From owner-freebsd-fs@FreeBSD.ORG Tue Feb 13 16:30:50 2007 Return-Path: X-Original-To: freebsd-fs@freebsd.org Delivered-To: freebsd-fs@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [69.147.83.52]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id B9FDE16A401; Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:30:50 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from chris@sigd.net) Received: from ms05.mailstreet2003.net (ms05.mailstreet2003.net [69.25.50.235]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 8A54513C491; Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:30:50 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from chris@sigd.net) X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft Exchange V6.5.7226.0 Content-class: urn:content-classes:message MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2007 11:30:49 -0500 Message-ID: <6FC9F9894A9F8C49A722CF9F2132FC2204C9DAB4@ms05.mailstreet2003.net> In-Reply-To: <20070213075627.63126.qmail@web34502.mail.mud.yahoo.com> X-MS-Has-Attach: X-MS-TNEF-Correlator: Thread-Topic: UFS2 with SAN Thread-Index: AcdPRH0nhuQ8BExxQVu84pHXJ42ALgARzuug References: <45CD6FF5.8070007@freebsd.org> <20070213075627.63126.qmail@web34502.mail.mud.yahoo.com> From: "Chris Haulmark" To: "Nicole Harrington" , "Eric Anderson" Cc: freebsd-fs@freebsd.org Subject: RE: UFS2 with SAN X-BeenThere: freebsd-fs@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Filesystems List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:30:50 -0000 > -----Original Message----- > From: Nicole Harrington [mailto:drumslayer2@yahoo.com] > Sent: Tuesday, February 13, 2007 1:56 AM > To: Eric Anderson; Chris Haulmark > Cc: freebsd-fs@freebsd.org > Subject: Re: UFS2 with SAN >=20 > --- Eric Anderson wrote: >=20 > > On 02/10/07 00:54, Chris Haulmark wrote: > > > > > >> -----Original Message----- > > >> From: Eric Anderson [mailto:anderson@freebsd.org] > > >> Sent: Saturday, February 10, 2007 12:48 AM > > >> To: Chris Haulmark > > >> Cc: freebsd-fs@freebsd.org > > >> Subject: Re: UFS2 with SAN > > >> > > >> On 02/09/07 19:30, Chris Haulmark wrote: > > >>> Hello, > > >>> > > >>> I am looking into setting up a SAN with several > > web servers that > > >>> will be clustered. It would be a FC network > > using Qlogic cards > > >>> in each of those FreeBSD web servers. It would > > be about 5+ > > >>> of those web servers. > > >>> > > >>> I want to have the capability to share the same > > web data across > > >>> those web servers. I have scorched the entire > > mailing list and > > >>> found that there were some work on GFS porting > > over to FreeBSD. > > >>> It seems like that it is just all talk and if I > > am wrong, could > > >>> you have my head turned over to where I can find > > out how to enable > > >>> GFS on those FreeBSD systems. > > >> GFS on FreeBSD is indeed dead. Not enough people > > stepped up to help > > >> port it. > > > > > > I really feared to hear that! > > > > > >>> If GFS is out of question, which file system am > > I recommendeded > > >>> to attempt to use for this SAN setup? > > >> NFS. > > >> > > >>> My first thought to use UFS2 and attempt is to > > allow only one web > > >>> server to have a write/read access while the > > reminder would be > > >>> read only access. That should prevent from > > lockings that is similar > > >>> on NFS/NAS. > > >> This will result it the read/write system seeing > > the data ok, and the > > >> rest getting corrupt data without knowing it, and > > probably crashing. > > >> UFS2 is not cluster aware. You could mount all > > the hosts read only, > > >> and > > >> then update the mount point on one to rw, makes > > changes, then back to > > >> ro, then unmount/remount on the other boxes. > > > > > > That's my original idea if I do not have anything > > else better to go > > > with. > > > > > >> That's all still a kludge to simulate what NFS > > will do for you. Why > > >> won't NFS work for you? > > > > > > I have a client who wants to go from NAS to a true > > SAN solution with > > > full > > > fibre channel network. I would hate to lose the > > opportunity for this > > > client > > > to continue using FreeBSD as the choice of OS for > > his web servers. > > > Currently, > > > his set up is using NAS with NFS. He complains of > > locking files that > > > occurs > > > too often. > > > > > > I had hoped to find more better solution and make > > this client much more > > > happier > > > with all the FreeBSD support that can be provided. > > > > > > Well, I'm not sure what issues they had, but have > > had fantastic success > > with NFS and FreeBSD. FreeBSD with the right > > hardware and tweaks can > > make some NetApp boxes look weak. *cough* WAFL > > *cough* > > > > > > >> I agree that it would be fantastic to have a > > clustered file system for > > >> FreeBSD, and I've done lot's of hunting and > > nagging vendors to support > > >> it - but it's just not there. > > > > > > We should get few bandwagons and get in circle. > > It could be likely that > > > I could > > > provide access for the developers to test and get > > whatever file system > > > and other > > > necessaries needed to be working. :) > > > > > > The problem isn't the environment or hardware, it's > > developers skilled > > to do the work. They're all either in NDA's, off > > writing something > > else, or just too busy to provide any amount of > > input. > > > > Eric >=20 >=20 > I have a set of servers NFS mounted to a Netapp and > after hurs of tuning with netapp's help. (after > getting through the idiots adking what FreeBSd was) > I got very low performance. I was of course then told > by Netapp to switch to Linux for better NFS support. That is what I would like to avoid telling my client to do The same thing. "Stay with NFS and tolerate it." I had hoped a SAN solution would be possible for FreeBSD. So far, it appears that it is not possible to share the same file system across several web servers. Chris >=20 > I would love for any help with tuning this further, > but I cannot say that FreeBSD with Netapp NFS will be > great. Of course, I have not been able to test if > indeed Linux would be any better. > I will say however that I have a large number of > small files which tends to not do well with NFS. >=20 >=20 > Nicole >=20