Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Version 1.15
This product is protected by United States Patents Nos. 7,093,127 B2; 6,715,098; 7,058,788 B2; 7,330,960 B2; 7,055,008 B2; 7,469,337
and additional patents pending.
080510.6576
Contents
Introduction
How FDS works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Concepts and components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Installation
Pre-configured physical appliance setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Pre-configured appliance - Delivered components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Physical appliance - Mount the FDS appliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Physical appliance - Connect to your storage network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Software appliance kit setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Install an operating system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Set network information for your FDS appliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Install FDS server software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Getting Started
Run the FalconStor Management Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Launch the web-based console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Install and launch the console on an administrative computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Connect to your FDS server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Configure your FDS server using the configuration wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Step 1: Enter license keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Step 2: Set up network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Step 3: Set hostname . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Step 4: Prepare physical devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Step 5: Set up FDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Step 6: Configure deduplication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Step 7: Create resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Step 8: Create share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Set the security mode for Windows clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Domain mode configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Map/mount shares . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Windows clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
NFS clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Add NFS clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Deduplication
Reclaim disk space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
Check integrity of deduplicated data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Add repository resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
Exclude folders from deduplication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
Statistics
FDS Resources statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
Resource-level statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
Share and folder-level statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
Repository statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
Replication
Configure incoming replication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
Configure outgoing replication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
Check replication status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
Recover files from a replica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
Exclude folders from replication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92
Change replication properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92
Manually start replication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93
Suspend/resume replication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94
Multipathing
Load distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96
Path management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96
Enable load balancing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
Email Alerts
Configure Email Alerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
Modify Email Alerts properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106
Script/program trigger information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107
Customize email for a specific trigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107
Appendix
Firewall ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108
Maximum number of data streams per FalconStor appliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
Index
Because it uses network-based file shares for backed up data, restoring data can be
faster and easier with FDS. The administrator has direct access to all files without
the need for a restore job. Even after deduplication occurs, pointers (stub files) on
the share point to the full file in the repository. Restoring data copied by archiving
software is as simple as copying the necessary files from a share back to the
appropriate location.
If you received a pre-configured appliance, verify that you have received the
following items:
• FalconStor FDS appliance with installed hard drives, two power cords, rail
kit, and manufacturer’s documentation.
• For some FDS systems, up to three storage capacity units, each with two
power cords, SAS interconnect cables, rail kit, and manufacturer’s
documentation.
• Product keycode certificates (if you have a pre-configured appliance,
product keycodes have already been installed).
Contact your FalconStor representative if any items are missing.
If you are using a physical appliance, you will probably want to rack-mount the
system.
If you received a pre-configured appliance from FalconStor, the FDS appliance will
occupy 2U; each storage capacity unit will occupy 3U (maximum of six units).
1. Stabilize your rack unit before installing the appliance into the rack.
2. Install the slide rails and system in the rack according to the provided rack
installation documentation.
3. If your appliance includes a Fibre Channel card, connect a FC cable from your
switch to each of the FC ports on the rear of the appliance.
4. On the FDS appliance, connect both power cords from a standard AC outlet to
the appliance. If your FDS system includes storage capacity units, do not power
on the appliance.
5. If your FDS system includes storage capacity units, set the storage mode switch
on the front panel of each unit to the unified position.
6. Power-on the FDS appliance using the power button on the front of the
appliance. When the server has completed the startup process, you will see a
login prompt. You do not need to log in to the server.
You will continue FDS configuration using Web Setup and the FalconStor
Management Console for FDS.
System requirements
The following table lists the minimum FDS server requirements. Since each
environment is unique, you may want to consult with FalconStor Professional
Services to assist you in pre-deployment sizing.
Network Interface Card Check the FalconStor website certification matrix for a list of
network cards that are supported.
You must install a certified operating system on your FDS appliance before you
install FDS. There are several ways to do this:
• If you are using FalconStor certified hardware, you can use a FalconStor
USB key. If available, USB key images are the fastest and easiest way to
install the operating system, management utilities, and software for an
appliance. If an appropriate image exists, you can download it from
FalconStor’s FTP site.
• If a USB key for your hardware platform does not exist, you will need to
manually install the operating system. The operating system CD and
several scripts are available on FalconStor’s FTP site to help you do this.
Install from a You will need to download an appropriate image for your FalconStor certified
FalconStor hardware. To do this:
USB key
1. Connect to the FalconStor FTP site: ftp://goldkey1.falconstor.com/
• User name: ftpuser1
• Password: gold_key2
3. Download the appropriate zip file containing the USB key image for your
hardware, along with the MD5 checksum to verify that the download was
successful.
4. Follow the steps in the FalconStor USB OS Installation Guide to install the
Oracle Enterprise Linux 5 Update 3 operating system from the USB key.
You can download this guide from the USB_Images_Site_Map.html. Click the
pdf link under USB OS Install.
Manually install If a USB key for your hardware platform does not exist, you will need to manually
install the operating system. To do this:
2. Select USB_Images_Site_Map.html.
3. Download the CD zip file and the scripts from Manual OS Install.
1. Contact your network administrator to obtain the following for your FDS
appliance in order to connect your FDS appliance to your storage network:
• IP address
• Netmask
• Default gateway
• Primary name server information.
3. Change the IP address, netmask, default gateway, and primary name server to
what your network administrator provided to you.
You can type system-config-network-tui to load a utility that allows you to
change them.
To do this:
4. Type Y to continue.
5. When prompted, click Enter to accept the default maximum number of LUNs per
adapter.
6. When prompted, click Enter to accept the default maximum number of SCSI
disks to scan.
7. When prompted, indicate the type of Fibre Channel HBAs you are using, qlogic,
qlogicnpiv, or q (if no HBA).
9. Type Y to accept the configuration when you see the screen that summarizes
the FDS appliance configuration.
To launch a web-based version of the console, open a browser from any machine
and enter the IP address of the FDS server (for example: http://10.0.0.2) and the
console will launch. If you have Web Setup, select the Go button next to Install
Management Software and Guides and click the Launch Console link.
In the future, to skip going through Web Setup, open a browser from any machine
and enter the IP address of the FDS server followed by :81, for example:
http://10.0.0.2:81/ to launch the console. For easier access, you may want to save
the location as a Favorite or Bookmark.
To install the FalconStor Management Console software from Web Setup, open a
browser from any machine and enter the IP address of the FDS server (for example:
http://10.0.0.2). Select the Go button next to Install Management Software and
Guides and click the Install Windows Console link. You can install the FalconStor
Management Console onto any machine, as long as that machine has a Graphical
User Interface and the Java Runtime Environment. Note that if you are installing the
console on a Windows machine, you must be a Power User or Administrator.
To launch the console after installation, select Start --> Programs --> FalconStor -->
FDS 1.15 --> FDS Console.
If you are running on a Windows machine, you can right-click the FDS Servers
object and select Discover to detect FDS servers in a range of IP addresses.
You should then specify the subnet range of your FDS server and wait for the
FDS server hostname to appear in the navigation tree. When the hostname
appears in the navigation tree, right-click it and select Connect.
2. Type the FDS Server name or address (for example, 10.0.0.2) and enter a valid
user name and password (both are case sensitive) to log in.
If you purchased an appliance from FalconStor, log in with fsadmin as the User
Name. The default password is IPStor101 but this may have been changed in
Web Setup.
If you want to be able to add accounts or set network configuration in the
console, log into your appliance with the “root” user and password (default
“IPStor101”).
The username and password are case sensitive.
Once you are connected to a server, the server icon will change to show that you
are connected.
If your system is not already configured, the configuration wizard launches.
Click Next to begin the steps in the wizard. If you want to skip a step, press Skip.
Click the Add button and enter the keycodes shown on your Product Keycode
certificates, one at a time.
Be sure to enter keycodes for all options you have purchased. Each FDS option
requires that a keycode be entered before the option can be configured and used.
Configuration note: After completing the configuration wizard, if you need to add
license keys, you can right-click your FDS server appliance and select License.
If you select Static, you must click the Add button to add IP addresses and
subnet masks.
MTU - Set the maximum transfer unit of each IP packet. If your card supports it,
set this value to 9000 for jumbo frames.
Configuration note: After completing the configuration wizard, if you need to
change these settings, you can right-click your FDS server appliance and select
System Maintenance --> Configure Network.
Prepare physical devices for use with FDS. These devices will be used to create
logical resources (repository resources and shares).
1. Select Virtualize.
Select the physical devices that you prepared in the previous step for your FDS
index, folder, and data disks.
2. Select the virtualized disk(s) that will be used as repository resources for the
configuration database.
3. Select the virtualized disk(s) that will serve as repository resources for the FDS
index and folder disks.
The index points to the data on FDS storage. Folders store information relating
to the contents of each deduplication session.
The selected LUN(s) must be of sufficient size to contain these resources.
The minimum size disk recommended for these resources is at least 8% of the
total size of the FDS data disks.
4. Select the device(s) that will be used as repository resources for data storage.
The selected disks should all be the same size. The number of physical data
disks should be a power of two (i.e., 2, 4, 8, or 16 disks).
5. For performance purposes, select how your data devices will be organized.
Your storage devices will be grouped into one or more columns. A column
represents the y axis in a graph while a row represents the x axis.
In the above example, there are nine disks and these are the possible
groupings. The ninth disk is not used in the 2, 4, and 8 column configurations.
The recommended scenario is selected by default. To determine this, the system
looks at the viable configurations and then determines which wastes the fewest
drives and, lastly, which contains the most columns.
In the above example, the single column configuration would be selected by
default.
How do the number of columns affect performance?
Performance will be better with multiple columns, if each column is on its own
RAID controller. If you have one RAID group, a single column is best.
Example #1: If a single 8 TB physical LUN is available, the wizard will determine
that the best configuration is one column with four 2 TB virtual devices. This
column will have 16 slices (aka “hash”) in the range of 0~F.
Example #2: If two 8 TB physical LUNs are available, the wizard will determine
that the best configuration is two columns, each with four 2 TB disks. Each
column will have eight of the 16 slices in ranges of 0~7 and 8~F.
Configure when deduplication should occur and determine if you want to exclude
specific files and folders:
You can set it to occur automatically, minutes after files are detected, on a
scheduled basis, or manually.
Specify when deduplication should begin and, optionally, when it should end.
Also specify the frequency. If you want to exclude specific days/hours/months,
select Set exclusion.
3. If you selected Set exclusion, select the hours, days, or months during which
deduplication should not occur.
You can exclude specific file types, small files, or files based on when they were
last modified or last accessed. Note that files smaller than 8 KB are excluded by
default because the file that replaces a deduplicated file and points to data in the
repository (called the stub file) is at least 8 KB in size. Therefore, there is no
benefit to deduplicating files smaller than 8 KB.
Configuration note: After completing the configuration wizard, if you need to
change your global deduplication policy, you can right-click your server and select
Deduplication --> Configure.
FDS resources are virtualized disks that are used to create FDS shares. Create one
or more FDS resources. You will then create FDS shares from these resources.
File System - FDS automatically detects the supported file system, ext3 or ext2.
Format Options - These options are used when the drive is formatted. The
default settings include:
• -F - Forces the format regardless of what is on the drive.
• -I 256 - Increases the inode size from 128 bytes (default) to 256 bytes.
• -m 0 - Reserve 0% of the filesystem blocks for the super-user.
• -v - Format in verbose.
• -j - Creates the filesystem with an ext3 journal.
• -E resize=16383G - Preserves the maximum filesystem metadata space (16
TB) for later filesystem resize.
• -J size=128 - Sets the journal size to 128 MB for resize purposes.
• -b size=4096 - Block Size determines the minimum amount of space to use
for each file. For example, if you keep the default of 4096, each file will
minimally be 4k in size.
Mount Options - These options are used when the drive is mounted. The default
settings include:
• rw - Allows read/write access.
• nosuid - Disallows set-user-id execution.
• user_xattr - Supports “user” extended attributes.
If you need to change the default Format Options or Mount Options, click the
Advanced button.
2. Select the physical device(s) from which to create this FDS resource.
Custom lets you select which physical device(s) to use and lets you designate
how much space to allocate from each.
Express lets you designate how much space to allocate and then automatically
creates an FDS resource using an available device.
Batch lets you create multiple FDS resources at one time. These FDS resources
will all be the same size.
4. (Express and Custom only) Enter a name for the new FDS resource.
Resource names cannot use blanks or contain the following characters: < > / \ "
%#:;|*?&$'()`
5. Confirm that all information is correct and then click Finish to create the FDS
resource.
This may take a while, depending upon the size of the resource(s) being
created. Larger resources take significantly longer to format than smaller
resources.
You should wait until the FDS resource is attached and mounted before creating
shares.
Configuration note: After completing the configuration wizard, if you need to create
FDS resources, you can right-click the FDS Resources object and select New. If you
need to create OpenStorage resources, you can right-click the OpenStorage
Resources object and select New.
Create shared folders (called shares) into which your backup software or other
application can put files.
By default, FDS uses share mode for authentication. If you want to use domain
mode, refer to ’Set the security mode for Windows clients’ before creating your
shares.
2. Enter a share name and indicate if you want Windows clients to have access to
this share.
Share names cannot start with a dot or contain the following characters: < > / \ "
%#:;|*?[]=+,
3. (Windows clients) Enter permissions for the Windows clients who will access the
share.
Share authentication mode window
4. (NFS clients) Enter permissions for the NFS clients who will access the share.
You can click the Add button to add an NFS client. Refer to ’Map/mount shares’
for more information.
Select insecure if your client’s operating system does not use a reserved port for
NFS (an Internet port less than IPPORT_RESERVED -- 1024). AIX is an
example of an operating system that needs to select insecure.
Squash can be used to map user IDs to nobody.
- - No UIDs mapped.
Note: It is important that you do not change your authentication mode once you
begin using your FDS system. If you do change it, you will lose all of your share
assignments.
You must do the following if you will be using domain mode for authentication:
Synchronize Your FDS server and your Windows domain controller must have their clocks
clocks synchronized to within five minutes of each other. If they are not synchronized, you
can use the date command on your FDS server to adjust the date and time.
However, the system clock on a PC can “drift” over time. Therefore, we recommend
that you use an automated synchronization service to adjust the system’s clock.
Refer to the ntpd service on Linux and the Windows Time service on Windows for
more information. You can add a time server through the console (right-click the
server and select System Maintenance --> Configure Network). If no time server is
available, you can use the IP address of the domain controller (DC). You need to
edit /etc/ntp.conf on the FDS server and add ‘server [DC IP address]’. Also, edit /
etc/ntp/step-tickers and add just the domain controller IP address.
Server is Make sure each FDS server has a valid DNS entry created in the Microsoft DNS
resolvable by (part of the Active Directory you plan to join) with a valid PTR resource record (DNS
DNS reverse lookup zone must contain this record).
If your server’s hostname is resolvable by a DNS machine, the DNS server should
have been configured via Web Setup (and the /etc/hosts and /etc/resolv.conf files
should have been updated accordingly). You should check /etc/hosts afterward to
make sure it was updated correctly. Refer to ’Update /etc/hosts’ below if you need to
update it manually.
If the DNS server was not configured, you can add it manually by right-clicking on
your server in the console and selecting System Maintenance --> Configure Net-
work. Otherwise, refer to ’Server is not resolvable’ below.
Server is not If your server’s hostname is not resolvable by a DNS machine, you need to
resolvable manually add it to /etc/hosts. Refer to ’Update /etc/hosts’ below for details.
Update If your server’s hostname is not resolvable by a DNS machine, you need to
/etc/hosts manually add it to /etc/hosts. Even if your server is resolvable, we recommend
checking /etc/hosts file and updating, if necessary.
Active Directory If your Domain controller is running Windows 2003 or Windows 2008, the FDS
server can be configured to utilize Microsoft’s Active Directory to obtain users and
groups.
If you will be using Active Directory, you will need the following:
• Account for FDS - This account should have minimal security, similar to that
of the guest account. The account will be used by FDS to access the active
directory that FDS will browse to identify the users/groups that will have
access to FDS shares. For a more secure account, you can limit this
account to have read-only access to the Organizational Units (OUs) that will
be browsed by FDS.
• Your FDS server and your Active Directory Server must have their clocks
synchronized to within five minutes of each other. We recommend that you
use an automated synchronization service (NTP server) to adjust the
system’s clock. Refer to the nptd service on Linux and the Windows Time
service on Windows for more information.
2. Select Domain Mode and indicate if you are using Active Directory.
Primary Authentication Server - Enter the name of the server (not an IP address)
from which the FDS server will get the user account information. The FDS server
will use this server to authenticate users when they try to share an FDS
resource. The server's name must be resolvable.
Backup Authentication Server - You can optionally enter a server name (not an
IP address) to use for authentication if the primary authentication server is not
available. The server's name must be resolvable.
Domain - Enter the domain that the FDS server must join. This is the name of
the domain that the Primary Authentication Server and Backup Authentication
Server belong to. If you are using Active Directory you will not see this field.
4. (Domain mode with Active Directory) Enter information about the account FDS
will use to log into Active Directory.
User - Enter the account FDS will use to log into Active Directory.
Password - Enter a valid password for this account.
Bind Point - You can use the Bind Point to mark where in the OU tree FDS will
start browsing from. This is useful if FDS’s user account does not have root
access to the entire OU tree. Without this access, FDS cannot see anything in
the tree. In this case, enter a Bind Point to direct FDS to a starting point or a
single tree such as the /Engineering or /Accounting tree. If you leave this field
blank or enter “/”, FDS will start at the root of this OU.
Notes:
• If you see the message “Unable to connect to active directory due to
excessive clock skew. Please synchronize server and active directory
clocks.” when you click Next, the clocks on your FDS Server,
Windows Domain Controller, and your Active Directory Server are not
synchronized to within five minutes of each other. Use the date
command or an automated synchronization service to adjust the
system’s clock.
• If you see the message “Failed to locate the authentication server”
when you click Next, the Windows primary authentication server
name and IP address are not in the /etc/hosts file or are not
resolvable.
5. (Domain mode with Active Directory) Select the organizational units to which you
will offer FDS shares.
Click in the checkbox next to the OUs to which you want to offer FDS shares.
By default, everything is selected. If you click the checkbox next to the OU, it will
de-select that OU. In order to select only certain OUs, you should click the root
first, then select the OUs to which you want to offer FDS shares.
This description of the FDS Server will be displayed in the Comment field of
Windows Explorer, such as when you see a list of computers under My Network
Places.
Indicate if you want to preserve current users/groups. This field appears when
existing UID or GUID ranges must be cleared or preserved (for instance when
you switch from share mode to domain mode and then back to share mode).
7. Select how you want to reserve User IDs (UIDs).
This name/password will be used to create a computer account for the FDS
Server in the domain.
If you are using Active Directory, the Console will try to join the domain as an
Active Directory Member Server even if no username/password is supplied. If
that fails, FDS will try to join the domain as a legacy Windows NT 4 server.
Map/mount shares
Windows clients
Set Windows 7 and Windows 2008 client machines use NTLMv2 authentication with
authentication FDS shares when using share mode authentication. If you are using share mode
and you want to connect to a share from a Windows 7 or Windows 2008 client, you
will need to set the authentication mode on that machine. You do not need to do this
for older versions of Windows or if you are using domain mode for authentication.
The procedure to set authentication is different depending upon the version of
Windows you are using.
Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate editions and Windows 2008
2. Locate Local Computer Policy --> Computer Configuration --> Windows Settings
--> Security Settings --> Local Policies --> Security Options.
3. Locate Network Security: LAN Manager authentication level in the right pane.
4. Change the value to Send LM & NTLM - use NTLMv2 session security if
negotiated and click OK and quit.
5. Open a DOS command prompt and type, gpupdate /force to force the policy to
be applied.
Windows 7 Home edition
2. Right-click in the right pane to create a new DWORD (32-bit) or DWORD (64-
bit).
Map a share You should map a share for each Windows client to allow access to the share. Do
the following on each Windows client:
1. Open Windows Explorer (or My Computer).
2. Select Tools --> Map Network Drive.
3. Set the path to the shared folder.
The path is: \\hostname\sharename
where hostname is the FDS Server’s name or IP address and sharename is the
name of the shared folder. For example: \\server1\Data1
4. Enter login information.
For share mode, the user name is always guest. For Windows 2000/2003
clients, the user name is filled out (and grayed out). For Windows Vista/Windows
2008/Windows 7 clients, you may need to type the user name as:
WORKGROUP\guest. Enter the password you set when you created the share.
For Domain mode, enter the user’s full account name (Domain\username) and
the user’s password that is defined at the Active Directory level.
NFS clients
Mount a share You should mount a share for each NFS client to allow access to the share. Do the
following on each NFS client:
1. Create a directory to mount the NFS share to.
For example: /mnt/share
2. Locally, mount the share.
mount hostname:/nas/fdsresource/fds/folder/mount_point
where hostname is the FDS Server’s name or IP address, fdsresource is the
name of the FDS device, folder is the full folder name, and mount_point is a
directory the NFS share can be accessed from, in this case /mnt/share, as set in
step 1.
Note: In the path above, /nas/ and /fds/ are not variables and must be included in
the path.
For example:
mount FSDEFDS35:/nas/FDSDisk-00001/fds/Data1/mnt/share
Client mount We recommend using the following mount options for NFS clients:
options
AIX 5.x
mount -v nfs -o proto=tcp,vers=3,intr,hard,llock, combehind,rsize=65536,
wsize=65536 hostname:/nas/fdsresource/fds/folder/mount_point
Solaris 9 and 10
mount -F nfs -o hard,llock,intr,vers=3,proto=tcp,rsize=65536,
wsize=65536 hostname:/nas/fdsresource/fds/folder/mount_point
Note: We highly recommend using the “llock” mount option with Solaris NFS cli-
ents.
Note: We highly recommend using the “nolock” mount option with Linux NFS cli-
ents.
1. Expand FDS Clients, right-click the NFS Clients object, and select Add.
You can also access this dialog and add NFS clients while creating an FDS
share.
Note: You should verify that the hostnames listed in the /etc/hosts files on
both the FDS server and NFS clients (Linux, Solaris, HP-UX, IBM AIX) are
lowercase only. This is because, when a share is accessed via NFS, the
kernel converts hostnames to lower case, while NFS uses hostnames as
typed (i.e. lowercase, uppercase, combo, or both). This can result in errors on
the NFS clients.
The tree allows you to navigate the FDS server and its configuration objects. You
can expand or collapse the display to show only the information that you wish to
view. Double-clicking an item will toggle the expanded/collapsed view of the item.
You need to connect to a server before you can expand the server object. The
console remembers the servers to which the console has successfully connected. If
you close and restart the console, the servers will still be displayed in the tree but
you will not be connected to them.
When you highlight any object in the tree, the right-hand pane contains detailed
information about the object. You can select one of the tabs for more information.
This object allows you to add FDS servers to the navigation tree in the console.
From the server object, you can manage user/administrator accounts; add/remove
licenses; reset passwords; run a server connectivity test, configure server-level
options such as deduplication, replication, OpenStorage, and email alerts; perform
system maintenance; generate an x-ray file; and set server properties.
When you are connected to a server, you will see the following tabs:
• General - Displays configuration information, including the version of the
FDS software, the type and number of processors, amount of physical and
swappable memory, and network adapter information.
• Event Log - Displays system events and errors.
• Version Info - Displays the server and console version and lists any installed
patches.
• Global Deduplication Statistics - Displays information about repository
usage and amounts of data written/stored over time.
• Integrity Check Status - Displays the status (or current progress) of an
integrity check job.
• Excluded Paths - Displays the folders that have been excluded from
deduplication and replication.
FDS Clients
Clients are the backup servers and application servers that use an FDS share to
store data. There are two types of FDS clients:
• Windows clients - These clients use the Common Internet File System
(CIFS) protocol. From the Windows Clients object, you can modify the
security settings defined during initial FDS configuration, review properties,
refresh the connection, and update user accounts and authentication
servers. You do not need to add Windows clients. If you are using the Share
authentication mode, any Windows client can access a share. In Domain
authentication mode, the list of users comes from the authentication server.
• NFS clients - These are usually Unix clients using the Network File System
(NFS) protocol. From the NFS Clients object, you can add clients.
Physical Resources
Physical resources are the actual physical adapters and storage devices attached to
the FDS server. From this object, you can prepare new physical devices for use with
FDS and rescan disks.
Logical Resources
Logical resources are all of the resources defined on the FDS server:
• Repository Resources - Virtualized disks configured as storage (data disks,
index disks, and folder disks) for deduplicated data. Each resource can be
mirrored for high availability.
• FDS Resources - Logical resources that have been defined as folders and
FDS shares that are presented to clients. In order for FDS resources to be
accessible by a client, the FDS administrator needs to add shares, assign
the folders to clients, and provide authentication information to clients. Each
resource can be mirrored for high availability. There is also an Event Log
available from the FDS Resources object that displays events and errors
related specifically to the FDS resources. If this server receives replicated
data from another FDS server, you will see an FDS Replica object in the
tree beneath the resource being used to hold incoming replication.
• OpenStorage Resources - OpenStorage Resources represent Logical
Storage Units (LSUs), virtualized disks that are used with the FalconStor
OpenStorage Option (a software interface between a VeritasTM NetBackupTM
Media or Master server and your FalconStor FDS Server). For more
information about using the OpenStorage option, refer to your FalconStor
OpenStorage Option User Guide.
• Configuration Database - This object contains FDS configuration
information and can be mirrored for high availability.
Reports
Console options
To set options for the console:
1. Select Tools --> Console Options.
System maintenance
The FDS console gives you a convenient way to perform system maintenance for
your FDS Server.
Notes:
• The system maintenance options are hardware-dependent. Refer to your
hardware documentation for specific information.
• Only the root user can access the system maintenance options.
Network If you need to change FDS Server IP addresses, you must make these changes
configuration using Configure Network. Using any other third-party utilities will not update the
information correctly. Refer to ’Set up network’ for more information.
IPMI Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) is a hardware level interface that
monitors various hardware functions on a server. IPMI is used for remote manage-
ment and access to the server.
If FDS detects IPMI when the server boots up, you will see several IPMI options on
the System Maintenance --> IPMI sub-menu, Config, Monitor, and Filter.
Config - Lets you change the IP address, netmask, and default gateway for your
IPMI card. You can click the Setting button to see the current settings. If you do
make a change, we recommend using a static IP address on a separate
management subnet.
Filter - You can filter out components you do not want to monitor. This may be useful
for hardware you do not care about or erroneous errors, such as when you do not
have the hardware that is being monitored. You must enter the Name of the
component being monitored exactly as it appears in the hardware monitor above.
Set hostname Right-click a server and select System Maintenance --> Set Hostname to change
your hostname. The server will automatically reboot when the hostname is changed.
Restart FDS Right-click a server and select System Maintenance --> Restart FDS to restart the
Server processes.
Restart network Right-click a server and select System Maintenance --> Restart Network to restart
your local network configuration.
Reboot Right-click a server and select System Maintenance --> Reboot to reboot your
server.
Halt Right-click a server and select System Maintenance --> Halt to turn off the server
without restarting it.
Administrators
Only the root user can add or delete an FDS administrator or change an
administrator’s password.
Event Log
The Event Log details significant occurrences during the operation of the FDS
Server. You can view the Event Log in the FDS console when you highlight a server
or the FDS Resources object in the tree and select the Event Log tab in the right
pane.
Information displayed in the Event Log comes from the /var/log/messages file on the
FDS server. A maximum of 10,000 records will be displayed in the Event Log.
The columns displayed in the Event Log are:
The Event Log is refreshed every x seconds, based on how you set it (Tools -->
Console Options). If you are at the top of the Event Log when new events are
added, the screen will automatically scroll down to accommodate the new events. If
you are anywhere else in the Event Log, your current view will not change when new
events are added. This allows you to read messages without the screen scrolling.
Sort the Event When you initially view the Event Log, all information is displayed in chronological
Log order (most recent at the top). If you want to reverse the order or change the way the
information is displayed, click on a column heading to re-sort the information. For
example, if you click on the ID heading, you can sort the events numerically. This
can help you identify how often a particular event occurs.
Filter the Event By default, all informational system messages, warnings, and errors are displayed.
Log To filter the information that is displayed:
1. Right-click your server and select Event Log --> Filter.
2. Specify your search criteria.
You can search for specific message types, records that contain/do not contain
specific text, category types, and/or time or date range for messages. You can
also specify the number of lines to display.
Export data You can save the data from the Event Log in one of the following formats: comma
from the Event delimited (.csv) or tab delimited (.txt) text. Right-click your server and select Event
Log Log --> Export to export information.
Print the Event Right-click your server and select Event Log --> Print to print the Event Log to a
Log printer.
Reports
The FDS console provides you with the following pre-defined reports:
Can be
Report
Scheduled
Server Throughput Report - Provides information about the overall throughput of the FDS Yes
server for a specific date or range of dates.
SCSI Channel Throughput Report - Displays information about data going through the Yes
selected SCSI adapter on the FDS server for a specific date or range of dates.
SCSI Device Throughput Report - Displays information about the utilization of the selected Yes
physical SCSI storage device on the FDS server for a specific date or range of dates.
Physical Resources Configuration Report - Lists the physical resources on the FDS server, No
including the physical adapters and physical devices.
FDS Disk Space Usage Report - Displays information about the amount of disk space that No
each SCSI adapter is currently using and how much is available.
Physical Resources Allocation Report - Shows the disk space usage and layout for each No
physical disk that can be allocated by the system.
Physical Resource Allocation Report - Shows the disk space usage and layout for a specific No
disk that can be allocated by the system.
FDS Detailed Statistics Report - Displays all of the files that were deduplicated and/or Yes
replicated in each active deduplication/replication session.
FDS Statistics Summary Report - Displays the deduplication and/or replication session Yes
summary information and settings for each active deduplication/replication session.
2. Select a report.
Depending upon which report you select, additional windows appear to allow
you to filter the information for the report.
3. If applicable, schedule how frequently you want to create this report and how
long each should be kept before being purged.
4. If applicable, set the date or date range for the report and indicate which
adapters, devices, repository resources, and/or SCSI devices to include in the
report.
Selecting Past 30 Days, or Past 7 Days will create reports that generate data
relative to the time of execution.
5. For FDS statistics reports, indicate if you want to include deduplication and/or
replication information in the report.
For replication, if you want to see information about the source FDS server,
select Replication Client Info. To see information about the target FDS server,
select Replication Server Info.
View a report After a report is created, it is categorized by report type in the tree. Expand the
Reports object and the report type to see the existing reports.
When you select an existing report in the tree, the report is displayed in the right-
hand pane. Reports larger than 30 pages are broken into smaller sections for easier
viewing.
Print a report To print a report, right-click a report that is generated and select Print.
Change a To change a schedule, right-click the Reports object and select Schedule. Select the
report schedule schedule you want to change or remove and click the appropriate button.
Export data You can save the data from the server and device throughput and usage reports.
from a report The data can be saved in one of the following formats: comma delimited (.csv) and
tab delimited (.txt) text. To export information, right-click a report that is generated
and select Export.
Refresh report You can refresh the list of reports that are displayed. This is useful if you have
display scheduled reports that have run while you are in the console. To do this, right-click
Reports and select Refresh.
Delete a report You can delete one or more reports. To access the delete option, you can right-click
a specific report or the Reports object and select Delete.
Sample FDS The FDS Detailed Statistics Report displays all of the files that were deduplicated
Detailed and/or replicated in each active deduplication/replication session.The following is a
Statistics report sample portion of a report:
Sample FDS The FDS Statistics Summary Report displays the deduplication and/or replication
Statistics session summary information and settings for each active deduplication/replication
Summary session.
report
Server properties
To set properties for a specific server:
2. On the Activity Database Maintenance tab, indicate how often the FDS activity
data should be purged.
The Activity Log is a database that tracks all system activity, including all data
read, data written, number of read commands, write commands, number of
errors etc. This information is used to generate information for the FDS reports.
3. On the SNMP Maintenance tab, set FDS to send traps to your SNMP manager.
Refer to ’SNMP traps’ for more information.
6. Select the Auto Save Config tab and enter information automatically saving your
FDS server system configuration.
You can set your system to automatically replicate your system configuration to
an FTP server on a regular basis. Auto Save takes a point-in-time snapshot of
the FDS server configuration prior to replication.
The target server you specify in the Ftp Server Name field must have FTP server
installed and enabled.
The Target Directory is the directory on the FTP server where the files will be
stored. The directory name you enter here (such as fdsconfig) is a directory on
the FTP server (for example ftp\fdsconfig). You should not enter an absolute
path like c:fdsconfig.
The Username is the user that the system will log in as. You must create this
user on the FTP site. This user must have read/write access to the directory
named here.
In the Interval field, determine how often to replicate the configuration.
Depending upon how frequently you make configuration changes to FDS, set
the interval accordingly. You can always save manually in between if needed. To
do this, highlight your FDS server in the tree, select File menu --> Save
Configuration.
In the Number of Copies field, enter the maximum copies to keep. The oldest
copy will be deleted as each new copy is added.
7. On the Location tab, enter information about the location of this server and who
is responsible for maintaining it.
You can also include a .JPG/.JPEG format photograph of the appliance or its
location.
Directory properties
To set properties for a specific directory:
With this information, you can apply patches to your FDS server through the
console.
Rollback patch To remove (uninstall) a patch and restore the original files:
1. Highlight an FDS server in the tree.
2. Select Tools menu --> Rollback Patch.
3. Confirm that you want to continue.
4. Select the patch and click OK.
SNMP traps
FDS provides Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) support to integrate
FDS management into an existing enterprise management solution, such as HP
OpenView, CA Unicenter, IBM Tivoli NetView, or BMC Patrol.
By default, event log messages will not be sent, but you may want to configure FDS
to send certain types of messages.
To configure SNMP:
4. Click Add to enter the name of your SNMP server and a valid SNMP community
name.
6. To verify that SNMP traps are set up properly, set the level to Informational and
then do anything that causes an entry to be added to the event log (such as
logging into the FDS console or creating a new FDS resource).
You should see an SNMP trap for the event.
2. Select an available physical device that is the same size or larger than the
selected resource.
8. Confirm that all information is correct and then click Finish to create the mirror.
Check mirroring You can see the current status of your mirroring configuration by checking the
status General tab of the resource.
• Synchronized - Both disks are synchronized. This is the normal state.
• Not synchronized - A failure in one of the disks has occurred or
synchronization has not yet started. If there is a failure in the primary
database, FDS swaps to the mirrored copy.
• If the synchronization is occurring, you will see a progress bar along with the
percentage that is completed.
Replace a If one of the mirrored disks has failed and needs to be replaced:
failed disk
1. Right-click the resource and select Mirror --> Remove to remove the mirroring
configuration.
3. Right-click the resource and select Mirror --> Add to create a new mirroring
configuration.
Fix a minor disk If one of the mirrored disks has a minor failure, such as a power loss:
failure
1. Fix the problem (turn the power back on, plug the drive in, etc.).
Replace a disk If you need to replace a disk that is part of an active mirror configuration:
that is part of an
active mirror 1. If you need to replace the primary database’s disk, right-click the database and
configuration select Mirror --> Swap to reverse the roles of the disks and make it a mirrored
copy.
4. Right-click the database and select Mirror --> Add to create a new mirroring
configuration.
Swap the Right-click the database and select Mirror --> Swap to reverse the roles of the
primary disk primary database disk and the mirrored copy. You will need to do this if you are
with the going to perform maintenance on the primary database disk or if you need to
mirrored copy remove the primary database disk.
Rebuild a mirror The Rebuild option rebuilds a mirror from beginning to end and starts the mirroring
process once it is synchronized. The rebuild feature is useful if the mirror disk you
want to synchronize is from a different server.
A rebuild might be necessary if your disaster recovery site has been servicing clients
due to some type of issue, such as a storm or power outage, at your primary data
center. Once the problem is resolved, the mirror is out of sync. Because the mirror
disk is located on a different storage server in a remote location, the local storage
server must rebuild the mirror from beginning to end.
Before you rebuild a mirror, you must stop all client activity. After rebuilding the
mirror, swap the mirror so that the primary data center can service clients again.
To rebuild the mirror, right-click a resource and select Mirror --> Rebuild.
You can see the current settings by checking the Mirror Synchronization Status field
on the General tab of the resource.
Suspend/ You can suspend mirroring for an individual resource or for multiple resources.
resume When you manually suspend a mirror, the system will not attempt to re-synchronize,
mirroring even if you have a re-synchronization policy. You will have to resume the mirror in
order to synchronize.
When you resume mirroring, the mirror is synchronized before mirroring is resumed.
During the synchronization, the system will monitor the process and check lag time.
Depending upon your monitoring policy, mirroring will be suspended if the lag time
gets above the acceptable limit.
To suspend/resume mirroring right-click a resource and select Mirror --> Suspend
(or Resume). For multiple resources, right-click the Repository Resources, FDS
Resources, or OpenStorage Resources object and select the appropriate resources.
Deduplication
The FalconStor® File-interface Deduplication System (FDS) is a block-level data
deduplication solution offering high performance, enterprise-level functionality, disk-
to-disk (D2D) data protection, integrated replication, and global block-level data
deduplication.
This chapter provides information about reclaiming disk space, checking the
integrity of deduplicated data, adding new disks to an existing system, and excluding
folders from deduplication.
It also provides integration examples for some common backup applications and
FDS. Contact FalconStor for a Best Practices Guide for these and other backup
applications.
Reclamation The system will run a reclamation process automatically whenever a threshold is
thresholds met. There are three independent thresholds (repository object, index disk, and data
disk) and the reclamation processes run independently for each. The pre-configured
initial threshold is 80% for the repository object capacity and 50% for the index disk
capacity and data disk capacity. The numbers are adjusted after each reclamation
and can grow depending upon how much space was reclaimed and how much
space is currently available.
To see the status of your thresholds, highlight your server and select the Global
Deduplication Statistics tab.
Manual To manually run reclamation, right-click your FDS server and select Deduplication
reclamation --> Repository --> Start Space Reclamation.
Force Type the following at a command line on the FDS server if you want to force
reclamation reclamation to run now regardless of the status of the thresholds:
fdscli reclamation start -d -F
Notes:
• The integrity check will only be able to validate stub files and source data
deduplicated after integrity checking has been enabled. Therefore,
integrity verification will only apply to those files deduplicated after
integrity checking has been enabled.
• Performing an integrity check is a resource-intensive operation that may
affect the performance of other operations on the FDS server.
When you enable integrity checking, all of the configuration options that you set are
part of a policy. If you do not select to schedule integrity checks, the configuration
options will still be used when you manually run an integrity check.
1. Right-click your FDS server and select Deduplication --> Repository --> Integrity
Check --> Enable.
Specify when the integrity check should begin and, optionally, when it should
end. Also specify the frequency. If you want to exclude specific days/hours/
months, select Set exclusion.
4. If you selected Set exclusion, select the hours, days, or months during which the
integrity check should not run.
5. Specify if you want to include all paths in the integrity check or if you want to
select specific paths to include.
6. If you selected Custom, select what paths to include/exclude from the integrity
check.
The left pane lists all FDS resources and OpenStorage resources. Select a
folder that you want to include and click the Add Path button. The newly added
row in the table shows the detailed path.
You can select to validate stub pointers only or include source data validation as
well.
To manually run an integrity check, right-click your FDS server and select
Deduplication --> Repository --> Integrity Check --> Start.
If you created an integrity check policy, all of the configuration options that you set
will be used when you manually run an integrity check.
While the integrity check is occurring, you can see the status on the Integrity
Check Status tab of the server.
To stop an integrity check that is running, right-click your FDS server and select
Deduplication --> Repository --> Integrity Check --> Stop.
To temporarily suspend an integrity check that is running, right-click your FDS server
and select Deduplication --> Repository --> Integrity Check --> Suspend. When you
want to resume the job, right-click your FDS server and select Deduplication -->
Repository --> Integrity Check --> Resume.
To change the configuration, right-click the server and select Deduplication -->
Repository --> Integrity Check --> Configure.
To disable integrity checking, right-click the server and select Deduplication -->
Repository --> Integrity Check --> Disable. You will need to type “Yes” to confirm.
Note: You may have to purchase a capacity expansion kit in order to add physical
disks to your system.
1. Right-click the server object and select Deduplication --> Repository --> Add
data disks.
For index or folder storage, select Add Index and Folder Disks.
Exclude If you want to exclude a folder (and its sub-folders) from deduplication, you can
right-click the folder and select Deduplication --> Exclude from Deduplication.
You will see an amber X icon on every folder that is excluded.
If this folder is also excluded from replication, the icon will be half amber and half
gray.
You can see a list of all excluded folders on the Excluded Paths tab of your FDS
server.
Include To include a folder that was previously excluded, right-click the folder and select
Deduplication --> Include in Deduplication.
Integration examples
The following examples provide integration information for some common backup
applications and FDS. Contact FalconStor for a Best Practices Guide for these and
other backup applications.
Veritas™ NetBackup™
Do the following to configure Veritas NetBackup on Windows Server 2003/2008 to
back up files to an FDS share:
This user will need to start two NetBackup services, NetBackup Client Service
and NetBackup Remote Manager and Monitor Service.
3. Use NetBackup to create a new Storage Unit and point it to your FDS share by
putting the UNC path to the share.
Notes:
• If you are using multiple shares with Backup Exec, all of the shares must
have the same password.
• Backup Exec can only configure an FDS share if the share is created
with the same password as the administrator's password that is used on
the client side.
Deduplication Highlight the Deduplication tab to see deduplication statistics for all FDS resources
statistics as well as your deduplication settings. If deduplication is currently taking place, you
can see the status in the bottom section of the screen.
Files - Total number of files. This includes files that have been deduplicated, files
that were excluded, and files awaiting deduplication.
Deduplicated Files - Total number of files that have been deduplicated. This does
not include excluded files (smaller than 8 KB or user-configured exclusions).
Files Awaiting Deduplication - Total number of files that have not yet been
deduplicated.
Space Used by Files Awaiting Deduplication - Total size of files that have not yet
been deduplicated.
Represented Data - Total size of files copied to all FDS resources (including those
that have not yet been deduplicated).
Unique Data - Total size of data stored in the repository.
Deduplication Ratio - Total amount of data represented / (divided by) the total
amount of unique data stored. This is a cumulative ratio across all FDS resources.
If deduplication is currently taking place, you can see the status in the bottom
section of the screen (below your deduplication settings). Status includes when
deduplication started, how long it has been running, how many files were processed,
how many were actually deduplicated, total data size represented, amount of unique
data, current throughput, and the file currently being processed.
Replication Highlight the Replication tab to see replication statistics for all FDS resources as well
statistics as your replication settings.
Files - Total number of files. This includes files that have been replicated, files that
were excluded, and files awaiting replication.
Replicated Files - Total number of files replicated. Depending upon how replication
was configured, this may not include excluded files.
Files Awaiting Replication - Total number of files that have not yet been replicated.
Space Used by Files Awaiting Replication - Total size of files that have not yet been
replicated.
Data Replicated - Total amount of data replicated.
Unique Data Replicated - Total amount of unique data replicated.
If replication is currently taking place, you can see the status in the bottom section of
the screen (below your replication settings). Status includes when replication
started, how long it has been running, how many files were processed, how many
were actually replicated, total data size represented, amount of unique data, current
throughput, and the file currently being processed.
Resource-level statistics
When you select the Device Statistics tab for an FDS resource, you will see how
much physical storage you have and how much is used as well as deduplication and
replication statistics. The deduplication and replication status is the same type of
information that is presented at the FDS Resources object level except that here it is
only for the shares on this FDS resource. Refer to ’FDS Resources statistics’ for a
description of the fields listed here.
Aggregate When you highlight a folder, share, or directory, the Aggregate Statistics tab displays
Statistics tab deduplication and replication statistics for the folder/share/directory and all
subdirectories below that share/folder. The information here is similar to the
information that is presented for the resource or at the FDS Resources object level.
Refer to ’FDS Resources statistics’ for a description of the fields listed on the
Aggregate Statistics tab.
Deduplication & When you highlight a folder or share, the Deduplication & Replication tab displays a
Replication tab list of all files and folders in that folder.
Repository statistics
To view repository statistics, select your FDS server and select the Global
Deduplication Statistics tab in the right panel. These statistics can be different from
the ones that appear at the FDS Resources object level due to files being deleted or
re-written or FDS resources being deleted or added.
Repository This section of the display graphically shows the current state of FDS storage.
usage Values are based on all deduplication jobs performed during the life span of the
selected server. Usage values show how much space has been allocated to each
FDS storage component and how much space has been used.
When reclamation is enabled, the graphs in this section resemble a dashboard.
Green represents free space, while shades of yellow represent space used before/
after reclamation. The “needle” indicator shows the current threshold. After each
reclamation, the system refreshes the graphics.
Repository object capacity indicates the percentage of total FDS index space that
has been used and how much space is available.
Index disk capacity shows the capacity of the FDS index disk, how much space has
been used, and how much space is available.
Data disk capacity shows the capacity of the FDS data disk, how much space has
been used, and how much space is available.
Select Refresh to include activity that has occurred since the last refresh.
Deduplication This section of the display combines data written and data stored statistics for all
results accumulated data and shows deduplication activity over time. Viewing data in this
way allows you to calculate the redundancy elimination ratio for any period of time.
Reviewing deduplication operations for successive weeks of full backup reveals the
true redundancy ratios of week-to-week data evolution and can be used to
accurately forecast repository requirements. You can identify how quickly you are
using your repository disk space and when you are likely to need to add more.
The values displayed for Data written represent data scanned in FDS; Data stored
values represent the amount of unique data stored in the FDS repository.
The Redundancy elimination ratio (frequently referred to in the industry as the
Deduplication Ratio) represents this formula: [(data scanned)(data stored)].
Select a Unit of time from the drop-down list to adjust the granularity of the graph.
Use the arrow buttons to scan through accumulated data. Click Refresh to include
data for deduplication activity that has occurred since the last refresh.
Select Refresh to include activity that has occurred since the last refresh.
Global This section of the display shows current statistics: a view of the redundancy
Deduplication elimination ratio based on deduplication jobs performed since a user last reset the
statistics display.
For example, statistics might reflect 7 days, 1 hour, 2 minutes, and 2 seconds of
deduplication processing, during which 125 GB of data was scanned by FDS. 45 GB
of data was unique and therefore stored in the repository, resulting in a redundancy
elimination ratio of 2.8:1.
Statistics are automatically updated every 30 seconds. You can click the Reset
button to reset values to zero and reset the time to the current time. Subsequent
updates will reflect activity since the reset. If you view the display after a few
minutes, the redundancy elimination ratio will reflect deduplication jobs currently
occurring.
Select Reset to restart the clock in this display.
1. Right-click the server object and select Replication --> Incoming --> Select
Volume.
Note: If you are using the FalconStor OpenStorage Option, you must select
ANY VOLUME in order for NetBackup replication to complete successfully.
Once replicated data has been received on this server, you will see a new FDS
Replica object in the tree beneath the volume being used to hold incoming
replication.
1. Right-click the server object and select Replication --> Outgoing --> Enable.
2. Enter information about the replica server (the server that will hold the replicated
data) and determine if you want to use encryption during replication.
Specify when replication should begin and, optionally, when it should end. Also
specify the frequency. If you want to exclude specific days/hours/months, select
Set exclusion.
Replication will run based on the schedule you set. If you need to start it
manually, you can right-click the server object and select Replication -->
Outgoing --> Start.
5. If you selected Set exclusion, select the days, hours, or months during which
replication should not occur.
Determine if you want to only include deduplicated files and files too small to be
deduplicated or if you want to replicate all files regardless of whether or not they
have been deduplicated. Note that small files (<8K) will be replicated even if they
did not get deduplicated.
2. On the Windows share, select Enable Windows Share, enter a new share name
if desired, and set login information.
You can set this folder as a Windows or NFS share, or both.
Exclude To exclude a specific folder (and its sub-folders), right-click the folder and select
Replication --> Exclude from Replication.
You will see a gray X icon on every folder that is excluded.
If this folder is also excluded from deduplication, the icon will be half amber and half
gray.
You can see a list of all excluded folders on the Excluded Paths tab of your FDS
server.
Include To include a folder that was previously excluded, right-click the folder and select
Replication --> Include in Replication.
Note: If replication is already occurring, your manual replication request will fail.
System-wide To perform global replication, right-click the server object and select Replication -->
replication Outgoing --> Start.
Your saved replication configuration parameters, including excluded paths, will be
used.
Specific To replicate a specific resource or folder, right-click an FDS resource or folder and
resource or select Replication --> Start Replication.
folder
This replicates all files in the selected folder (including sub-folders) regardless of
whether or not this path is normally excluded from replication.
Synchronize When you perform synchronization, files/directories between the source and replica
server will be synchronized. If a replicated file has been deleted from the source, the
file will be deleted from the replica.
In normal replication mode, files are replicated to the replica but nothing is deleted
from the replica. Normal replication gives you the chance to recover files from the
replica that may have been deleted from the source. Once you are sure that deleted
files will never need to be recovered, you can perform a synchronization to save
space on the replica.
If you want to perform global synchronization, right-click the server object and select
Replication --> Outgoing --> Synchronize --> Start.
If you want synchronize a specific resource or folder, right-click an FDS resource or
folder and select Replication --> Synchronize.
Suspend/resume replication
You can suspend future replications from automatically being triggered. This will not
stop a replication that is currently in progress. You can still manually start the
replication process while the schedule is suspended.
To suspend/resume replication, right-click the server object and select Replication
--> Outgoing --> Suspend (or Resume).
You can see the current settings by checking the Replication tab for the FDS
Resources object.
Replication
suspended
Replication
running normally
Multipathing
The Multipathing option allows the storage server to intelligently distribute I/O traffic
across multiple Fibre Channel (FC) ports to maximize efficiency and enhance
system performance.
Because it uses parallel active storage paths between the storage server and
storage arrays, FDS can transparently reroute the I/O traffic to an alternate storage
path to ensure business continuity in the event of a storage path failure.
Multipathing is possible due to the existence of multiple HBAs in the FDS gateway
and/or multiple storage controllers in the storage systems that can access the same
physical LUN.
The multiple paths cause the same LUN to have multiple instances in the storage
server.
Load distribution
Automatic load distribution allows for two or more storage paths to be
simultaneously used for read/write operations, enhancing performance by
automatically and equally dispersing data access across all of the available active
paths.
Path management
Each path has either a good or bad state. In most cases when the deployment is an
active/passive storage array with an FDS Gateway, there are two load balancing
groups.
• Single load balancing group: Once the path is determined to be defective, it
will be removed from the load balanced group and will not be re-used after
the path is restored unless there are no more good paths available or a
manual rescan is performed. If either occurs, the path will be added back to
the load balanced group.
• Two load balancing groups: If there are two load balanced groups (one is
active and the other is passive) for the physical device, then when there are
no more good paths left in the active load balanced group, the device will fail
over to the passive load balancing group.
Note: If there are two load balanced groups (one active and one passive) for the
physical device, then when there are no more “good” paths left in the active load
balanced group, the alias module will fail over to the passive group.
You can see multipathing information from the console by checking the Alias tab for
a LUN (under Fibre Channel Devices). For each device, you see the following:
• Current, Standby - Passive, or Load Balancing path
• Load Balancing (Active) vs. Standby - Passive path - A passive path cannot
be used until the LUN is trespassed, meaning the passive path becomes
active and the formally-active path becomes passive.
• Connectivity status
• Preferred path
Status To check the current setting, use the command: $ISHOME/bin/configlb.sh status
You will get one of the following return codes:
• 0 : load-balancing is disabled.
• 1 : load-balancing is enabled.
• 255: error
Note: If you have previously set NIC Port Bonding, the system will have to
remove the bonding and restart network services before continuing.
Change IP address
To modify a bonded IP address of a server, you will need to remove the bonding
configuration (System Maintenance --> NIC Port Bonding --> Yes to remove) and
then rebond using the new IP addresses.
Email Alerts
FDS includes a unique customer support utility that proactively identifies and
diagnoses potential system or component failures and automatically notifies system
administrators via email.
Using pre-configured scripts (called triggers), Email Alerts monitors a set of pre-
defined, critical system components (memory, disk, SCSI drive errors, offline device,
etc.). With its open architecture, administrators can easily register new elements to
be monitored by these scripts.
When an error is triggered, Email Alerts generates an email and sends it to a system
administrator.
With Email Alerts, system administrators are able to take corrective measures within
the shortest amount of time, ensuring optimum service uptime and IT efficiency.
SMTP Server - Specify the mail server that Email Alerts should use to send out
notification emails.
SMTP Port - Specify the mail server port that Email Alerts should use.
SMTP Username/Password - If you enabled the authentication option on the
SMTP server, specify the user account that will be used by Email Alerts to log
into the mail server. Email Alerts may not work if the SMTP username and
password are set without authentication.
From - Specify the email account that will be used in the “From” field of emails
sent by Email Alerts.
To - Specify the email address of the account that will receive emails from Email
Alerts. This will be used in the “To” field of emails sent by Email Alerts.
CC - Specify any other email accounts that should receive emails from Email
Alerts.
Subject - Specify the text that should appear on the subject line.
Interval - Specify how frequently the Email Alerts triggers and the System Log
should be checked.
Test - Click the Test button to send a test Email Alerts email.
3. In the Signature dialog, enter the contact information that should appear in each
Email Alerts email.
4. In the Trigger dialog, set the triggers that will cause Email Alerts to send an
email.
Triggers are the scripts/programs that perform various types of error checking.
By default, FalconStor includes scripts/programs that check for low system
memory, low disk space, and relevant new entries in the system log.
The following are the default scripts that are provided:
chkcore.sh 10 (Core file check) - This script checks to see if a new core file has
been created by the operating system in the bin directory of FDS. If a core file is
found, Email Alerts compresses it, deletes the original, and sends an email
report but does not send the compressed core file (which can still be large). If
there are more than 10 (variable) compressed core files, they will all be deleted.
kfsnmem.sh 10 (FDS memory management check) - This script checks to see if
the maximum number of memory pages has been set. If not, Email Alerts sends
an email report. If it is set, the script checks the available memory pages. If the
percentage is lower than specified percentage (default is 10), Email Alerts sends
an email report.
memchk.sh 5 (Memory check) - This script takes in a percentage as the
parameter and checks whether the available system memory is below this
percentage. If yes, Email Alerts sends an email report.
swapcheck.pl 80 (Memory swap usage check) - This script checks memory
swap usage. If it exceeds the specified value (default 80), Email Alerts sends an
email report with the total swap space and the swap usage.
diskusagechk.sh / 95 (Disk usage check) - This script checks the disk space
usage of the root file system. If the current percentage is over the specified
percentage (default is 95), Email Alerts sends an email report. You can add
multiple diskusagechk.sh triggers for different mount points (for example, /home
could be used in another trigger).
serverstatus.sh (Server status check) - This script calls “fds status” and checks
if any module of FDS has stopped. If so, Email Alerts sends an email report.
syslogchk.sh (System log check) - This script looks at the system log for
specific entries that it needs to report on. This is determined by information
specified in the System Log Check dialog. If matches are found, Email Alerts
sends an email report.
configdbcheck.pl (Configuration database check) - This script checks the
consistency of the configuration database. If a problem is found, Email Alerts
sends an email report.
FDSmonitor.sh (FDS status check) - This script checks usage of the index
repository and data repository. If the current usage is above the trigger levels,
Email Alerts sends an email report.
ipmichk.sh (IPMI hardware check) - This script checks to see if there are any
logs generated by IPMI for hardware errors. If there are, Email Alerts sends an
email report with the logs attached.
activity.pl (Activity check) - This script checks to see an activity file (which
contains statistics) exists. If it is, Email Alerts sends an email report with the
activity file attached.
reportheartbeat.pl (Heartbeat check) - This script checks to see if server is
active. If it is, Email Alerts sends an email report.
If you need to modify an existing script, refer to ‘Script/program trigger
information’ for more information. You cannot delete the predefined triggers.
5. In the Email Alerts Attachment dialog, indicate what files should be attached to
each email alert.
6. In the System Log Check dialog, indicate the terms that should be tracked in the
system log by Email Alerts.
The system log records important events or errors that occur in the system,
including those generated by FDS.
This dialog allows you to rule out entries in the system log that have nothing to
do with FDS, and to list the types of log entries generated by FDS that Email
Alerts needs to examine. Entries that do not match the entries here will be
ignored, regardless of whether or not they are relevant to FDS.
The trigger for monitoring the system log is syslogchk.sh. To inform the trigger of
which specific log entries need to be captured, you can specify the general types
of entries that need to be inspected by Email Alerts.
Each line is a regular expression. The regular expression rules follow the pattern
for AWK (a standard Unix utility).
7. In the System Log Ignore dialog, Indicate which categories of internal messages
should not be included.
If a category is checked, you will still receive error messages but will not receive
detailed internal messages.
Select the Customized System Log Ignore tab to exclude system log entries that
were included on the previous dialog. You can enter terms to ignore, thereby
eliminating entries that will cause Email Alerts to send out email reports.
Each line is a regular expression. The regular expression rules follow the pattern
for AWK (a standard Unix utility).
You can specify an email address to override the default To address or a text subject
to override the default Subject. To do this:
1. Right-click your FDS server and select Email Alerts --> Configure.
Firewall ports
Before implementing FDS with a firewall, you should review the following chart to
see which ports are used by FDS. Network firewalls should allow access through
these ports for successful communications. The ports required by FDS are:
Maximum Maximum
Appliance Model
Concurrent Writes Concurrent Reads
Index
A Rescan 49
Active Directory 31 Domain mode 30
Activity Log 57 Configuration 30
Administrator Group IDs 36
Management 50 User IDs 35
Types 50
Authentication E
Domain mode 30 Email Alerts 101
Share mode 30 Configuration 101
Auto Save 57 Modifying properties 106
System log check 105
B Triggers 103, 107
Backup software Customize email 107
Symantec Backup Exec 76 Event Log 51
Veritas NetBackup 75 Export 52
Bond IP 47 Filter information 51
Bonding NICs 98 Print 52
Change IP address 100 Sort information 51
Exclude
C Folders 74
Configuration 11 Hours, days, months 22, 69
Configuration database 45 Exclusions 21
Mirror 62
Configuration wizard 13 F
Connectivity test 44 FDS
Console Components 3
Administrator Management 50 Concepts 3
Connect to FDS server 11 How it works 2
Discover servers 12 Overview 1
Install 11 FDS Console
Objects in tree 44 Log 46
Rescan devices 49 FDS devices
Run 11 Configure 17
Server FDS resources 45
Properties 57 Create 24
Set options 46 Mirror 62
System maintenance 47 fdsconsole.log 46
Web-based Firewall ports 108
Launch 11 Folders 18
D H
Deduplication Halt server 48
Add repository resources 73 Hostname 15
Reclaim disk space 66 Change 48
Schedule 21 How FDS works 2
Devices
I Path switching 96
Index 18
Install N
FDS server software 10 Network configuration 14
Integration example Network information 9
Symantec Backup Exec 76 NFS client
Veritas NetBackup 75 Add 41
Integrity check 67 Mount share 39
Change properties 72 NIC port bonding 98
Disable 72 Change IP address 100
Enable 67
Run 71 O
Status 71 OpenStorage resources 45
Introduction 1 Create 24
IPMI 47 Mirror 62
Config 47 Operating system installation 8
Filter 48 Manually install 8
Monitor 47
P
J Passwords
Jumbo frames 15 Add/delete administrator password 50
Change administrator password 50
L Default 12
License keycodes 13 Patch
Location 58 Apply 60
Logs 46 Rollback 60
Performance
M Data streams 109
Map share Physical appliance
Windows client 38 Connect to storage network 5
Messages Delivered components 5
SNMP 61 Mount appliance 5
Mirror 62 Ports 5
Add 62 Setup 5
Fix minor disk failure 64 Ports 5
Monitor 62
Rebuild 64 R
Replace disk in active configuration 64 Reboot server 48
Replace failed disk 63 Reclamation 66
Resume 64 Replication 86
Status 63 Change properties 92
Suspend 64 Configure ingoing 86
Swap 64 Configure outgoing 87
Mount share Include/exclude 92
NFS client 39 Recover files 91
MTU 15 Reports 53
Multipathing 95 Resume 94
Load distribution 96 Statistics 77
Path management 96 Status 90