Red Hat Training

A Red Hat training course is available for Red Hat Virtualization

9.2. Using Red Hat Gluster Storage as a Storage Domain

9.2.1. Introduction to Red Hat Gluster Storage (GlusterFS) Volumes

Red Hat Gluster Storage volumes combine storage from more than one Red Hat Gluster Storage server into a single global namespace. A volume is a collection of bricks, where each brick is a mountpoint or directory on a Red Hat Gluster Storage Server in the trusted storage pool.
Most of the management operations of Red Hat Gluster Storage happen on the volume.
You can use the Administration Portal to create and start new volumes. You can monitor volumes in your Red Hat Gluster Storage cluster from the Volumes tab.
While volumes can be created and managed from the Administration Portal, bricks must be created on the individual Red Hat Gluster Storage nodes before they can be added to volumes using the Administration Portal

9.2.2. Gluster Storage Terminology

Table 9.1. Data Center Properties

Term
Definition
Brick
A brick is the GlusterFS basic unit of storage, represented by an export directory on a server in the trusted storage pool. A Brick is expressed by combining a server with an export directory in the following format:
SERVER:EXPORT
For example:
myhostname:/exports/myexportdir/
Block Storage
Block special files or block devices correspond to devices through which the system moves data in the form of blocks. These device nodes often represent addressable devices such as hard disks, CD-ROM drives, or memory-regions. Red Hat Gluster Storage supports XFS file system with extended attributes.
Cluster
A trusted pool of linked computers, working together closely thus in many respects forming a single computer. In Red Hat Gluster Storage terminology a cluster is called a trusted storage pool.
Client
The machine that mounts the volume (this may also be a server).
Distributed File System
A file system that allows multiple clients to concurrently access data spread across multiple servers/bricks in a trusted storage pool. Data sharing among multiple locations is fundamental to all distributed file systems.
Geo-Replication
Geo-replication provides a continuous, asynchronous, and incremental replication service from site to another over Local Area Networks (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), and across the Internet.
glusterd
The Gluster management daemon that needs to run on all servers in the trusted storage pool.
Metadata
Metadata is data providing information about one or more other pieces of data.
N-way Replication
Local synchronous data replication typically deployed across campus or Amazon Web Services Availability Zones.
Namespace
Namespace is an abstract container or environment created to hold a logical grouping of unique identifiers or symbols. Each Red Hat Gluster Storage trusted storage pool exposes a single namespace as a POSIX mount point that contains every file in the trusted storage pool.
POSIX
Portable Operating System Interface (for Unix) is the name of a family of related standards specified by the IEEE to define the application programming interface (API), along with shell and utilities interfaces for software compatible with variants of the UNIX operating system. Red Hat Gluster Storage exports a fully POSIX compatible file system.
RAID
Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID) is a technology that provides increased storage reliability through redundancy, combining multiple low-cost, less-reliable disk drives components into a logical unit where all drives in the array are interdependent.
RRDNS
Round Robin Domain Name Service (RRDNS) is a method to distribute load across application servers. RRDNS is implemented by creating multiple A records with the same name and different IP addresses in the zone file of a DNS server.
Server
The machine (virtual or bare-metal) which hosts the actual file system in which data will be stored.
Scale-Up Storage
Increases the capacity of the storage device, but only in a single dimension. An example might be adding additional disk capacity to a single computer in a trusted storage pool.
Scale-Out Storage
Increases the capability of a storage device in multiple dimensions. For example adding a server to a trusted storage pool increases CPU, disk capacity, and throughput for the trusted storage pool.
Subvolume
A subvolume is a brick after being processed by at least one translator.
Translator
A translator connects to one or more subvolumes, does something with them, and offers a subvolume connection.
Trusted Storage Pool
A storage pool is a trusted network of storage servers. When you start the first server, the storage pool consists of that server alone.
User Space
Applications running in user space do not directly interact with hardware, instead using the kernel to moderate access. User Space applications are generally more portable than applications in kernel space. Gluster is a user space application.
Virtual File System (VFS)
VFS is a kernel software layer that handles all system calls related to the standard Linux file system. It provides a common interface to several kinds of file systems.
Volume File
The volume file is a configuration file used by GlusterFS process. The volume file will usually be located at: /var/lib/glusterd/vols/VOLNAME.
Volume
A volume is a logical collection of bricks. Most of the Gluster management operations happen on the volume.

9.2.3. Attaching a Red Hat Gluster Storage Volume as a Storage Domain

Add a Red Hat Gluster Storage volume to the Red Hat Virtualization Manager to be used directly as a storage domain. This differs from adding a Red Hat Storage Gluster node, which enables control over the volumes and bricks of the node from within the Red Hat Virtualization Manager, and does not require a Gluster-enabled cluster.
The host requires the glusterfs, glusterfs-fuse, and glusterfs-cli packages to be installed in order to mount the volume. The glusterfs-cli package is available from the rh-common-rpms channel on the Customer Portal.
For information on setting up a Red Hat Gluster Storage node, see the Red Hat Gluster Storage Installation Guide. For more information on preparing a host to be used with Red Hat Storage Gluster volumes, see the Configuring Red Hat Virtualization with Red Hat Gluster Storage Guide. For more information on the compatibility matrix, see the Red Hat Gluster Storage Version Compatibility and Support.

Procedure 9.3. Adding a Red Hat Gluster Storage Volume as a Storage Domain

  1. Click the Storage resource tab to list the existing storage domains in the results list.
  2. Click New Domain to open the New Domain window.
    Red Hat Gluster Storage

    Figure 9.1. Red Hat Gluster Storage

  3. Enter the Name for the storage domain.
  4. Select the Data Center to be associated with the storage domain.
  5. Select Data from the Domain Function drop-down list.
  6. Select GlusterFS from the Storage Type drop-down list.
  7. Select a host from the Use Host drop-down list. Only hosts within the selected data center will be listed. To mount the volume, the host that you select must have the glusterfs and glusterfs-fuse packages installed.
  8. In the Path field, enter the IP address or FQDN of the Red Hat Gluster Storage server and the volume name separated by a colon.
  9. Enter additional Mount Options, as you would normally provide them to the mount command using the -o argument. The mount options should be provided in a comma-separated list. See man mount for a list of valid mount options.
  10. Optionally, you can configure the advanced parameters.
    1. Click Advanced Parameters.
    2. Enter a percentage value into the Warning Low Space Indicator field. If the free space available on the storage domain is below this percentage, warning messages are displayed to the user and logged.
    3. Enter a GB value into the Critical Space Action Blocker field. If the free space available on the storage domain is below this value, error messages are displayed to the user and logged, and any new action that consumes space, even temporarily, will be blocked.
    4. Select the Wipe After Delete check box to enable the wipe after delete option. This option can be edited after the domain is created, but doing so will not change the wipe after delete property of disks that already exist.
  11. Click OK to mount the volume as a storage domain and close the window.

9.2.4. Creating a Storage Volume

You can create new volumes using the Administration Portal. When creating a new volume, you must specify the bricks that comprise the volume and specify whether the volume is to be distributed, replicated, or striped.
You must create brick directories or mountpoints before you can add them to volumes.

Important

It is recommended that you use replicated volumes, where bricks exported from different hosts are combined into a volume. Replicated volumes create copies of files across multiple bricks in the volume, preventing data loss when a host is fenced.

Procedure 9.4. Creating A Storage Volume

  1. Click the Volumes resource tab to list existing volumes in the results list.
  2. Click New to open the New Volume window.
  3. Use the drop-down menus to select the Data Center and Volume Cluster.
  4. Enter the Name of the volume.
  5. Use the drop-down menu to select the Type of the volume.
  6. If active, select the appropriate Transport Type check box.
  7. Click the Add Bricks button to select bricks to add to the volume. Bricks must be created externally on the Red Hat Gluster Storage nodes.
  8. If active, use the Gluster, NFS, and CIFS check boxes to select the appropriate access protocols used for the volume.
  9. Enter the volume access control as a comma-separated list of IP addresses or hostnames in the Allow Access From field.
    You can use the * wildcard to specify ranges of IP addresses or hostnames.
  10. Select the Optimize for Virt Store option to set the parameters to optimize your volume for virtual machine storage. Select this if you intend to use this volume as a storage domain.
  11. Click OK to create the volume. The new volume is added and displays on the Volume tab.
You have added a Red Hat Gluster Storage volume. You can now use it for storage.

9.2.5. Adding Bricks to a Volume

Summary

You can expand your volumes by adding new bricks. You need to add at least one brick to a distributed volume, multiples of two bricks to replicated volumes, and multiples of four bricks to striped volumes when expanding your storage space.

Procedure 9.5. Adding Bricks to a Volume

  1. On the Volumes tab on the navigation pane, select the volume to which you want to add bricks.
  2. Click the Bricks tab from the Details pane.
  3. Click Add Bricks to open the Add Bricks window.
  4. Use the Server drop-down menu to select the server on which the brick resides.
  5. Enter the path of the Brick Directory. The directory must already exist.
  6. Click Add. The brick appears in the list of bricks in the volume, with server addresses and brick directory names.
  7. Click OK.
Result

The new bricks are added to the volume and the bricks display in the volume's Bricks tab.

9.2.6. Explanation of Settings in the Add Bricks Window

Table 9.2. Add Bricks Tab Properties

Field Name
Description
Volume Type
Displays the type of volume. This field cannot be changed; it was set when you created the volume.
Server
The server where the bricks are hosted.
Brick Directory
The brick directory or mountpoint.

9.2.7. Optimizing Red Hat Gluster Storage Volumes to Store Virtual Machine Images

Optimize a Red Hat Gluster Storage volume to store virtual machine images using the Administration Portal.
To optimize a volume for storing virtual machines, the Manager sets a number of virtualization-specific parameters for the volume.
Volumes can be optimized to store virtual machines during creation by selecting the Optimize for Virt Store check box, or after creation using the Optimize for Virt Store button from the Volumes resource tab.

Important

If a volume is replicated across three or more nodes, ensure the volume is optimized for virtual storage to avoid data inconsistencies across the nodes.
An alternate method is to access one of the Red Hat Gluster Storage nodes and set the volume group to virt. This sets the cluster.quorum-type parameter to auto, and the cluster.server-quorum-type parameter to server.
# gluster volume set VOLUME_NAME group virt
Verify the status of the volume by listing the volume information:
# gluster volume info VOLUME_NAME

9.2.8. Starting Volumes

Summary

After a volume has been created or an existing volume has been stopped, it needs to be started before it can be used.

Procedure 9.6. Starting Volumes

  1. In the Volumes tab, select the volume to be started.
    You can select multiple volumes to start by using Shift or Ctrl key.
  2. Click the Start button.
The volume status changes to Up.
Result

You can now use your volume for virtual machine storage.

9.2.9. Tuning Volumes

Summary

Tuning volumes allows you to affect their performance. To tune volumes, you add options to them.

Procedure 9.7. Tuning Volumes

  1. Click the Volumes tab.
    A list of volumes displays.
  2. Select the volume that you want to tune, and click the Volume Options tab from the Details pane.
    The Volume Options tab displays a list of options set for the volume.
  3. Click Add to set an option. The Add Option dialog box displays. Select the Option Key from the drop down list and enter the option value.
  4. Click OK.
    The option is set and displays in the Volume Options tab.
Result

You have tuned the options for your storage volume.

9.2.10. Editing Volume Options

Summary

You have tuned your volume by adding options to it. You can change the options for your storage volume.

Procedure 9.8. Editing Volume Options

  1. Click the Volumes tab.
    A list of volumes displays.
  2. Select the volume that you want to edit, and click the Volume Options tab from the Details pane.
    The Volume Options tab displays a list of options set for the volume.
  3. Select the option you want to edit. Click Edit. The Edit Option dialog box displays. Enter a new value for the option.
  4. Click OK.
    The edited option displays in the Volume Options tab.
Result

You have changed the options on your volume.

9.2.11. Reset Volume Options

Summary

You can reset options to revert them to their default values.

  1. Click the Volumes tab.
    A list of volumes displays.
  2. Select the volume and click the Volume Options tab from the Details pane.
    The Volume Options tab displays a list of options set for the volume.
  3. Select the option you want to reset. Click Reset. A dialog box displays, prompting to confirm the reset option.
  4. Click OK.
    The selected option is reset.

Note

You can reset all volume options by clicking Reset All button. A dialog box displays, prompting to confirm the reset option. Click OK. All volume options are reset for the selected volume.
Result

You have reset volume options to default.

9.2.12. Removing Bricks from a Volume

Summary

You can shrink volumes, as needed, while the cluster is online and available. For example, you might need to remove a brick that has become inaccessible in a distributed volume due to hardware or network failure.

Procedure 9.9. Removing Bricks from a Volume

  1. On the Volumes tab on the navigation pane, select the volume from which you wish to remove bricks.
  2. Click the Bricks tab from the Details pane.
  3. Select the bricks you wish to remove. Click Remove Bricks.
  4. A window opens, prompting to confirm the deletion. Click OK to confirm.
Result

The bricks are removed from the volume.

9.2.13. Stopping Red Hat Gluster Storage Volumes

After a volume has been started, it can be stopped.

Procedure 9.10. Stopping Volumes

  1. In the Volumes tab, select the volume to be stopped.
    You can select multiple volumes to stop by using Shift or Ctrl key.
  2. Click Stop.

9.2.14. Deleting Red Hat Gluster Storage Volumes

You can delete a volume or multiple volumes from your cluster.
  1. In the Volumes tab, select the volume to be deleted.
  2. Click Remove. A dialog box displays, prompting to confirm the deletion. Click OK.

9.2.15. Rebalancing Volumes

Summary

If a volume has been expanded or shrunk by adding or removing bricks to or from that volume, the data on the volume must be rebalanced amongst the servers.

Procedure 9.11. Rebalancing a Volume

  1. Click the Volumes tab.
    A list of volumes displays.
  2. Select the volume to rebalance.
  3. Click Rebalance.
Result

The selected volume is rebalanced.