Installing the SAN File System software on an AIX client

This topic describes how to install version 2.2 of the SAN File System on an AIX® client.

Prerequisites

Steps

  1. Enable asynchronous input/output on the AIX client, which is required for the SAN File System.
    1. Log on to the client as root.
    2. Start smit.
    3. Select Devices
    4. Select Asynchronous I/O
    5. Select Asynchronous I/O (Legacy)
      Note: You see this choice only when you are disabling asynchronous I/O on AIX 5.2 or 5.3. If you are using AIX 5.1, skip this step.
    6. Select Change/Show Characteristics of Asynchronous I/O
    7. Use the tab key to set the STATE to be configured at system restart to available.
    8. Press Enter.
    9. Exit smit.
    10. Run cfgmgr to apply the changes.
  2. Navigate to the directory where the client installation package is located.
  3. Optionally, use installp or smit to preview the installation of the package. This way, you can resolve any warnings before you actually commit the installation.
    installp -ac -d dir client_package_name
    where dir is the directory where you stored the package.
  4. Use installp or smit to install the package. For example:
    inutoc .
    installp -ac -d . client_package_name
  5. Configure and start the client. Run the setup command with the -prompt parameter.
    /usr/tank/client/bin/setupstclient -prompt
    You are prompted to enter values for the client configuration, as shown in Table 1. In most cases, you can accept the defaults.
    Table 1. AIX client configuration prompts
    Parameter Default Description
    kernextname /usr/tank/client/bin/stfs The client setup utility loads the SAN File System driver as a kernel extension and creates the file system driver instance. You must specify the path to the location of the SAN File System kernel extension.
    devices pat=/dev/rhdisk* The SAN File System client determines which disks to use as SAN File System user data volumes by searching a list of disks, called device candidates. The device candidate list can be specified as a pattern or directory: pat=<pattern>, dir=<directory path>
    clientname hostname The name can be any string, but must be unique among all SAN File System clients.
    server_ip No default The SAN File System client must connect to one of the metadata servers in the cluster. After the client establishes a connection to the server, the server notifies the client of any other servers in the cluster.
    server_port 1700 The SAN File System client must connect to the client-server port on the metadata server. Running the command sfscli statserver –netconfig <server_name> on the server displays the client-server port.
    mount_point /mnt/sanfs The client setup utility mounts the SAN File System to a specified mount point (directory) and creates the file system image. If the specified mount point does not exist, it is created.
    Attention: Do not enter the mount point or directory of any general directories that are used by the base operating system of the client. For example, /, /root, /var, /etc, /usr. Doing this might cause the client operating system to stop performing basic functions. If you do mount the client at a standard directory, call the IBM® Support Center for assistance.
    readonly No If you mount the SAN File System as read-only, data and metadata in the file system can be viewed, but not modified.
    majornumber 99 A major number is required to register the SAN File System driver with the kernel. Change the default only if the default major number is already in use.
    convertertype ISO-8859-1 The NLS converter provides the metadata server with data on how to convert strings from the SAN File System client into UNICODE. Refer to the International Components for UNICODE Web site noted in Web sites for a list of supported converters.
    nettype tcp The transport protocol determines how the SAN File System client connects to the Metadata server. Specify either tcp or udp.
    stfserror log All SAN File System client errors are logged to the system log of the client machine. There are some error conditions that might require additional measures, such as when an application exits and a subsequent hardware failure prevents data from being committed to disk.

    For these types of error conditions, you can select the freezefs or systemhalt options. The freezefs option prevents the SAN File System from writing additional data to disk and halts communication with the Metadata servers. The systemhalt option forces the client system to abruptly shut down. Choose either log, freezefs, or systemhalt.

    verbose No By default, the client setup utility runs quietly, suppressing informational messages generated by the commands. You can choose to display these messages by entering Yes.

    In most cases you can accept the defaults. If you change these values, make sure that you type the new values correctly.

    Tip: If you have installed SDD on the client, you should use the following device pattern when prompted for storage devices:
    pat=/dev/rvpath*

Parent topic: Installing SAN File System on an AIX client

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