Can we use NAS (NFS file system) for Linux clusters

[senthil_kumar_1]

Hi All,

Usually we are using SAN disks for Linux clusters...

I would like to know whether we can use NAS (NFS file system) for Linux clusters.

[Larry Klasmier · Accepted solution]

How do you want to use it? What exactly are you trying to accomplish?

[senthil_kumar_1]

I would like to configure High Availability cluster using GFS....


For that, Can we use NFS share of filer in stead on SAN LUN?

[Steven E. Protter]

Shalom,

No, GFS will not format an NFS share.

GFS is designed for active active clustering using for example Oracle RAC where there are more than 1 node running the database software accessing the same data.

NFS shares can not be formatted and setting up a GFS share requires formatting or the GFS equivalent of newfs.

IF you give up GFS and go to an active passive configuration for say a mysql or Oracle database this will work.

SEP

Abusing smiley privileges: :smileyvery-happy: :smileytongue:

[Zinky]

Senthil,

You are likely mixing up NFS with iSCSI sir. Most NAS Filers these days offer iSCI services -- which is a block level service (like SANs do) . NFS is filebased - hence cannot be used in any regular clustering/HA in Linux.

You can Google Linux iSCSI and you can even play with it yourself by testing say OpenFIler or even Linux iSCSI target where a Linux server can act as an iSCSI server and offer storage as it it were an iSCSI device.

There is however a better way in providing HA Storage for use in HA Clusters specially these days of faster interconnects (FCOE, 10GbE, converged adapters)...  is is called DRBD (www.drbd.org). It has been in Linux mainline kernel for sometime now. See a how to integrating DRBD with RHCS here - http://www.drbd.org/users-guide/ch-rhcs.html

Cheers!