Novell Distributed File Services is a consumer of the OES 11 SP3 services identified in this section. These services must be installed and running as noted in order for DFS to function as designed.
Novell Distributed File Services is an integrated component of Novell Storage Services (NSS). In addition, DFS is a consumer of other NSS features described in this section:
For information about installing NSS, see Installing and Configuring Novell Storage Services
in the OES 11 SP3: NSS File System Administration Guide for Linux.
DFS junctions can reside only on NSS volumes. The DFS move volume and split volume options are available only where both the source and destination volumes are NSS volumes.
When using DFS to move or split an NSS volume, the DFS Volume Manager uses the NSS Event File List (EFL) to track which files have changed while it was busy copying data from that volume. This allows DFS to recopy files as necessary after the initial copying of data is complete.
DFS provides an XML interface through the NSS _Admin volume for management. This provides support for iManager, and allows administrators to create scripts (such as in Perl) to automate tasks or to provide a command line interface.
Novell Distributed File Services uses Novell Storage Management Services (SMS) to move and split volumes. SMS must be installed and running on your system to use these DFS options.
SMS is automatically selected and installed when you select Novell Storage Services to be installed on the OES system. For information about installing SMS, see Installing and Configuring SMS
in the OES 11 SP3: Storage Management Services Administration Guide for Linux.
The NetWare Emulation Mode option (--tsamode) on OES for the TSAFS (File System Target Service Agent) must be set to linux when moving or splitting an NSS volume from Linux to Linux. The default setting is linux.
The NetWare Emulation mode must be set to dual when moving or splitting an NSS volume from NetWare to Linux. In dual mode, the TSA exposes both NSS and Linux file systems on a target OES Linux server. When the move or split from NetWare to Linux is complete, reset the TSAFS mode to linux.
To set the TSAFS mode to dual:
Open a terminal console, then log in as the root user.
At a terminal console prompt, enter
smsconfig -l tsafs --tsaMode=dual
To reset the TSAFS mode to linux:
Open a terminal console, then log in as the root user.
At a terminal console prompt, enter
smsconfig -l tsafs --tsaMode=linux
For more information about the NetWare Emulation Mode on OES, see NetWare Emulation Mode
in the OES 11 SP3: Storage Management Services Administration Guide for Linux.
Novell eDirectory must be configured and running on the server where you are using Novell Distributed File Services.
The eDirectory replica can be on any server that is the same eDirectory tree as the DFS management context. However, if the eDirectory replica is not on the same server where you are using DFS, the server must be configured for SLP. For more information about SLP, see Section 3.1.4, SLP.
Users that access data via a DFS junction must be eDirectory users. That is, the user must have a User object defined in eDirectory.
For eDirectory, usernames are case insensitive. For Linux users, usernames are case sensitive. To avoid potential login conflicts and confusion, we recommend that usernames be lowercase, which is the convention for usernames on Linux.
IMPORTANT:Use lowercase when creating usernames for administrators and users.
SLP (Service Location Protocol) is typically required to resolve tree names in networks with three or more servers. SLP must be correctly configured for Novell eDirectory on the server where you are using Novell Distributed File Services if that server does not host a Novell eDirectory replica, or if there are three or more servers in the tree.
For instructions on configuring SLP for use with eDirectory, see Specifying SLP Configuration Options
in the OES 11 SP3: Installation Guide.
Linux User Management is a technology for OES 11 Linux that coordinates a user’s authentication identity in Novell eDirectory with a Linux local user identity on the server. When a user is Linux-enabled, a Linux UID is automatically created for the user. The UID is stored as an attribute for the user’s User object in eDirectory.
The administrator user identity in eDirectory is Linux-enabled by default for the server. An administrator user has access rights equivalent to the root user.
Users must be Linux-enabled if they are using Samba to access files. When NCP or Novell CIFS is not available to control file access, NSS enforces user access based on file system trustees and trustee rights for the Linux-enabled users.
When using NCP only, Linux-enabling users is optional.
IMPORTANT:Other products and services might require users to be Linux-enabled.
The case you use for usernames matters. For eDirectory, usernames are case insensitive. For Linux users, usernames are case sensitive. To avoid potential login conflicts and confusion, we recommend that usernames be lowercase, which is the convention for usernames on Linux.
IMPORTANT:Use lowercase when creating usernames for administrators and users.
NCP Server must be installed and running on the source and target server in order for DFS junctions to work. Even if users are not using NCP to access files, NCP Server must be running when the Move Volume and Split Volume jobs are configured and until the jobs are completed. You can install NCP Server during the install, or use YaST > Software Install to install and enable NCP Server at any time. For information, see Installing and Configuring NCP Server for Linux
in the OES 11 SP3: NCP Server for Linux Administration Guide.
Novell Distributed File Services junctions support file access with the NCP and CIFS/Samba protocols. Both the source volume and target volume for any given DFS junction must reside on servers that are configured to share the same file access protocol.
The following table provides an overview of the protocols supported for DFS functions. For details and guidelines, see Section 9.1, Guidelines for Combining Platforms, Volumes, and Protocols.
Table 3-1 Protocols Supported for DFS Functions
|
Junction Server |
Junction Target Server |
Target Location |
DFS Functions |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Platform |
Volume |
Protocol |
Platform |
Volume |
Protocol |
Root |
Subdir |
(Junction, Move, Split) |
|
NetWare or Linux |
NSS |
NCP |
NetWare or Linux |
NSS |
NCP |
Yes |
Yes (no junctions) |
Junction |
|
NetWare or Linux |
NSS |
NCP |
Linux |
NCP Volume |
NCP |
Yes |
Yes (no junctions) |
Junction |
|
NetWare |
NSS |
CIFS |
NetWare |
NSS |
CIFS |
Yes |
No |
Junction |
|
Linux |
NSS |
CIFS |
Linux |
NSS |
CIFS |
Yes |
Yes |
Junction |
|
Linux |
NSS |
CIFS |
NetWare |
NSS |
CIFS |
Yes |
No |
Junction |
|
NetWare or Linux |
NSS |
NCP |
NetWare or Linux |
NSS |
NCP |
Yes |
No |
Move and Split |
The Novell Client for Windows must be installed on user workstations in order for users to access data seamlessly via a DFS junction. You can use the Novell Client for Windows 4.9 or higher for junctions that point to the target volume root. You must use Novell Client for Windows 4.91 SP4 or later for junctions that point to subdirectories on the target volume.
The Novell Client 2.0 for Linux supports DFS junctions. It works for junctions that target the root of the volume and subdirectories on the target volume. If the junction breaks, there is no Junction Properties page to identify which junction is broken as there is for the Windows client.
IMPORTANT:Earlier version of the Novell Client for Linux do not support DFS junctions.
For Novell CIFS servers, you must enable DFS junction support in the CIFS configuration. For instructions, see Section 3.4.2, Enabling DFS Support CIFS
IMPORTANT:Junctions to subdirectories are supported with Novell CIFS on Linux servers.
Use the following guidelines for configuring CIFS:
DFS is available only if Unicode (UTF8 format) is enabled. By default, Unicode is enabled.
DFS must be enabled for CIFS on all the source and target servers. Both source and target CIFS servers must be running.
VLDB server must be running.
The user must have access rights for the source and target CIFS share.
IMPORTANT:The CIFS clients accessing DFS junctions must be DFS aware. smbclient on Linux may not work appropriately in case of junctions as it is not DFS aware.
Linux Samba does not support DFS junctions, so you cannot use Samba as the file access protocol for volumes that contain junctions. However, OES servers running Samba can be the target of junctions on servers that are running Novell CIFS.
Novell Distributed File Services requires Novell iManager 2.7.5 or later for managing DFS management contexts, the VLDB service, junctions, move volume, and split volume. Novell iManager must be available somewhere in the network.
NOTE:iManager 2.7.5 or later is required for managing Distributed File Services on Netware 6.5 SP8 and OES 2 or later servers.
DFS requires the Distributed File Services plug-in (dfsmgmt.npm) and Storage plug-in (nssmgmt.npm). You must also install the Storage Management plug-in (storagemgmt.npm). For more information, see Section 8.0, Management Tools for DFS.
DFS junctions can be created only on NSS volumes. For OES 11 SP2 or later, DFS is supported only on NSS volumes that reside on devices that are managed by the Novell Logical Volume Manager (NLVM). NLVM is installed automatically when you select Novell Storage Services to be installed on your OES server. Ensure to use NSSMU or iManager to create the NSS volumes so that the NLVM is automatically configured.