Prerequisites for using FlashMove or FlashMirror¶
To use the FlashMove or FlashMirror features, make sure your cluster meets the requirements outlined in this article.
License Requirements¶
Make sure you have a valid license for the feature you want to use, and that the license has been installed on your Avere cluster. The cluster needs a valid license for FlashMove, FlashMirror, or both.
Read Appendix A: Adding or Removing Feature Licenses to learn how to add a feature license to your system.
Core Filer Requirements¶
Any storage system that you want to use in a FlashMove or FlashMirror job must be defined as a core filer in the Avere cluster. (To learn more about core filers, read Working With Core Filers and Core Filer > Manage Core Filers in the Avere OS Configuration Guide.)
These requirements apply to the core filers involved in a data management job:
Export - Each core filer must have at least one available export (for example,
/for cloud core filers)Cache Policy - Each core filer must use the cache policy Full Caching, or a custom policy with the following settings:
- Core Filer Verification must be set to Never
- Caching Mode must be set to Read/Write
- A writeback delay must be set
- Local Directories must be enabled (Note that changing this setting requires all clients to remount the cluster.)
Read Core Filer > Manage Cache Policies in the Avere OS Configuration Guide for details.
Global Namespace - The source core filer must be associated with a Global Namespace vserver.
Global Namespace (GNS) is the default type when creating a new vserver. GNS vservers allow the administrator to create a virtual pseudofilesystem that clients see instead of the actual data structure on the core filer. (An option also exists to create a simple vserver, which is a legacy configuration that cannot be used with Avere OS’s data management features.)
With a GNS vserver, you can create a junction in the client namespace that references the location of the source data. Clients access the same virtual path during and after the data migration. At the end of a FlashMove job, the namespace junction is automatically changed to reference the new location.
Note that the destination core filer must not be associated with a namespace junction. This restriction helps to prevent circular references in the client namespace. Read Maintaining A Consistent Namespace to learn more.
It is possible - but not recommended - to create a FlashMove job with a core filer that is defined in the cluster but not linked to any vserver. Without a vserver, the cluster cannot provide access to the core filer’s data, so debugging options are limited, and SMB ACLs cannot be migrated using this technique. Avere Systems strongly recommends configuring vservers for each core filer used in a data management job.
- Cloud Snapshots - If you use a cloud core filer that has an automatic cloud snapshot policy set, snapshots will be disabled for the duration of the job. You must acknowledge and approve this condition when you create the job, but you do not need to change the core filer settings. See Job Creation Errors and Warnings for details.
SMB ACL Requirements¶
If you are migrating directories that are configured to use ACLs for SMB access, the following additional requirements apply:
- Both the source user and the destination user must be Active Directory administrators (at minimum).
- The source and destination core filers must be joined to the same Active Directory domain, or to a trusted domain.
- Both the source and destination core filers must have existing SMB shares that are configured to access the same core filer directory as the core filer export.