Hi,
Looking for some feedback on past/current experiences involving
implementation and maintenance of an AFS Cell dispersed over
a WAN environment.
Scope:
An existing AFS cell is located at our main site. To bring in remote
locations over a WAN (T1 connection) each remote site will receive
one/two DB servers and one/two File Servers, allowing for local
site access while maintaining central management.
Concerns:
Performance. Performing a "vos release" over a WAN? The Sync Site,
will be receiving all the DB updates and then pushing the new DB files,
is there a performance impact? Can there be induced Cell delays or
"freeze" due to slowed DB interaction?
RW/RO volumes. Our existing cell is size X connecting to a EMC frame.
Mount points (volumes) intermix to create certain paths inside a directory
tree. To ensure the remote FS system maintains consistency with the
data paths, much of the RO data will be replicated to the remote sites,
ie; /usr/eda, /usr/cad etc. Also, the remote site will most likely have
their
own RW data with or without replication. Implementing large data
storage systems at the remote site is not an option, is there an alternate
solution here?
DB servers. Looking for feedback on possible WAN interference
which would obstruct the availability and performance of the AFS cell
as a whole. One example; remote site X has a WAN issue and will be
unavailable for X period of time and we need to perform volume replication,
account changes, something which requires a DB update, at the central
site. Are there admin concerns or will the cell's Ubik flow be able to
handle
these outages? Will the remote site continue to operate (locally) with an
outdated database and a reduced Ubik flow? Other examples?
Lowest IP address wins the role as coordinator. To maintain the current
configuration at the central site regarding sync site roles, is it absolute
to worry about the IP address scope? Other topics of concern include time
synchronization for the Ubik flow and general administrator tasks which
fall "out of the norm" for a LAN AFS Cell.
Any feedback is welcome.
thank you in advance.
-Tony Piscopo
NEEC - Intel, Hudson MA.
