[linux-lvm] HA Fileserver configuration recommendation sought.

[David S.]

> 
> Another alternative is Lustre.  It is a filesystem which purports to be
> able to aggregate the disks of multiple storage computers into one or
> more gigantic filesystems.  It isn't stable for us, but it may be
> someday.  :)  The Lustre vendor claims to be able to break not just the
> 2T barrier, but also the 16T barrier.  We do have a lustre filesystem of
> over 16T set up now, but it remains to be seen what will happen when we
> actually put over 16T of -data- in it.
> 
> Another option may be the "LBD" patches.  I haven't tried them, nor even
> studied about them.

You can use PVFS2 (http://www.pvfs.org/pvfs2/) to aggregate disks from
multiple servers into on big file system.  Though PVFS2 is specifically
designed for parallel applications, and may not be suited for your
purposes.  You can sort-of do it with AFS (http://www.openafs.org),
with mutiple file servers servicing the same name space.  AFS is again
rather different from an "ordinary" file system, however.  I know you
can do it with IBM's GPFS (http://www-1.ibm.com/servers/eserver/clusters/software/gpfs.html);
we use GPFS here on two servers attached to an IBM SAN to create a
6.5T file system.  But if you decide to take a run at GPFS, don't
blame me.

David S.

>