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{{vmH.selected.familySearch.replace("EonStor ", "")}} Installation Guide

Installation Guide

Migrate and Manage Folders

EonStor GS / GS 3000 G3 / GS 3040 G3

This section details how to migrate and manage folders in the cluster.

Procedure and Terminology

Procedure summary

The procedures of migrating folders are summarized as follows.

  1. Create a folder from a client computer (refer to Create and Access Folders from a Client).
  2. Migrate the folder to the cluster file system or a certain volume. The folder becomes a cluster folder.
  3. Import an existing shared folder (optional).

After you migrating folders into the cluster file system, you can manage these folders as follows.

  1. Edit attributes for a folder (optional).
  2. Set up auto-balancing (optional).

Terminology

TermDefinitionRelated operations
FolderA folder is created within the cluster’s root shared folder by using a client computer. By default, a folder is located on the cluster root volume on the primary appliance. Out of management purposes, you may want to relocate (or “migrate”) a local folder to another volume, pool, or appliance, in order to distribute data and workloads more evenly. You can enable auto-migration on it (see below).
Cluster folderAfter you migrate a folder, it becomes a cluster folder. For a cluster folder, even though the physical location of the folder has changed, the folder appears to remain within the root shared folder when being accessed from a client computer.Cluster folders allow users to access data from one single namespace (i.e. the root shared folder), regardless of the physical location of the data.
Migrate a folderTo migrate a folder means to relocate (or “migrate”) a folder to a new location, i.e. a certain volume, based on the folder attributes.

You can migrate a folder to a volume on the same appliance or another one.

If you migrate a folder to its original volume, it simply becomes a cluster folder, with attributes specified. You can enable auto-migration on it (see below).

Attribute

The attributes of a folder are simply the requirements of the folder, depending on its purpose of usage. There are three attributes:

  • Performance
  • Protection (RAID level)
  • Media (HDD or SSD)

When you customize folder attributes, you are telling the system what the folder needs so that the system can suggest a new location for it accordingly.

You can also choose a volume directly, if the volume is suitable for the folder.

Auto-migration and auto-balancingIf you enable auto-migration for a folder, when the system performs an auto-balancing check, it will scan the space usage by the folder. If the storage threshold is reached, the system will suggest a migration task for the folder based on the folder’s attributes.You can modify, or delete migration tasks suggested by the system.

 

Migrate a Folder (Turn a Folder into a Cluster Folder)

Before you start

Take note of the following considerations and decide how you would like to migrate a folder.

For a cluster with only one appliance (primary appliance)

  • No license is required. You can migrate a folder to any volume of your choice on the primary appliance.
  • For a redundant model, if you want to migrate a folder from one controller to the other, make sure you have created a pool and a volume on both controllers.

For a cluster with multiple appliances

  • If you migrate a folder to another volume on the primary appliance, no license is required.
  • If you migrate a folder to a volume on another appliance, you need to activate the file scale-out license on both appliances first. Refer to Activate a File Scale-out License for details

Migrate a folder (Turn a folder into a cluster folder)

  1. Log in to EonOne. Select the cluster from the device list on the top menu bar.
  2. Go to Settings > Storage > Folder explorer. Click on the triangle next to the root shared folder to unfold it.

  3. Select a folder and click Migrate.

  4. Migrate the folder to become a cluster folder in the current volume, or to re-locate it to another volume.
    • Migrate to cluster folder
    • Migrate to another volume: Select another volume to re-locate the folder. Only those volumes with matched attributes will be displayed for you to choose.

  5. Choose when to migrate the folder.
    • Start now: the migration task will begin immediately.
    • By schedule: set the start time for this migration task to begin.

  6. Click OK. The folder will be migrated right now or later according to your configuration.
    • In Folder explorer, you can tell whether the folder has been migrated successfully according to the icon in front of the folder name:
      IconDefinition
      A folder
      A folder which has been migrating
      A cluster folder
    • You can also view the migration task on Settings > Storage > Migration > Folder migration.

 

Import an Existing Shared Folder

You can import an existing shared folder into the cluster file system.

Note:

Before importing the folder, you need to clear all the settings of its file service protocols.

  1. Log in to EonOne. Select the cluster from the device list on the top menu bar.
  2. Go to Settings > Storage > Folder explorer. Click on the triangle next to the root shared folder to unfold it.
  3. Select a desired folder as the destination, and click Import.

  4. Select the folder that you want to import.

  5. Click OK. When importing is complete, you can check the folder from the tree view in the Folder explorer.

 

Edit Folder Attributes

Edit folder attributes to suit your needs.

  1. Log in to EonOne. Select the cluster from the device list on the top menu bar.
  2. Go to Settings > Storage > Folder explorer. Click on the triangle next to the root shared folder to unfold it.
  3. Select a folder and click Edit.

  4. If needed, enable Auto-migration.
    Note:

    With this option enabled, the system will scan the storage usage by this folder in the future while performing an auto-balancing check. If the storage threshold is reached, the system will suggest another appliance for this folder based on the folder attributes.

  5. Edit folder attributes in one of the following ways.
    • Set an attribute: Select another appropriate option depending on the purpose of this folder, and click OK below.

    • Customize attributes: Select appropriate options depending on the purpose of this folder. When finishing editing, click OK.

      AttributeOptions
      Performance
      • High (GS/GSe 4000 Gen2, GS 4000U)
      • Medium (GS/GSe 3000 Gen2, GS 3000U, GSe Pro 3000)
      • Low (GS/GSe 1000 Gen2, GS/GSe 2000, GS 2000U)
      Protection
      • RAID 6
      • RAID 5
      • RAID 1
      Drive type
      • SSD
      • HDD
      Deduplication
      • Enabled
      • Disabled
      Compression
      • Enabled
      • Disabled
      Note:

      Only options that are available will be displayed.

  6.  Optional: If you have customized attributes manually, and these attributes don’t match to the current volume’s attributes, click Next and the system will prompt you to migrate this folder to another volume which has corresponding attributes.

  7. Optional: Choose when to migrate the folder. Click OK.
    • Start now: the migration task will begin immediately.
    • By schedule: set the start time for this migration task to begin.

 

Set up Auto-Balancing

Auto-balancing is a feature that spreads data evenly across appliances in the cluster to achieve an overall balanced capacity usage.

The mechanism can be summarized as follows.

  1. You will first set a storage threshold and a scanning period.
  2. Based on the scanning period, the system will scan the space usage by the cluster folders that you have enabled auto-migration for. You can also scan cluster folders manually at any time.
  3. Depending on the storage threshold and folder attributes, the system will suggest a different appliance with sufficient space as the migration destination for a scanned cluster folder.
  4. You can then decide if and when you want to perform the suggested folder migration task.
  5. You can also add a folder migration task manually any time to suit your needs.
    6. Note:

    To use auto-balancing, you need to activate the file scale-out license on each appliance first. Refer to Activate a File Scale-out License for details.

To set up auto-balancing, follow the instructions below.

  1. Log in to EonOne. Select the cluster from the device list on the top menu bar.
  2. Go to Settings > Storage > Auto-balancing to enable the auto-balancing feature (“On”).

  3. Set a storage threshold and the scanning period. The system will check storage usage on each appliance and suggest folder migration tasks based on these settings and folder attributes.
  4. Click Save. In the future, when the system suggests folder migration tasks, you can manage the tasks at Settings > Storage > Migration > Folder migration.
  5. Optional: To scan the entire cluster immediately, click Scan.

 

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