4.6 Upgrading Distributed File Services (DFS) to OES

The DFS junction support on OES brings the NetWare Novell Distributed File System feature set to Linux with the following additions:

  • VLDB services are cluster-enabled.

  • Junctions can point to subdirectories, not just the root of a volume.

  • All administration is performed via iManager.

  • Junctions can be created on any file system, not just Novell Storage Services.

Novell Distributed File Services (DFS) for the Novell Storage Services (NSS) file system provides location transparency of file data to end users. You can modify the underlying physical organization of data on NSS volumes to maximize the use and performance of available storage resources. With DFS, you can create a single virtual file system for data on NSS volumes that span multiple machines.

DFS preserves the logical file organization from the user perspective by maintaining a Volume Location Database (VLDB) for all volumes in a DFS management context. Using junctions and the VLDB eliminates the user’s need to know the path to the physical location of the data.

For information and instructions, see Migrating DFS from NetWare to OES 2015 SP1. in the OES 2015 SP1: Novell Distributed File Services Administration Guide for Linux.

For additional instructions for moving NSS devices cross-platform, see Migrating NSS Devices to OES 2015 SP1 in the OES 2015 SP1: NSS File System Administration Guide for Linux.