[nmglug] Linux built SAN

[Andres Paglayan]

thanks,
we are upgrading to a gig switch,
and I am not versed enough to determine about SAN vs NAS,
I kinda imagined SAN would be easier to set up,
OpenFiler looks like a good one,
and would allow either,
Thx!



On Nov 6, 2006, at 11:05 AM, Nick Frost wrote:

> Andres Paglayan wrote:
>
>> I got a 3ware 9550sx RAID controller
>> and a bunch of disks,
>> now I wonder,
>> (I should wondered before, I know)
>> what's the best way to create a SAN
>> (storage network area) appliance
>> using Linux
>
> I have never installed a fiber-channel based SAN, as the company I  
> work for is too small for a SAN (NAS works better here presently).
>
> If you truly want a SAN, you likely will need an LSI fiber channel  
> controller (I think the LSI controllers are best supported for  
> Linux), a fiber switch (Vixel or otherwise), etc.    Theoretically   
> you could also use a gigabit switch to have a copper-based SAN, but  
> fiber channel is really how SAN's are most often implemented,  
> although iSCSI is another option;
>
> http://www.netadmintools.com/art371.html
>
> http://www.novell.com/coolsolutions/feature/17668.html
>
> Depending on what your anticipated scaling needs are, you may want  
> to look at clustered file systems like GFS, Lustre, and NAS/SAN  
> projects like OpenFiler, etc.
>
> http://www.lustre.org/docs/luswhite.pdf
>
> http://www.openfiler.com/
>
> http://www.networkcomputing.com/showArticle.jhtml? 
> articleID=47900369&pgno=1
>
> First experiences with large SAN storage and Linux
> http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=16234256
>
> If you want a NAS (simpler, less expensive), you have the choice of  
> connecting as many disks to the 3ware 9500-S(12?) as you want and  
> either doing hardware RAID or JBOD with software RAID (mdadm).   
> Then it's just a matter of which protocols you want support for,  
> and compiling/configuring daemons for SMB/CIFS/AFP, etc.
>
> Good luck!
>
> -Nick
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> Nicholas S. Frost
> nickf at nickorama.com
>
>
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