsan Admin on one controller and select Computers in the SAN Assets list.
Upgrading to Mac OS X Lion or Lion Server upgrades Xsan to version 2.3. If SAN volumes don’t mount on a client upgraded to Mac OS X Lion or Lion Server, use the Xsan pane of System Preferences on the client to make sure Xsan is enabled. Upgrade Xsan only: mm On a client computer with Mac OS X or Mac OS X Server v10.6, choose Software Update from the Apple menu and update to Xsan 2.2.1 or later. If the client computer has Mac OS X or Mac OS X Server v10.5 or earlier, you must upgrade it to v10.
Change filename case sensitivity for a volume: 1 In Xsan Admin, select Volumes in the SAN Assets list. 2 Select the volume and choose Edit Volume Settings from the Action pop-up menu (gear). 3 Select or deselect the checkbox next to Case Insensitivity and click OK. When you change case sensitivity, Xsan checks all existing filenames to make sure the change won’t result in filenames being considered the same. This check can take a while.
10 Migrate remaining SAN clients. 11 Enable extended attributes. 12 Change filename case sensitivity. 13 Reenable Spotlight. 14 Recreate your MultiSAN configuration. Step 1: Back up your SAN volumes Before you begin, make a backup copy of the files on your SAN volumes. Step 2: Disable Spotlight on all volumes Disable Spotlight on all Xsan volumes during the migration to new SAN computers. Disable Spotlight on all volumes: 1 In Xsan Admin, select Volumes in the SAN Assets list.
Convert a metadata controller to a client: mm In Xsan Admin, select Computers in the SAN Assets list, select the metadata controller in the list, and choose Make Client from the Action pop-up menu (gear). If you can’t choose Make Client, make sure all Xsan clients and metadata controllers are turned on and their status is Ready in Xsan Admin’s Computers list.
3 Restart the old primary metadata controller in target disk mode, so the server setup assistant can transfer data from it to a new server. You can restart in target disk mode by holding down the T key when the computer starts up. 4 Turn on the new server that you want to become the primary metadata controller, and wait for the server setup assistant’s Welcome pane to appear.
6 After the server setup assistant finishes transferring data, proceed through the remaining setup panes. 7 Shut down the former standby metadata controller, and disconnect it from the Ethernet and Fibre Channel networks. Don’t start up the former standby metadata controller while it’s connected to the Ethernet networks, because it now has the same IP address as the new server you migrated it to.
3 Proceed through the setup assistant to the pane that offers to transfer data from an existing computer, and choose to transfer data. Connect the old computer and the new computer with a FIreWire cable, and restart the old computer in target disk mode. You can restart in target disk mode by holding down the T key when the computer starts up. If you aren’t using FireWire to connect the computers, follow the onscreen instructions for connecting them.
Step 11: Enable extended attributes If you have only Macs on your SAN, enable extended attributes on your SAN volumes to improve volume performance and efficiency. Important: Enabling extended attributes can’t be undone. WARNING: To avoid data loss, clients with Quantum’s StorNext File System (Windows, AIX, IRIX, Linux, and Solaris computers) must not access volumes that use extended attributes. Enable extended attributes: 1 Open Xsan Admin and select Volumes in the SAN Assets list.
Step 13: Reenable Spotlight If you disabled Spotlight to upgrade SAN computers to Mac OS X Lion or Lion Server, reenable it now. Enable Spotlight on a volume: 1 In Xsan Admin, select Volumes in the SAN Assets list. 2 Select the volume and choose Edit Volume Settings from the Action pop-up menu (gear). 3 Click to select “Enable on this volume” next to Spotlight.
B Here’s how to connect Windows, Solaris, UNIX, AIX, IRIX, or Linux clients to an Xsan SAN. Xsan is fully compatible with Quantum’s StorNext File System, so you can set up Mac Pro, Xserve, and RAID systems to act as SAN controllers and storage for Windows, Sun Solaris, UNIX, IBM AIX, SGI IRIX, or Linux clients that run StorNext software. For information about adding Macintosh clients to an existing StorNext SAN, see the StorNext Product Bulletin #42, available at www.quantum.
License An Xsan license is included with the purchase of Mac OS X Lion or Lion Server. The Xsan license for a client computer with Mac OS X or Mac OS X Server v10.6 requires a serial number, which can be the single-copy serial number printed on the Xsan Install Disc sleeve included in an Xsan 2.2 package, or it can be a serial number you purchased separately. Licenses for StorNext are included with the purchase of the StorNext software from Quantum.
C You can use Xsan shell commands and configuration files to work with a SAN from the command line. You can use the shell commands and configuration files described here to access, set up, and manage Xsan SANs, LUNs, storage pools, and volumes from the command line. The Terminal app is the Mac OS X gateway to the BSD command-line interface (UNIX shell command prompt).
If you have trouble making an SSH connection, check the Sharing pane of System Preferences on the remote computer and make sure Remote Login service is turned on. View the man pages Detailed documentation for Xsan command-line utilities is available in UNIX-style man pages. A command’s man page includes information about the command, its options, parameters, and proper use. The man pages for Xsan commands are located in /System/Library/Filesystems/acfs.fs/Contents/man/.
ÂÂ To install the Xsan file system and Xsan Admin app, enter: $ sudo installer -pkg /volumes/Xsan\ Install\ Disc/Install\ Xsan.mpkg -target / ÂÂ To install only the Xsan Admin app, enter: $ sudo installer -pkg /volumes/Xsan\ Install\ Disc/Install\ XsanAdminApp.pkg/ -target / Install Xsan on a computer that has no keyboard or monitor: 1 Log in to a computer that has a keyboard and monitor, and then insert the Xsan Install Disc. 2 Open the Terminal app (in the /Applications/Utilities/ folder).
Xsan commands Xsan includes these command-line tools: Tool Description cvadmin View or change volume and storage pool settings; see page 145 cvaffinity Manipulate affinity tags manually; see page 149 cvcp Copy files or folders; see page 149 cvfsck Check or repair a volume; see page 150 cvlabel View, label, and initialize LUNs; see page 151 cvmkdir Create a folder and assign an affinity; see page 152 cvmkfile Create and preallocate a file; see page 153 cvmkfs Initialize a volume; see page 1
Parameter Description -H host The metadata controller that is hosting the volume. If not provided, the local computer is assumed. host – the IP address or DNS name of a metadata controller other than the one you’re logged in on. -F volume The volume to be the active (“selected”) volume in cvadmin. volume – the name of an Xsan volume -f cmdfile Read commands from the specified file.
cvadmin command Description fail (volume|index) Cause a volume to fail over to a standby controller. volume – the name of the volume index – the numeric ID of the volume (to see a list of these, use the cvadmin select command without any parameters) filelocks [yes|no] Enable or disable file and record locks. Use the command without any parameter to see the current setting for locks. multipath pool Specify how Xsan uses multiple paths to a storage pool.
cvadmin command Description repquota Generate the following quota report files in / Library/Logs/Xsan/data/volume: quota_report.txt – text file quota_report.csv – comma-delimited file quota_regen.in – cvadmin commands that will set up identical quotas on another metadata controller. You can use cvadmin -f to execute the commands. repof Create a report of open files on the active volume in the file /Library/Logs/Xsan/data/volume/ open_file_report.txt.
Manipulate affinity tags (cvaffinity) Use the cvaffinity command to assign an affinity tag to a folder or a file or to list the affinity tag assigned to a folder or a file. Assigning an affinity tag to a folder or file causes it to be stored on a storage pool that has the same affinity tag. You can see the affinity tags for available storage pools by using the show long command of the cvadmin tool.
Option Description -l Copy the targets of symbolic links, not the links. -n Do not apply the command to subfolders. -p prefix Only copy files with names that start with the specified prefix. prefix – characters to match with the beginning of the file name -s Allocate on storage pool block boundaries. -t Specify the number of copy threads. -v Report all information about the file copied. -x Retain original file permissions in the copy. -y Retain ownership and group information in the copy.
cvfsck command options Option Description -d Display extra debugging information. -e Display file extents statistics. -f Report fragmentation. -g Print journal recovery log. -j Perform journal recovery. -J Display raw journal data. -K Reset journal. Warning: Resetting the journal might introduce metadata inconsistencies. Don’t use unless absolutely necessary. -l Record problems in the system log. -n Check volume in read-only mode. -r Relocate files before changing volume configuration.
Label a LUN: $ sudo cvlabel [-v] [-f] [labelfile] Important: Be sure to use this command only on disks that aren’t being used. Using Xsan Admin to label LUNs is safer, because it only shows available LUNs. Remove the label from a LUN: $ sudo cvlabel -u lun Parameter Description -l List available LUNs. -s Display device serial numbers. -v Show progress display. -c Create a label template file. -f Relabels LUNs that are labeled. labelfile An optional file containing information for each label.
Create and preallocate a file (cvmkfile) Use the cvmkfile command to allocate space for a file on an Xsan volume. $ cvmkfile [-k affinity] [-p] [-s] [-w] [-z] size(k|m|g) filename Parameter Description -k affinity Allocate space for the file on one of the storage pools with the specified affinity tag.
Parameter Description -G Don’t display “Press return to continue” prompts. -F Don’t display warning and verification prompts. Use with caution. volume The name of the volume to initialize. This name matches the name of a configuration (.cfg) file in /Library/Preferences/Xsan/. Apply volume configuration changes (cvupdatefs) Use the cvupdatefs command to apply configuration file changes to a volume after you modify the volume’s configuration files.
Parameter Description -c Display an extent count but don’t defragment target. -D Display debugging messages. -d Operate on files with other than the current depth. -e Report extents without defragmenting. -K affinity Only operate on files with the specified storage pool affinity. affinity – the affinity key (in Xsan, the affinity key is the same as the name of the storage pool) You can use the cvadmin show long command to see a storage pool’s affinity key.
Control the Xsan file system (xsanctl) Use the xsanctl command to control basic Xsan file system functions. For details, see the xsanctl man page. $ sudo xsanctl command xsanctl commands xsanctl command Description ping Sends a ping message to the Xsan file system to verify that it’s responding to management requests. mount volume [options] Mounts an Xsan volume on the computer. If successfully mounted, the volume will be automounted at startup.
xsanctl command Description list Lists the volumes available on the SAN and the path at which each volume is mounted on the local computer. sanConfigChanged Notifies the Xsan file system that it should reload the SAN configuration. roleChanged Notifies the Xsan file system that this computer’s SAN role has changed or the computer was removed from the SAN. disksChanged Notifies the Xsan file system that it should rescan disks. wipeConfig Resets the Xsan file configuration to an unconfigured state.
If you have trouble making an SSH connection, check the Sharing pane of System Preferences on the remote computer and make sure Remote Login service is turned on. 2 Unmount the volume: $ sudo xsanctl unmount volume For example: $ sudo xsanctl unmount SanVol View logs The system log to which Xsan writes information about SANs is in /var/log/system.log. Volume logs are in /Library/Logs/Xsan/data/volume/log/cvlog, where volume is the name of the specific volume.
Glossary Glossary affinity A relationship between a folder on an Xsan volume and one or more storage pools that provide storage for the volume. The affinity guarantees that files placed in the folder are stored only on the associated storage pools. Storage pools can differ in capacity and performance, and affinities can be used to assure that data such as video, which requires high transfer speed, is stored on the fastest storage devices.
file system server See FSS. fill An Xsan storage pool allocation strategy. In a volume consisting of more than one storage pool, Xsan fills up the first pool before writing to the next. format (verb) In general, to prepare a disk for use by a particular file system. FSS File system server. The StorNext File System term for the computer that manages metadata in a storage area network (SAN). In Xsan, this is called a metadata controller. initialize To prepare a disk for use by a particular file system.
RAID 0+1 A combination of RAID 0 and RAID 1. This RAID scheme is created by striping data across multiple pairs of mirrored drives. RAID 1 A RAID scheme that creates a pair of mirrored drives with identical copies of the same data. It provides a high level of data availability. RAID 3 A RAID scheme that stripes data across two or more drives and stores parity data on a dedicated drive. In the event of a disk failure, the redundant parity bits can be used to reconstruct data on any drive.
A access permissions for folders 97 unmounting a volume 98 access control list.
exclusive affinity tag 84 expanding storage 38, 71 extended attributes enabling 81 F failover 109 forcing 109 failover priority 109 Fibre Channel configuration requirements 41 monitoring connection failures 120 supported switches 41 file systems.
checking from command line 104 checking usage in Xsan Admin 103 described 102 example 103 grace period 102 setting 68, 100 R RAID schemes for LUNs 47 refresh interval, Xsan Admin 58 repairing a volume 87 round robin volume allocation strategy 80 S SAN (storage area network) adding 69 adding clients 89 adding storage 71 destroying 70 managing multiple 69 moving clients 91 name length limit 38 renaming 69 security considerations 38, 47 serial number adding 91 server setup assistant 57
overview 58 preferences 58 refresh interval 58 Xsan software disabling 99 version compatibility 13 Xsan enabling 63 xsanctl tool 156 Index 165
