File system share and export creation by default are performed at the top-level of the file system exposing the /.etc and lost+found system directories. There are two very easy and non-disruptive way to hide the undesired directories, this article will introduce the two methods to hide the /.etc and lost+found folders on the VNX.

In the operation system, the etc directory is used to store a variety of system configuration files, lost+ found is used to store the missing pieces which is used to recover lost files when an error occurs. Under no circumstances should the .etc or lost + found directories be deleted from the root of a file system. This could have very negative effects on the VNX and could result in file system instability on that file system. There are two common methods to safely hide the .etc and lost + found on the root of a newly created file system.

Method one: Start ABE function in the shared folder

Access-based Enumeration (ABE) is a new functionality in the windows server 2003, ABE filters shared folders and files visible to a user based on that user’s Access rights, preventing the display of folders and files to which the user does not have full read access. ABE can be a used as a strategy to hide the lost+found and .etc directories created as part of a multi-protocol file system. The lost+found and .etc directories can be granted administrative permissions only, therefore those directories will not be visible to Windows users. The following steps demonstrate how to hide the /.etc and lost+found folders by ABE function:

1. Edit the folder "etc" and "lost + found" privileges, assigning the unique access privileges for administrator.

2. Download emcabe.exe tool to the windows client, this tool can be found on the Celerra Utilities disk shipped as part of the Celerra software.

3. Run the command emcabe.exe command to start CIFS folders ABE functionality in the windows client (the client needs to be able to access the CIFS server). Command format is as follows:

emcabe [/e | /d | /g] [/t servername] [/a | /s sharename]

/e Enables ABE on specified share(s).

/d Disables ABE on specified share(s).

/g Gets ABE state of the specified share(s).

The /e, /d, /g options are mutually exclusive.

/t servername Specifies the target server name. By default, the target server is the local machine.

/s sharename Specifies the name of the shared folder on which to run the command.

/a Runs the command on all shares of the target server. The /a and/s options are mutually exclusive.

/h displays a usage message.

 

4. Account login test by a non-administrator account, you can find the directory already hidden.

Method two: To safely hide the .etc and lost + found on the root of a newly created file system

1. Verify that there is a CIFS server which is properly joined to the domain, for example, NASCIFSSERVER.

2. Create a new file system (with the desired name), for example, ITdocuments.

3. Mount the file system on the Data Mover which owns the CIFS server.

4. Export the file system under the desired share name for CIFS access, for example, ITdocuments.

5. Minimize the Celerra Manager or CLI and open a new Explorer window to access the newly exported share, for example, \\NASCIFSSERVER\ITducuments\

6. You should be able to access the newly created file system and the .etc and lost + found directories should be viewable at this point. Create a new folder in this level and name it the same as the file system.  Now in this folder the following three directories should be visible: .etc, lost + found, and the newly created ITdocuments folder.

7. Minimize the Explorer windows, which are accessing the CIFS share, and bring up the Celerra Manager or CLI.

8. From the Celerra Manager, un-export the newly created ITdocuments export, then recreate it with the following path name: \ITdocuments\ITdocuments.

9. Minimize the Celerra Manager or CLI and reopen the Explorer window which is accessing the Celerra CIFS share, for example, \\NASCIFSSERVER\ITducuments\

If the above steps have been followed correctly then the .etc, lost + found and newly created ITdocumentsfolders should not appear under the share \\NASCIFSSERVER\ITducuments\. The folders will now be safely hidden from an end-users standpoint.

 

In conclusion, there are some different between method one and method two:

1. Method 1 have to download the ABE tools, it only supports CIFS protocol in the windows server 2003 Service Pack 1 and later.

2. Method 2 is not recommending using this solution when data is already on the file system as a data outage would occur. If the file system is already populated with data, then a migration may be needed. It is easier to do this procedure with a newly created file system.

Author: Jeffey Liu

             

iEMC APJ

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