MultiStore is an optional software product that enables you to partition the storage and network resources of a single filer so that it appears as multiple filers on the network. Each "filer" created as a result of the partitioning is called a vfilerTM unit. A vfiler, using the resources assigned, delivers file services to its clients as a filer does.
The storage resource assigned to a vfiler can be one or more qtrees or volumes. The network resource assigned can be one or more base IP addresses or IP aliases associated with network interfaces. You can add or remove resources at any time.
Because MultiStore is an optional software product, you must enable the software license for it. The name of the license is vfiler.
MultiStore is typically used for the following reasons:
The following scenarios illustrate how you can use MultiStore to consolidate servers:
To consolidate the server, you can partition the filer into vfilers and then copy the data from the servers to the vfilers. If the vfilers are for CIFS users, you can set up the vfilers to use the same computer names as the servers. This enables CIFS clients to share resources without having to remap their drives or search for the new server in Network Neighborhood. If the vfilers are for NFS users, the NFS clients might need to remount the file systems, or they can use the automounter to automatically mount the file systems from the new locations.
Service providers, such as Internet service providers (ISPs) and storage service providers (SSPs), can partition the resources of a filer to create many vfilers for client companies. Similarly, the information technology (IT) department of an enterprise can create vfilers for various organizations, or customers, within the enterprise.
The administrator for each customer can manage and view files only on the assigned vfiler, not on other vfilers that reside on the same filer. In addition, there is no data flow between vfilers. A customer using a vfiler can be assured that no sensitive information is exposed to other customers that store data on the same filer.
For example, an SSP can create the following vfilers on a filer:
Although both CompanyA and CompanyB store data on the same filer, network traffic for each company is restricted to the specified interface. The administrator at CompanyA, which uses NFS to access data, cannot use the showmount command on a UNIX client to view directories on the filer that are outside the /vol/vol1 volume. Similarly, the administrator at CompanyB, which uses CIFS to access data, cannot browse the shares that are outside the /vol/vol2 volume.
See Chapter 3 for a more detailed discussion.
MultiStore enables you to migrate data from one filer to another without extensive reconfiguration on the destination filer.
Without MultiStore, after you use SnapMirror to copy data from one filer to another, you must edit the files' access control lists (ACLs), local user group definitions, user mapping information, and so on, before users can access the data. If the data being copied is stored on a vfiler, however, all user, group, and ACL information is encapsulated in the vfiler. You re-create a vfiler on the destination filer with the encapsulated information, and data can be served from the destination filer without further reconfiguration.
The filer on which you create vfilers is called the hosting filer. The storage and network resources used by the vfilers exist on the hosting filer.
Licensing MultiStore automatically causes Data ONTAP to create a default vfiler on the hosting filer. The name of the default vfiler is vfiler0.
Initially, vfiler0 owns all the resources on the filer. After you create vfilers, vfiler0 owns the resources that are not owned by the vfilers you create.
The default vfiler exists as long as the vfiler license is enabled. On a filer with the vfiler license enabled, you cannot destroy vfiler0.
All information provided in this guide about vfilers is applicable to vfiler0, unless noted otherwise.
Limitations of MultiStore include the following.
A filer containing the maximum number of vfilers actually has 33 vfilers: vfiler0 plus the 32 vfilers that you, the system administrator, can create.
See Adjusting the vfiler limit for more information.
You, as the hosting filer administrator, do not have CIFS or NFS access to the data contained in vfilers, except for the information in vfiler0. After you assign a qtree or volume to a vfiler, you lose access to the data in that qtree or volume.
Before you create a vfiler with the /vol/vol1 volume, you can configure the /etc/exports file so that you can mount the /vol/vol1 volume. After you create the vfiler, an attempt to mount the /vol/vol1 volume from the hosting filer results in the "Stale NFS file handle" error message.
A filer named toaster has the vfiler license enabled and is configured with three volumes, which are /vol/vol0, /vol/vol1, and /vol/vol2.
Because of the vfiler license, a default vfiler, vfiler0, is created on toaster.
On toaster, you can create a vfiler named vfiler1. You can assign the IP address 123.123.123.1, the qtree /vol/vol0/qtree1, and the volume /vol/vol1 to vfiler1. Traffic destined for vfiler1 uses the IP address 123.123.123.1, and all data served by vfiler1 is stored in the assigned qtree and volume.
Because toaster hosts vfiler1, toaster is the hosting filer. It uses all the IP addresses created on toaster except 123.123.123.1. It uses the following resources for storage:
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Part No. 210-00326
File: intro2.htm
Last updated: 01/10/03 17:10:00