13.3 Creating Linux POSIX Volumes on Shared Devices

Using EVMS, you can add the Cluster Segment Manager to a shared device and create a Linux volume and file system on it for use with Novell Cluster Services.

Complete the tasks in this section to create a Linux POSIX volume and file system on a shared device:

13.3.1 Initializing and Sharing a Device

After Novell Cluster Services is configured on the server, you can mark the device as shareable for clustering. If the device is newly added to the server, it might also be necessary to initialize the device in order to get the system to recognize its free space.

You can perform the device management tasks by using the Novell Storage Services (NSS) Management Utility or the Storage plug-in to iManager.

Initializing and Sharing a Disk with NSSMU

  1. Log in to the server as the root user, then open a terminal console.

  2. At the console prompt, enter

    nssmu

  3. In the NSSMU, select Devices and press Enter.

  4. In the Devices list, select the device where you want to create the Linux POSIX cluster resource.

  5. If the device has not been initialized, press F3 to initialize the disk.

    WARNING:Initializing a disk destroys all of the data on it.

    This initializes the disk and lays down a DOS Segment Manager on it. You will remove this segment manager later.

  6. Press F6 to mark the device as shareable for clustering.

    The Shareable for Clustering value changes from No to Yes.

  7. Exit NSSMU.

  8. Continue with Section 13.3.2, Removing Formatting and Segment Managers.

Initializing and Sharing a Disk with iManager

  1. In iManager, select Storage > Devices, then select a server.

  2. From the Devices list, select the device where you want to create the Linux POSIX cluster resource.

  3. If the device has not been initialized, click Initialize Disk.

    WARNING:Initializing a disk destroys all of the data on it.

    This initializes the disk and lays down a DOS Segment Manager on it. You will remove this segment manager later.

  4. In the Details area, select the Shareable for Clustering check box, then click OK to apply the change.

  5. Exit iManager.

  6. Continue with Section 13.3.2, Removing Formatting and Segment Managers.

13.3.2 Removing Formatting and Segment Managers

The EVMS Cluster Segment Manager must be the first segment manager laid down on the device that you want to use for the shared Linux volume. Before you can assign the CSM to a device, you must Ensure that the space is free of other formatting and segment managers.

WARNING:Clearing the existing formatting for a device destroys all data on it.

EVMS by default shows unformatted free space on disks as compatibility volumes. CMS requires the entire device. You must delete any existing compatibility volumes in order to free the space.

If the device contains existing segment managers, you must also delete them so that the CSM container is the first one on the device.

  1. At a Linux terminal console, log in as the root user, then enter 

    evmsgui

  2. Locate and delete any compatibility volumes on the device that you want to use for the shared volume:

    1. Click the Volumes tab, then locate any compatibility volumes that are on the space you want to use.

    2. Right-click the volume of interest, select Display details, click the Page 2 tab, verify from the Status field that the volume is a compatibility volume, then click OK to dismiss the dialog box.

    3. If the volume is a compatibility volume, continue with Step 2.d. Otherwise, go to Step 3.

    4. Click the Volumes tab, right-click the volume, then select Delete.

      WARNING:All data on the selected volume is destroyed.

    5. Select the volume, then click Recursive Delete.

    6. If a Response Required pop-up appears, click the Write zeros button.

    7. If another pop-up appears, click Continue to write 1024 bytes to the end of the volume.

    8. Click Save, then click Save again to save your changes.

  3. Locate and delete any existing segment managers on the device that you want to use for the shared volume, such as NetWare Segment Manager or DOS Segment Manager:

    1. Click the Disks tab, then locate and select the device that you want to use for the shared volume, such as device sdb.

    2. Right-click, then select Remove segment manager from Object.

      This option appears only if there is an existing segment manager for the selected disk.

    3. Select the listed non-CSM segment manager, click Remove, then click OK.

      WARNING:All data on the selected disk space is destroyed.

    4. Click Save, then click Save again to save your changes.

    5. Repeat Step 3.a to Step 3.d until the Remove segment manager from Object option is no longer available when you right-click the device.

  4. Continue with Section 13.3.3, Creating a Cluster Segment Manager Container.

13.3.3 Creating a Cluster Segment Manager Container

A Cluster Segment Manager container provides exclusive access to shared storage for a node. You must assign an EVMS CSM to the shared device where you want to create the shared volume. The EVMS Cluster Segment Manager must be the first segment manager laid down on the space you want to use for the shared Linux volume. You use the Cluster Segment Manager plug-in for EVMS to create a CSM container.

IMPORTANT:CSM containers require Novell Cluster Services to be running on all nodes that access the CSM container. Ensure that Novell Cluster Services is running before you continue.

  1. In evmsgui, click Actions > Create > Container.

  2. On the Create Storage Container page, select Cluster Segment Manager, then click Next.

  3. On the Select Plugin Acceptable Objects page, select the disks (storage objects) you want to place in the container (such as sdb), then click Next.

  4. On the Configuration Options page, select the cluster server node where you are creating the container, specify Private as the type, then specify a name for the container.

    Specify a name that is easy to associate with the cluster resource you plan to create for the container. For example, if the IP address you plan to assign to the resource is 10.10.10.44, you might name the container csm44.

    The name must be one word, must consist of standard alphanumeric characters, and must not be any of the following reserved words:

    • Container
    • Disk
    • EVMS
    • Plugin
    • Region
    • Segment
    • Volume

  5. Click Create, then click OK.

  6. Click Save, then click Save again to save your changes.

  7. Continue with Section 13.3.4, Adding a Segment Manager to the CSM Container.

13.3.4 Adding a Segment Manager to the CSM Container

As a best practice, a cluster resource uses only one volume per shared device. However, if you need multiple volumes on the same device, you should add a segment manager to the CSM container.

A CSM container uses the entire EVMS disk. Without segment managers on top of the CSM container, creating additional volumes or expanding or shrinking volumes is not possible. Also, because only one EVMS volume is possible in the container, only one file system type is used.

After creating a CSM container, you can optionally add a non-CSM segment manager container on top of it. This allows you to create one volume or multiple smaller volumes on your shared device. You can expand or shrink existing EVMS volumes to utilize the space on your shared device. In addition, this means that you can also have different file system types on your shared device.

IMPORTANT:If you create multiple volumes, they must be managed in the same cluster resource because the device moves from node to node as a single entity.

Use the following procedure to add a non-CSM segment manager on the CSM container, or skip ahead to Section 13.3.5, Creating an EVMS Volume if you do not want to add another segment manager.

  1. In evmsgui, click Actions > Add > Segment Manager to Storage Object.

  2. On the Add Segment Manager to Storage Object page, choose the desired segment manager (such as DOS Segment Manager), then click Next.

    Most of the segment managers will work. The DOS segment manager is added by default for some EVMS operations.

  3. On the Select Plugin Acceptable Objects page, choose the CSM container storage object where you want to add the segment manager, then click Next.

  4. On the Configurable Options page, select the disk type (Linux is the default), click Add, then click OK.

  5. Click Save, then click Save again to save your changes.

  6. If you added a DOS segment manager, create a segment for it:

    IMPORTANT:Some segment managers such as the DOS segment manager require you to create a segment before creating an EVMS volume. Without a segment, the additional segment manager does not appear when you attempt to create an EVMS volume.

    1. In evmsgui, click Actions > Create > Segment.

    2. On the Create Disk Segment page, select DOS Segment Manager, then click Next.

    3. On the Select Plugin Acceptable Objects page, choose the CSM container storage object (such as csm44/sdb_freespace1) where you want to add the segment, then click Next.

    4. Specify the size of the segment, the partition type (such as Linux LVM), click Create, then click OK.

    5. Click Save, then click Save again to save your changes.

  7. Continue with Section 13.3.5, Creating an EVMS Volume.

13.3.5 Creating an EVMS Volume

  1. In evmsgui, click Actions > Create > EVMS Volume.

  2. On the Create EVMS Volume page, select the container you just created (either the CSM container or the additional segment manager container), then specify a name for the volume (such as lxvol44).

  3. Click Create, then click OK.

  4. Click Save, then click Save again to save your changes.

  5. Click the Volumes tab to verify that the EVMS volume was created.

    For example, a volume named lxvol44 would be listed as /dev/evms/csm44/lxvol44.

  6. Continue with Section 13.3.6, Making a File System on the EVMS Volume.

13.3.6 Making a File System on the EVMS Volume

  1. In evmsgui, click the Disks tab, then activate the CSM container:

    1. On the Disks page, right-click the CSM container, then select Activate.

    2. On the Activate page, select the CSM container, click Activate, then click OK.

    3. Click Save, then click Save again to save your changes.

  2. Click the Volumes tab, then activate the EVMS volume:

    1. On the Volumes page, right-click the EVMS volume, then select Activate.

    2. On the Activate page, select the volume, click Activate, then click OK.

    3. Click Save, then click Save again to save your changes.

  3. Make the file system on the EVMS volume:

    1. On the Volumes page, right-click the volume, then select Make File System.

    2. On the Make File System page, choose a Linux POSIX file system interface module from the list (such as Ext2/3 File System Interface Module), then click Next.

    3. Specify a volume label, click Make, then click OK.

    4. Click Save, then click Save again to save your changes.

      The file system type is now listed under the Plugin column.

  4. Mount the volume:

    1. On the Volumes page, right-click the volume, then select Mount.

    2. On the Mount File System page, select the volume, then specify the Linux path to use for the mount point, such as /mnt/mount_point.

    3. (Optional) Click Options, specify any desired mount options, then click OK.

    4. Click Mount, then click OK.

      The mount point now appears in the Mount Point column.

  5. Continue with Section 13.4, Cluster-Enabling a Linux POSIX Volume on a Shared Device.