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Distributed CIFS access
I am currently working on a solution to migrate our Windows file servers into a VNX CIFS Server. We currently use DFS which has caused a few problems and we are looking to remove it if possible.
We want all users, regardless of the site they are at to access a local copy of data which is ideally stored on a VNX CIFS server by using the same url.
We have 4 sites that we would like to eventually roll this out to with which will all have VNX 5300 (unified). The important thing is that files are replicated between the 4 sites but can be accessed using the same url from the user and that the user picks up the local copy. Whilst this is occuring it is obviously important that a file locking mechanism is in place.
What feature (if any) of the VNX would allow this? Or if the VNX cannot do this alone what product/solution should we investigate?
Thanks
JB
Rainer_EMC
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February 1st, 2012 15:00
I dont know if I understand you correctly but this doesn’t seem possible
Johnny_Bravo
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February 2nd, 2012 00:00
I suppose what I am really looking for is a replicated file system that can be accessed from both arrays with file locking.
So for example I have a share which is accessed from site A and site B. I want users who go to site A to go to \\production\share and access the local copy at Site A and I want users at site B to go to \\production\share and access the local copy at site B (which is constantly up to date). If a user has a file from the share open then no other user should be able to open the file.
Or is the solution to use DFS pointing to CIFS servers on my data mover?
Thanks
JB
dynamox
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February 2nd, 2012 04:00
at my previous gig we had something similar but replication has to be handled by Active directory (FRS). Also there is no cross-site locking, i can open a file at the same time somebody else opens the same file somewhere else.
Rainer_EMC
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February 2nd, 2012 06:00
Most efficient storage replications are block-based so that they scale independently of the number of files and only have to transmit block changes.
So they have the data read-write on one system and readonly on the replication destinations.
That’s how Replicator works.
What you are describing would require file based replication or a cluster file system – which isn’t available on the VNX.
As dynamx said - even if VNX would support DFS-R (FRS) – which it doesn’t – you would still have a problem with file locking, synchronization and scalabilty.
DFS name space can help you so that users only seem to address one CIFS server but in reality connect to different servers, depending on the share.
The other option would be caching – either via a cache applicate like Riverbed or Cisco WAFS or Microsoft branch cache.
For that you would typically only have one VNX at the core data center and caches in the remote locations.
Rainer
Johnny_Bravo
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February 6th, 2012 01:00
Thanks Rainer_EMC. So the most effective thing in this scenario would be to remain with DFS but to point the servers at each site to the CIFS server. All replication in this instance would then be handled by DFS and not VNX? But it would replicate into the CIFS shares at each site.
dynamox
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February 6th, 2012 04:00
yes, VNX is just your repository ..it won't be taking part in replication at all.
Rainer_EMC
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February 6th, 2012 07:00
No – replications have to be done by the VNX/Celerra using Replicator since we do not implement DFS-R on the data mover
You just use DFR-N (namespace) to point to the CIFS server that has the read-write file system
Rainer
dynamox
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February 6th, 2012 07:00
why would you replicate using Replicator if the target is going to be read-only ?
Johnny_Bravo
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February 22nd, 2012 04:00
Cool, and also checkpoints too I suppose.
dynamox
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February 22nd, 2012 04:00
sure, if it's on VNX it will get deduped/compressed, you don't have to have yet another physical/VM server to host your repository.
Johnny_Bravo
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February 22nd, 2012 04:00
Can the DFS repository benefit from being hosted on the CIFS / DM of the VNX as opposed to provisioning block to it and using that as a repsoitory.
Ie. Can I benefit from deduplication of the file as they are on the VNX?
Thanks
JB
dynamox
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February 22nd, 2012 05:00
yep, 96 per file system
Johnny_Bravo
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February 23rd, 2012 03:00
Another question. Could you tell me how the data flows in this scenario?
Ie. Doe the DFS server access the CIFS server and then present that to the user or does the DFS server provide the path to the user (which is the CIFS Server on the VNX) and the user accesses it directly.
Thanks
JB
dynamox
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February 23rd, 2012 04:00
enjoy this "light" reading
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc782417.aspx
Johnny_Bravo
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February 29th, 2012 07:00
Thanks that makes things clearer :-)
You mentioned in an earlier post that you have used this at a previous job. Was it using something like.
DFS servers as the namespace servers (no data held locally)
VNX / Celerra - contains a CIFS server and data
An then the DFS uses a link to the celerra that it then presents out.
DFS is repsonsible for replicating the data between sites to other DFS servers not the celerra.
The users connect to \\domain\data and are redirected to the relevant CIFS server for their files?
Is there anything we can do regards the locking of files?
Thanks your help is really appreciated on this.