[PSNUG.org News] Distributed File Services (DFS) for NSS

[Brandon Fouts]

Novell(R) Distributed File Services (DFS) for the Novell Storage Services™
(NSS) file system provides location transparency of file data to end users.
With DFS, you can create a single virtual file system for data on NSS
volumes that spans multiple machines to maximize the use and performance of
storage resources.
*1.1.1 Data Distribution*

DFS preserves the logical file organization from the user perspective by
maintaining a Volume Location Database (VLDB) for all volumes in a DFS
management context. When you move an NSS volume to a new volume in a
different pool, the VLDB helps redirect queries to the new location.

When you split an NSS volume to relocate a directory's data to a newly
created NSS volume, DFS places a junction file in place of the directory at
the source location. The junction contains a hint about the destination
location of the data. When a user attempts to access the data, DFS uses that
information to look up the location of the destination volume in the VLDB,
then automatically redirects queries so that the session connection can be
made transparently from the user's point of view by going directly to the
data. After the connection is made, the junction itself is no longer
involved in the session.

Using junctions and the VLDB eliminates the user's need to know the path to
the physical location of the data. Not only does it decrease administration
costs by allowing you to move a volume to a different server without making
any announcements or needing to reeducate users, but it also simplifies the
number of paths a user needs to remember if the data is spread among
different volumes or servers.

For example, if John's data is located on servers X, Y, and Z, you can
create junctions on server X that point to all of his data on servers Y and
Z. That way, John only needs to remember the path to server X, because with
junctions, it appears as if the data is all located in one place.
 1.1.2 Backup

DFS provides a solution to the common problem of storage volumes growing too
big to back up within the desired or required time period. A too-large
volume can be split into two (or more) volumes, and the resulting volumes
backed up separately as required. You can split a volume at any directory to
a new NSS volume without changing the logical path to files. You and your
users can continue to use the logical paths when mapping network drives or
creating login scripts. The physical location of data can change over time,
and that change is completely transparent to the end user.
 1.1.3 Data Migration DFS can also provide a migration path for customers
moving NSS volumes from NetWare(R) 6.5 or OES NetWare to OES 2 Linux. The Move
Volume task for DFS can be used to move file data on NSS volumes from
NetWare servers to OES 2 Linux servers. This allows you to gradually move
data to an OES 2 Linux environment, without committing to a turnkey change
of operating environment.

http://www.novell.com/documentation/oes2/storage.html#storage


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