This section compares features and capabilities of the Novell Storage Services file system on Novell Open Enterprise Server 2 Linux to those of NCP volumes on Linux POSIX file systems such as Ext3, XFS, and Reiser. For information, see Managing NCP Volumes
in the OES 2 SP3: NCP Server for Linux Administration Guide.
For information to help you choose from among the numerous Linux file system offerings, see the following:
|
Feature Description |
NSS on OES 2 SP3 Linux |
NCP Volumes on Linux POSIX File Systems |
|---|---|---|
|
Management interfaces |
Novell iManager Storage plug-in NSSMU for Linux Novell iManager with various storage-related plug-ins. For information, see Section 9.1, Novell iManager and Storage-Related Plug-Ins. EVMS (evmsgui) NSS utilities in a terminal console NSS commands in the NSS Console (NSSCON) Novell Remote Manager for Linux (browse only) |
YaST > Partitioner for managing devices Novell Remote Manager for Linux (Managing Shares) NCP commands in the NCP Console (NCPCON) YaST EVMS (evmsgui) for managing Linux devices and volumes. Various Linux commands and utilities in a terminal console. |
|
File system trustees and trustee rights to control access to directories and files |
Yes, works with or without concurrent running of NCP Server. |
Yes, requires NCP Server to enforce the rights and access on the extended attributes. |
|
File access protocols |
NCP CIFS/Samba using Novell Samba Linux NFS (version 3) Linux NFS and Samba requires users to be Linux-enabled with Linux User Management. The service must also be LUM enabled. Novell AFP for Linux (beginning in OES 2 SP1) Novell CIFS for Linux (beginning in OES 2 SP1) |
NCP CIFS/Samba using Novell Samba |
|
File system directory and file attributes to control functions available for directories and files |
Files and Folders plug-in to iManager Novell NetStorage Novell Client Novell Remote Manager for Linux. See |
Not applicable. Use POSIX file and directory attributes. |
|
Directory quotas |
Yes, requires the Directory Quotas attribute to be enabled. Novell NetStorage Novell Client |
No |
|
User space quotas (user space restrictions) |
Yes, for OES Linux SP1 and later |
Yes, if the Linux file system being used under the NCP share supports user quotas and the Linux file system resides on a local, iSCSI, or Fibre Channel drive. All users of the NCP volume must be LUM enabled. Manage the user quotas using the Linux file system tools. |
|
Default mount location for NSS pools |
/opt/novell/nss/mnt/.pools/poolname |
Not applicable. |
|
Volume name space |
Long is the default name space, which is case insensitive. You can specify the UNIX name spaces on mounting the NSS volume to make its directory names and filenames case sensitive. Using UNIX name space slows performance compared to using Long. For example:
mount ns=namespace
Valid name space values are dos, mac, long, or unix. |
UNIX; no support for case insensitive names. |
|
Salvage for deleted volumes, directories, and files |
Yes |
No |
|
Volume encryption |
Yes, for OES Linux SP1 and later |
Yes, for Reiser |
|
File compression |
Yes |
No |
|
Data shredding (secure deletion) |
Yes, up to 7 times |
No |
|
Online resizing of volumes and pools |
Yes |
Yes, depending on the file system |
|
Multiple I/O paths to storage media For information, see Managing Multipath I/O for Devices in the SLES 10 SP3: Storage Administration Guide. |
No; NSS-specific multipath I/O tools as are not available on Linux. Use the Linux Device Mapper driver support for mutlipath I/O on devices where you plan to create NSS file systems. |
Use the Linux Device Mapper driver support for mutlipath I/O on devices. (NCP is not required to make this work.) |
|
Software RAID support |
RAID 0, 1, and 5. |
RAID 0, 1, 4, 5 and 6. RAID 0+1 can be created using the Linux mdadm(8) command as a complex RAID using the RAID 0+1 option, or as a nested RAID. For information, see the SLES 10 SP3: Storage Administration Guide. |
|
Pool snapshot (retain point-in-time version of a pool using block-level copy on write) |
Yes, using iManager or NSSMU. |
Depends on the file system. EVMS supports device snapshots for the devices it manages. (NCP is not required to make this work.) |
|
Hard links |
Yes; enhanced hard links support is available in OES 2 and later. For information, see Section 24.0, Managing Hard Links. |
Yes |
|
Backup support |
Yes, using Novell Storage Management Services for Linux. For information, See Section 26.0, Managing Backup and Restore for Data and Trustee Information. |
No. Use third-party solutions. |
|
Data migration from NSS volumes on NetWare |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Novell Archive and Version Services |
Yes. For information, see the OES 2 SP3: Novell Archive and Version Services 2.1 Administration Guide for Linux. |
No |
|
Novell Distributed File Services For information, see the OES 2 SP3: Novell Distributed File Services Administration Guide for Linux. |
Yes, for OES 2 Linux and later. NSS volumes on OES 2 Linux can contain junctions or be a junction target. NSS volumes on OES 1 Linux can be a junction target, but junctions are not supported in the volume. |
Only as targets of junctions in OES 2 and later. DFS does not support junctions on NCP volumes. |
|
Dynamic Storage Technology For information, see the OES 2 SP3: Dynamic Storage Technology Administration Guide. |
Yes |
Not available in the initial OES 2 release. |
|
Novell Cluster Services for Linux For information, see the OES 2 SP3: Novell Cluster Services 1.8.8 Administration Guide for Linux. |
Yes For information, see |
Yes; cluster the Linux POSIX file system, then create the NCP volume on it. For information, see |
|
Novell Transaction Tracking System (TTS) |
No |
Use the Journal mode for Linux POSIX file systems that support journaling. |
|
Operating system version detection |
Default process |
Default process |
|
Device maintenance support |
Activate and deactivate devices by pool. |
Activate and deactivate devices using Linux tools. |
|
Cache balancing for NSS cache buffers |
You can specify a minimum cache buffer size. For information, see Tuning NSS Performance on Linux. |
Integrated with the Linux file system cache. |
|
CD and DVD device recognition |
No; not managed by NSS. Use Linux services to mount CDs and DVDs as Linux volumes. |
Yes, default |
|
Ability to access DOS partitions as on a NetWare server |
No; not managed by NSS. Use Linux services instead. |
Yes, using Linux services. |
|
Default mount location for NSS volumes |
/media/nss/volumename |
Not applicable. |
|
Default mount location for devices managed by EVMS |
/dev/evms/ |
/dev/evms/ |
|
Interface |
64-bit |
64-bit |
|
Character format |
Unicode |
UTF-8 |
|
Maximum device size recognized (physical or logical) |
2 TB |
For a 32-bit OS:
For a 64-bit OS:
|
|
Maximum software RAID size (combined total of all member segments) |
2 TB |
See Maximum device size recognized. |
|
Minimum software RAID segment size |
12 MB per segment |
Depends on the file system. |
|
Maximum partition size |
2 TB Valid Range: 10 MB to 2 TB |
Up to 16 TB, depending on the file system and block size as noted above. |
|
Maximum number of partitions (logical or physical devices) per pool |
No practical limit |
Not applicable. |
|
Maximum pool size |
8 TB (using 4 or more partitions of up to 2 TB each) |
Up to the partition size, depending on the file system. |
|
Minimum pool size |
10 MB |
Not applicable. |
|
Maximum size of a volume |
Up to 8 TB, depending on the pool size and available space in the pool. Volume quotas can be overbooked. For information, see Section 18.2, Guidelines for NSS Volumes. |
Up to the partition size, depending on the file system. |
|
Maximum file size |
Up to 8 TB, depending on the volume size and available space in the volume. |
2 GB to 2 TB for Ext2 or Ext3, depending on the block size. Up to 8 TB for Reiser. |
|
Maximum number of files per volume (In practice, how many files be managed is limited only by the file browser’s and application’s ability to list and access the files.) |
Up to 8 trillion (10E12), regardless of how many name spaces are loaded. Up to 4 billion (10E9) files in a single directory. |
Up to 8 trillion (10E12), regardless of how many name spaces are loaded. |
|
Maximum number of files open concurrently |
1 million (10E6) |
Millions (10E6), depending on the file system |
|
Maximum number of volumes per server |
Unlimited NSS data volumes, but only 255 can be mounted at a time |
Unlimited |
|
Time to mount a volume |
Requires only a few seconds NSS uses a journaling file system and does not need to scan the entire file system to create a directory entry table (DET) and to load a File Allocation Table (FAT). |
Depends on the file system; from a few seconds to a few minutes. |
|
Time to repair corrupted volume |
Up to several hours, depending on the volume size. |
Up to several hours, depending on the volume size |