Table Of ContentApple Training Series
Xsan 2 Administration
A Guide to Designing, Deploying, and
Maintaining Xsan
Robert Kite, Ph.D., et al.
Apple Training Series: Xsan 2 Administration
Robert Kite, Ph.D., et al.
Copyright © 2009 by Apple, Inc.
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Apple Series Editor: Serena Herr
Editor: Bob Lindstrom
Contributing Writers: David Long, Jeremy Roush
Technical Editor: Brendan Boykin
Copy Editor: Elissa Rabellino
Production Coordinator: Danielle Foster
Compositor: Danielle Foster
Indexer: Jack Lewis
Cover Illustrator: Mimi Heft
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Acknowledgments
A project like this you finish only with the help of friends, colleagues, and family.
Thanks to my family—Darcy, Kelly, Alex, and Kate—for putting up with me
during the weeks of sleep deprivation.
Ravi, Arek Dreyer, Rick Wylie, and David Long provided invaluable insight,
knowledge, and help.
Apple cohorts Adam Green, Eryk Vershen, John Wolfe, Andrew Johnson,
Joe Schuepbach, Aric Marshall, Doug Brooks, and Shane Ross gave us the
real answers when we needed them most.
The engineers at techIT Solutions—Allan Sanderson, James “Tip” Lovingood,
Danielle James, and Chris Angerame—proved that sometimes field experience
is all you need. Tip, thanks for running the lab and doing so much testing.
Vincent Louque, Kealoha Yoshioka, Chris Niemietz, and the team from the
Product Placement Group made important contributions.
Thanks to our edit team: Serena Herr for all the pushing, Bob Lindstrom
for an amazing edit, and Brendan Boykin for the reality check, suggestions,
and guidance.
And lastly, LeRoy Dennison. You did this to me and I won’t forget it. Thanks
for the opportunity.
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Contents at a Glance
Getting Started .....................................xiii
Chapter 1 Concepts: Understanding Storage Area Networks ............ 1
Chapter 2 Planning Xsan Deployments ............................ 53
Chapter 3 Deployment .......................................... 89
Chapter 4 Client Management .................................. 157
Chapter 5 Volume Management ................................. 191
Chapter 6 Maintenance and Troubleshooting ...................... 227
Index .............................................279
v
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Table of Contents
Getting Started .............................xiii
Concepts: Understanding Storage
Chapter 1
Area Networks .............................. 1
Storage Networking Architectures ......................... 2
Benefits of Storage Area Networking ...................... 5
Why Use a Cluster File System? ........................... 7
Understanding Fibre Channel ............................ 9
Fibre Channel and Protocols ............................ 13
How Fibre Channel Works with Networks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Understanding Fibre Channel Topologies ................. 18
Understanding Xsan ................................... 24
How the Xsan Cluster File System Works. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Understanding Metadata ............................... 30
Using a Metadata Ethernet Network ...................... 33
Understanding the Xsan 2 Volume Structure .............. 34
What’s New in Xsan 2 .................................. 39
What You’ve Learned .................................. 49
References ........................................... 50
Review Questions ..................................... 50
vii
viii Contents
Planning Xsan Deployments ................. 53
Chapter 2
Choosing Xsan Components ............................ 54
Configuring Clients ................................... 55
Considering Network Devices and Connections ............ 56
Planning Storage ...................................... 63
Planning Network Services ............................. 66
Providing Directory Services ............................ 69
Configuring Xsan Volumes ............................. 70
Choosing RAID Levels for LUNs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Choosing the Number of Volumes ....................... 78
Choosing Metadata Controllers ......................... 79
Choosing the Volume Configuration ..................... 80
What You’ve Learned .................................. 85
References ........................................... 85
Review Questions ..................................... 86
Deployment ............................... 89
Chapter 3
Configuring Ethernet Networks ......................... 90
Setting Up Network Services ............................ 91
Setting Up Directory Services ........................... 97
Creating Users and Groups ............................ 101
Configuring a Fibre Channel Network ................... 106
Setting Up the Storage Devices ......................... 116
Using Xserve RAID ................................... 117
Contents ix
Using Promise VTrak ................................. 121
Tuning VTrak Performance ............................ 130
Configuring Clients .................................. 133
Configuring Metadata Controllers ...................... 136
Creating the SAN and SAN Volume ..................... 142
What You’ve Learned ................................. 152
References .......................................... 153
Review Questions .................................... 154
Client Management ........................ 157
Chapter 4
Controlling Client Access .............................. 157
Mounting and Unmounting an Xsan Volume ............. 161
Moving a Client to a Different SAN ..................... 165
Controlling User Access ............................... 165
Using POSIX and ACLs ............................... 172
Managing Home Folders .............................. 177
Setting SAN User and Group Quotas .................... 180
Understanding Xsan Quotas ........................... 181
Combining Xsan Controllers and StorNext Clients ........ 184
What You’ve Learned ................................. 186
References .......................................... 186
Review Questions .................................... 187