9.2 Creating a DST Shadow Volume with NSS Volumes

A DST shadow volume links two existing NSS volumes. Typically, one of the volumes contains data and one is newly created. For information about how to create NSS volumes, see the OES 2 SP3: NSS File System Administration Guide for Linux.

This section describes how to create unshared DST shadow volumes. For information about using shared NSS volumes to create a shared DST shadow volume in a cluster environment, see Section 13.0, Configuring DST Shadow Volume Pairs with Novell Cluster Services.

IMPORTANT:The following procedures use VOL1 for the primary storage area, and ARCVOL as the secondary storage area. Ensure that you substitute the actual names of the NSS volumes you are using in each of the steps.

9.2.1 Preparing the NSS Volumes for Use in the Shadow Volume

  1. Open Novell Remote Manager for Linux in a Web browser, then log in to the DST server as the root user.

  2. Select View File System > Dynamic Storage Technology Options to view a list of mounted volumes.

  3. On the Dynamic Storage Technology page, ensure that the NSS volume that you want to use as the primary volume appears in the Volume Information list with a status of Add Shadow. If it is not listed, the NSS volume might be unmounted, or its NCP/NSS bindings might be disabled.

    1. Select Manage NCP Services > Manage Shares to view a list of active volumes.

    2. If the NSS volume is in the list but it is not mounted, the volume’s name is not hyperlinked and a Mount button is located next to it.

      To mount the volume, click the Mount button next to the volume name. Continue with Step 4.

    3. If the NSS volume does not appear in the list of active volumes, click NCP/NSS Bindings to view the Available NSS Volumes list. If the NSS volume is in the list, check the NCP/NSS Bindings parameter to see if it is disabled.

      If the NCP Accessible value is set to No, the volume’s NCP/NSS binding is disabled. The most likely reason is that the volume is already being used as the secondary volume in another shadow volume. In that case, you must choose another volume to use as a primary volume.

      If you are certain that the volume is not being used in another shadow volume, you can enable the NCP/NSS Bindings setting:

      1. Select Yes in the NCP Accessible column for the NSS volume, then click Save Selection to save and apply the change.

      2. If the volume is not automatically mounted, select Manage NCP Services > Manage Shares to view the Volume Information list, then click the Mount button next to the volume name to mount it.

    4. If the volume does not appear in the list of active volumes, and it does not appear on the NCP/NSS Bindings page in the Available NSS Volumes list, the volume probably is not mounted in NSS.

      Exit Novell Remote Manager, then use NSSMU or the storage plug-in for Novell iManager to mount the volume in NSS. These tools automatically mount the volume for NSS and for NCP. When the volumes are mounted, return to Step 1 and begin again.

  4. On the Dynamic Storage Technology page, ensure that the NSS volume that you want to use as the secondary volume appears in the Volume Information list with a status of Add Shadow.

    The secondary volume must be mounted in NCP in order to perform the next step.

    For example, the volume ARCVOL is the NSS volume that is planned to be used for the secondary volume. The volume is in the Volume Information list with a Shadow Status value of Add Shadow.

  5. (Optional) If the secondary volume contains data and the primary volume is a newly created volume, copy the trustee database file on the secondary volume to the primary volume before you create the shadow volume relationship.

    Any existing file system trustee and rights settings on a secondary volume that contains data are not automatically re-used by DST for the shadow volume. Copying the existing trustee database allows you to leverage the current settings. Otherwise, you must reconfigure file system access rights from the merged view after you create the shadow volume.

    For information, see Section 9.5, Copying a Trustee Database to the Primary NSS Volume.

  6. Continue with Section 9.2.2, Disabling the NCP/NSS Bindings for the Secondary Volume.

9.2.2 Disabling the NCP/NSS Bindings for the Secondary Volume

  1. Open Novell Remote Manager for Linux in a Web browser, then log in to the DST server as the root user.

  2. Select View File System > Dynamic Storage Technology Options to view a list of mounted volumes.

  3. Select Manage NCP Services > Manage Shares, click NCP/NSS Bindings.

  4. In the Available NSS Volumes list, select No in the NCP Accessible column for the NSS volume that you want to use as the secondary volume.

  5. Click Save Selection to save and apply the change.

  6. Go to the Dynamic Storage Technology page, and verify that the secondary volume (for example, ARCVOL) is no longer listed.

  7. Continue with Section 9.2.3, Adding a Shadow to the Primary NSS Volume

9.2.3 Adding a Shadow to the Primary NSS Volume

  1. Open Novell Remote Manager for Linux in a Web browser, then log in to the DST server as the root user.

  2. Use one of the following methods to go to the volume’s Share Information page of the NSS volume that you want to use as the primary storage area.

    • Select View File System > Dynamic Storage Technology Options to go to the Dynamic Storage Options page, then click the Add Shadow link next to the volume name of the NSS volume.

      For example, click the Add Shadow link for VOL1.

    • Select Manage NCP Services > Manage Shares to open the Manage Shares page, then click the Information (i) icon next to the volume name of the NSS volume.

  3. On the volume’s Share Information page, scroll down to the Volume Tasks area, then click Add Shadow Volume.

  4. Specify the following information for the secondary storage area for the DST shadow volume, then click Create to define the shadow volume.

    • Shadow Path: Type the Linux path for the NSS volume that you want to use as the secondary storage area. The default Linux path where NSS volumes are mounted is /media/nss/volumename.

      For example, to specify the NSS volume named ARCVOL as the secondary storage area, type /media/nss/ARCVOL in the Shadow Path field.

    • Create If Not Present: For NSS volumes, the volume must already exist. Make sure this option is deselected (not checked) when shadowing NSS volumes.

      IMPORTANT:This option is a placeholder for future capabilities to support shadow volumes for NCP volumes on Linux POSIX file systems (such as Ext3, Reiser, and XFS).

  5. On the volume’s Share Information page, ensure that the File System Shadow Path information shows the shadow path you specified in Step 4.

  6. Select View File System > Dynamic Storage Technology Options to go to the Dynamic Storage Options page, then verify that the Shadow Status for the volume is set to Shadowed and the View Log link is available.

  7. Continue with Section 9.2.4, Moving Data between the Two Volumes.

9.2.4 Moving Data between the Two Volumes

  1. In Novell Remote Manager, select View File System > Dynamic Storage Technology Options to go to the Dynamic Storage Options page, then create one or multiple shadow volume policies for the shadow volume.

    Shadow volume policies can be configured to move files according to the time since the file was last modified, accessed, or changed; by file names; by file types; or by file size. You can schedule policies to run automatically, or you can run them on demand.

    For information about creating and scheduling shadow volume policies, see Section 10.0, Creating and Managing Policies for Shadow Volumes.

  2. (Optional) Move selected data on demand by running customized inventory reports, then using the inventory detail reports to move selected files to either volume according to the time since the file was last modified, accessed, or changed; by file names; by file types; or by file size.

    For information, see Section 11.4, Using Inventory Detail Reports to Move, Copy, or Delete Files on the Shadow Volume.