Re: [zfs-discuss] Does the zpool cache file affect import?

2011-08-30 Thread Garrett D'Amore

On 08/30/2011 04:59 AM, "Hung-Sheng Tsao (Lao Tsao 老曹) Ph.D." wrote:


IMHO, you need to know how to recover the Zpool if the data/metadata 
get corrupt due to import by two hosts

may be things are improved for zfs recently.
you design cluster by certain rules, hope that all SA(not just you) 
will follow your rules, otherwise some SA may just import zpool that 
create cachefile and next time the system will want to import the 
zpool in cachefile that already imported by other hosts
Sun cluster use its own cachefile to control the cache, but as any 
design it could not prevent SA to import zpool by hand:-(


ZFS has some safeguards to protect against this error -- but those 
safeguards are bypassed when using "-f" to import a pool.  Its 
absolutely vital that system administrators are taught to try without -f 
first, and the only use -f to import a pool when they are *absolutely 
certain* that no other system can be accessing the pool concurrently.


Clusters require a greater degree of care and skill than ordinary 
systems.  This is one reason that I try to steer folks towards 
application redundancy rather than cluster configurations, when 
redundancy at the application layer is available.


- Garrett


my 2c

On 8/29/2011 9:03 PM, Gary Mills wrote:

On Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 07:56:16PM -0400, LaoTsao wrote:

Q?
are you intent to import this zpool to different host?

Yes, it can be imported on another server.  That part works when it
has been exported cleanly first.  I was concerned about a possible
import failure when the original server lost power.


Sent from my iPad

Sent from my Sun type 6 keyboard.



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Re: [zfs-discuss] Does the zpool cache file affect import?

2011-08-30 Thread Hung-Sheng Tsao (Lao Tsao 老曹) Ph.D.


IMHO, you need to know how to recover the Zpool if the data/metadata get 
corrupt due to import by two hosts

may be things are improved for zfs recently.
you design cluster by certain rules, hope that all SA(not just you) will 
follow your rules, otherwise some SA may just import zpool that create 
cachefile and next time the system will want to import the zpool in 
cachefile that already imported by other hosts
Sun cluster use its own cachefile to control the cache, but as any 
design it could not prevent SA to import zpool by hand:-(

my 2c

On 8/29/2011 9:03 PM, Gary Mills wrote:

On Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 07:56:16PM -0400, LaoTsao wrote:

Q?
are you intent to import this zpool to different host?

Yes, it can be imported on another server.  That part works when it
has been exported cleanly first.  I was concerned about a possible
import failure when the original server lost power.


Sent from my iPad

Sent from my Sun type 6 keyboard.

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Re: [zfs-discuss] Does the zpool cache file affect import?

2011-08-29 Thread Gary Mills
On Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 05:24:18PM -0700, Richard Elling wrote:
> We use this method to implement NexentaStor HA-Cluster and, IIRC,
> Solaris Cluster uses shared cachefiles, too.  More below...

Mine's a cluster too, with quite a simple design.

> On Aug 29, 2011, at 11:13 AM, Gary Mills wrote:
> > I have a system with ZFS root that imports another zpool from a start
> > method.  It uses a separate cache file for this zpool, like this:
> > 
> >if [ -f $CCACHE ]
> >then
> >echo "Importing $CPOOL with cache $CCACHE"
> >zpool import -o cachefile=$CCACHE -c $CCACHE $CPOOL
> >else
> >echo "Importing $CPOOL with device scan"
> >zpool import -o cachefile=$CCACHE $CPOOL
> >fi
> > 
> > It also exports that zpool from the stop method, which has the side
> > effect of deleting the cache.  This all works nicely when the server
> > is rebooted.
> > 
> > What will happen when the server is halted without running the stop
> > method, so that that zpool is not exported?  I know that there is a
> > flag in the zpool that indicates when it's been exported cleanly.  The
> > cache file will exist when the server reboots.  Will the import fail
> > with the `The pool was last accessed by another system.' error, or
> > will the import succeed?  
> 
> The pool metadata has the host's ID stored. When you export the pool,
> the host's ID is cleared. So as long as you import on the same host,
> it won't pring the "last accessed by another system" message.

That's what I'd hoped.  So, if the active node reboots, that zpool
will be imported again, perhaps more slowly because import is
investigating possible damage.  This is good.

> > Does the cache change the import behavior?
> 
> Only pools in /etc/zfs/zpool.cache are imported automatically at boot.
> To import your pool, add a start script.

Yes, that's it above.

> > Does it recognize that the server is the same system?  I don't want
> > to include the `-f' flag in the commands above when it's not needed.
> 
> It should just work.  Use "zdb -C /my/cache/file" for exploration and
> troubleshooting.

Excellent!

-- 
-Gary Mills--Unix Group--Computer and Network Services-
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Re: [zfs-discuss] Does the zpool cache file affect import?

2011-08-29 Thread Gary Mills
On Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 07:56:16PM -0400, LaoTsao wrote:
> Q?
> are you intent to import this zpool to different host?

Yes, it can be imported on another server.  That part works when it
has been exported cleanly first.  I was concerned about a possible
import failure when the original server lost power.

> Sent from my iPad

Sent from my Sun type 6 keyboard.

-- 
-Gary Mills--Unix Group--Computer and Network Services-
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Re: [zfs-discuss] Does the zpool cache file affect import?

2011-08-29 Thread Richard Elling
Hi Gary,
We use this method to implement NexentaStor HA-Cluster and, IIRC,
Solaris Cluster uses shared cachefiles, too.  More below...

On Aug 29, 2011, at 11:13 AM, Gary Mills wrote:

> I have a system with ZFS root that imports another zpool from a start
> method.  It uses a separate cache file for this zpool, like this:
> 
>if [ -f $CCACHE ]
>then
>echo "Importing $CPOOL with cache $CCACHE"
>zpool import -o cachefile=$CCACHE -c $CCACHE $CPOOL
>else
>echo "Importing $CPOOL with device scan"
>zpool import -o cachefile=$CCACHE $CPOOL
>fi
> 
> It also exports that zpool from the stop method, which has the side
> effect of deleting the cache.  This all works nicely when the server
> is rebooted.
> 
> What will happen when the server is halted without running the stop
> method, so that that zpool is not exported?  I know that there is a
> flag in the zpool that indicates when it's been exported cleanly.  The
> cache file will exist when the server reboots.  Will the import fail
> with the `The pool was last accessed by another system.' error, or
> will the import succeed?  

The pool metadata has the host's ID stored. When you export the pool,
the host's ID is cleared. So as long as you import on the same host,
it won't pring the "last accessed by another system" message.

> Does the cache change the import behavior?

Only pools in /etc/zfs/zpool.cache are imported automatically at boot.
To import your pool, add a start script.

> Does it recognize that the server is the same system?  I don't want
> to include the `-f' flag in the commands above when it's not needed.

It should just work.  Use "zdb -C /my/cache/file" for exploration and
troubleshooting.
 -- richard

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Re: [zfs-discuss] Does the zpool cache file affect import?

2011-08-29 Thread LaoTsao
Q?
are you intent to import this zpool to different host?


Sent from my iPad
Hung-Sheng Tsao ( LaoTsao) Ph.D

On Aug 29, 2011, at 14:13, Gary Mills  wrote:

> I have a system with ZFS root that imports another zpool from a start
> method.  It uses a separate cache file for this zpool, like this:
> 
>if [ -f $CCACHE ]
>then
>echo "Importing $CPOOL with cache $CCACHE"
>zpool import -o cachefile=$CCACHE -c $CCACHE $CPOOL
>else
>echo "Importing $CPOOL with device scan"
>zpool import -o cachefile=$CCACHE $CPOOL
>fi
> 
> It also exports that zpool from the stop method, which has the side
> effect of deleting the cache.  This all works nicely when the server
> is rebooted.
> 
> What will happen when the server is halted without running the stop
> method, so that that zpool is not exported?  I know that there is a
> flag in the zpool that indicates when it's been exported cleanly.  The
> cache file will exist when the server reboots.  Will the import fail
> with the `The pool was last accessed by another system.' error, or
> will the import succeed?  Does the cache change the import behavior?
> Does it recognize that the server is the same system?  I don't want
> to include the `-f' flag in the commands above when it's not needed.
> 
> -- 
> -Gary Mills--Unix Group--Computer and Network Services-
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