The Novell Storage Services file system requires that the Enterprise Volume Management System (EVMS) be used as the volume manager of devices that contain (or will contain) NSS pools and volumes. NSS management tools cannot see devices managed by non-EVMS volume managers, so those devices and the space on them are unavailable for creating NSS pools and volumes. EVMS also makes it possible to use the full range of services that NSS offers. NSS is not supported or tested for non-EVMS volume managers.
IMPORTANT:NSS management tools require that the devices you use for NSS pools and volumes be managed by EVMS.
For a list of the NSS capabilities that are not available when using a non-EVMS volume manager, see NSS Limitations for Non-EVMS Volume Managers
in the OES 2 SP3: NSS File System Administration Guide for Linux.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 supports LVM2 and EVMS as volume managers; however, a given device can be managed by only one volume manager at a time. LVM2 is the default volume manager for SUSE Linux. During the install, the YaST page automatically recommends a partitioning scheme that uses LVM2 as the volume manager of the primary device and that allocates the entire disk for the Linux system partitions and POSIX file systems.
This default partitioning scheme creates two problems for administrators who want to use NSS pools and volumes on the same device as the system partitions:
NSS management tools cannot see devices that are managed by LVM2. Therefore, any unpartitioned free space on the system device is not available to be used for NSS pools and volumes.
The default LVM partitioning scheme allocates the entire device for Linux POSIX file systems, so there is no free space available to be used later.
Possible workarounds for these problems are:
(Recommended) Use Additional Disks for NSS Pools and Volumes: Use multiple devices on the server, and reserve the system device for system partitions and Linux POSIX file systems. Create NSS pools and volumes on the non-system disks only.
This solution does not require that the system device be managed by EVMS. During the install, use LVM2 as the volume manager for the system device. Do not partition or configure the non-system devices during the install. Otherwise, follow the install procedures described in Section A.2, Configuring the System Device to Use EVMS. Any free space on the LVM2-managed system device is not seen by NSS management tools and is not available for creating NSS pools.
After the install, you can create NSS pools or Linux POSIX file systems on other EVMS-managed devices.
(Supported) Modify the Partitioning Scheme During Install: At install time, modify the partitioning scheme for the system device to use EVMS and to leave unpartitioned free space available on the device that can be used later for NSS pools.
NOTE:This option applies to physical machines. With virtual machines, you can easily add a second virtual disk to use for NSS pools and volumes.
Beginning in OES 2 SP3, the Partitioner in the YaST Install offers the option. Follow the procedure in Section A.2, Configuring the System Device to Use EVMS.
After the install, you can create NSS pools or Linux POSIX file systems on the system device and on any additional disks. For information about creating NSS and Linux POSIX file systems on EVMS-managed devices, see Section A.4, Using EVMS to Manage Devices.