Filesystems: Gluster

Setup tested using ubuntu 12.10 on calxeda hardware. Steps should be applicable on most linux distros. In this configuration we are using 2 hosts which act both as servers and clients.

• Gluster is installed on 2 hosts (cal3 and cal4)
• A gluster filesystem is created across 2 hosts
• Both hosts then mount the glusterfs
• Mount point /gluster is a device (/dev/sda6)

Install Gluster

  apt-get -y install gluster-server gluster-client

Create a storage pool

• Probe peers and check the status. Instructions below were exected on cal4

root@cal4:~$ gluster peer probe cal3
Probe successful
root@cal4:~$ gluster peer status
Number of Peers: 1

Hostname: cal3
Uuid: 5ce71128-9143-424b-b407-c3d4e6a39cf1
State: Peer in Cluster (Connected)

Create a distributed volume

• Assuming /gluster is the location of the space you want to use on each node
• Transport is tcp in this instance as we are just using ethernet, rdma could be used if we had IB
• Not striping, you should use striped volumes only in high concurrency environments accessing very large files. stripe X

root@cal4:~$ gluster volume create gluster-vol1 transport tcp cal4:/glusterfs cal3:/glusterfs 
Creation of volume gluster-vol1 has been successful. Please start the volume to access data.

Start the volume

• Start the volume

root@cal4:~$ gluster volume start gluster-vol1
Starting volume gluster-vol1 has been successful

• Verify everything is in order

root@cal4:~$ gluster volume info gluster-vol1

Volume Name: gluster-vol1
Type: Distribute
Status: Started
Number of Bricks: 2
Transport-type: tcp
Bricks:
Brick1: cal4:/glusterfs
Brick2: cal3:/glusterfs