Guide to Novell NetWare 6.0 Network Administration

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Guide to Novell NetWare 6.0 Network

Administration

Chapter 5

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Chapter 5 - Planning theNetwork File System

Describe the components of the NetWare file system

Explain the purpose of each NetWare-created directory and Novell-suggested directory

Apply directory design concepts to developing and documenting a directory structure for an organization

Identify NetWare and Windows utilities used to view volume and directory information

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A network file system is a design for storing files on one or more hard disks in the NetWare servers on the network File system refers to the file storage structure on an

individual NetWare server, whereas network file system refers to how file storage is structured across all NetWare servers in the network

Novell has improved the network file system in NetWare 6 by implementing Novell Storage System (NSS) version 3, with main components being disk partitions, storage pools and volumes

Network File System Components

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Disk partitions involve dividing the physical disk into one or more partitions in order to format and manage data storage NSS3 provides a virtually unlimited number of NSS

partitions and actually designates certain partitions during installation

NSS partitions are considered part of the NetWare server’s disk storage, they do not appear as separate objects in the eDirectory tree, instead they are accessed by clicking on the NetWare server object

Network File System Components

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Disk partition fault tolerance is essential because having all operating system files and data on one drive creates a potential single point of file service failure if the drive crashes Hot Fix detects bad disk blocks and automatically

redirects the data being written to a reserved area Mirror automatically keeps data on two partitions

synchronized by writing data to both partitions Duplexing describes the process of mirroring disk

partitions that exist on separate disks on separate controller cards

Network File System Components

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Storage Pools are created from disk partitions After a disk partitioning, the next step in setting up an

NSS file system is creating storage pools When a disk partition is added to a storage pool, the

amount of space in the pool is increased by the size of the disk partition

The space in the storage pool is divided into one or more NSS logical volumes

There can be only one storage pool on a partition, but unlimited logical volumes can be placed in the storage pool array

Network File System Components

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Volumes are the basic storage unit that the network file system uses to give users access to network directories and files NetWare 6 supports traditional and NSS volumes, which

are preferred because of higher capacity and high-speed mounting

NSS volumes are logical divisions of a storage pool and are contained in disk partitions

NSS volumes are given a specific static size, or they are given an initial size and allowed to grow

Network File System Components

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NSS volume features include: Server clustering, which allows volumes to be shared

among two or more servers; shared volumes are usually placed on a network storage device attached to a high-speed storage area network (SAN)

Overbooking allows the sum of all volumes in the storage pool to be larger than the pool size

Flush Files Immediately causes a file to be saved to disk immediately after it is closed, instead of waiting for the next server disk write cycle

Network File System Components

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NSS volume features (cont.): File Snapshot keeps the most recent copy of a closed

file for backup purposes Modified File List causes the volume to track the names

of files changed since the last backup File Compression is when the server compresses files

that have not been used for a specified period Data Shredding ensures sensitive data is completely

destroyed for security purposes Disk Space Restriction restricts volume space Salvage Files allows salvaging of deleted files

Network File System Components

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Traditional volumes will remain when upgrading a NetWare server to NetWare 6 With traditional volumes, data is written to the disk in

units called blocks, which represent the amount of data written to or read from the disk at one time

Network Administrators can set a larger block size for traditional volumes when creating volumes

Traditional volumes offer a suballocation feature, which divides a block into 512-byte units as a way to store data from multiple files in the same block; suballocation allows better disk space utilization

Network File System Components

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NetWare volume storage space can be organized into directories and subdirectories Directories are logical volume storage areas and

subdirectories are a further division of directories Directories and subdirectories help keep files organized

in a volume An important network administrator responsibility is

designing a directory structure for each volume that separates software and data according to functionality and use

Network File System Components

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During NetWare 6 install, system directories are created to store system files and utilities: The SYS:Login directory contains files and programs

that can be accessed before logging in SYS:Public contains utility programs and files that are

available to all network users after login SYS:System contains OS files and utilities that are

accessible only to users such as Admin users who have been given supervisory privileges

SYS:Etc contains TCP/IP configuration files

Network File System Components

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Novell suggests that beyond the required directories, three types of directories should be part of an organization’s file structure: Application directories are created for the applications

and data the network users need Home directories are created for each user as a private

home directory in which to store files Shared directories allow multiple users to share

common files and documents

Network File System Components

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Files contain the actual blocks of data that can be loaded from the disk storage system into the computer’s RAM Every NetWare volume contains a directory entry table

(DET) and a file allocation table (FAT) to keep track of each file’s name and location

A directory path is a list of file system components that identifies the location of the directory or file to access

Network File System Components

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Directory structure design involves two steps: Defining the directories and subdirectories needed and

then placing those directories in the file system structure Before designing an organization’s directory structure,

analyze the processing needs of users to determine which directories are needed

In creating a directory structure, there is no single best approach that all network administrators use, instead administrators develop unique styles

Directory Structure

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The first step in directory structure design is determining the storage needed for the services the server will provide to users To determine storage needs, start by examining an

organizational chart in order to assess the computer users and any workgroups

Next, define NetWare server use throughout the organization by determining department and workgroup processing and resource needs

Many network administrators create naming schemes for the servers in their network

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Directory structure design (cont.) With network users and workgroups identified,

determine what applications and data storage areas they will need

Directories can be divided into four general categories: general-purpose applications (software used by users to create their own files), vertical applications (software that performs a specialized process), shared data (files that multiple users access), and home directories

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Directory structure design (cont.) After determining directory needs, begin to design the

layout and determine the location of the directories within the NetWare server’s volumes

First define the data and software directories required by users

Then organize these directories into a logical and easy-to-use structure that will provide a foundation for the network’s file system

Use the NSS Volume Design Form to document each volume’s directory structure

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Directory structure design (cont.) The simplest method for organizing the SYS volume is

to branch all directories from the root of the SYS volume, but this approach has drawbacks

To avoid drawbacks, separate the SYS volume from data storage by using a DATA volume

In a multiple-volume design, many network administrators place directories for operating system and general purpose applications in the SYS volume

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Directory structure design (cont.) DATA volumes are generally organized using two

methods: application or department/workgroup The application-oriented structure groups the directories

by applications used by users The departmental structure, directories are located

within the workgroups and departments that control them, with directories containing files available to all users are located at the root

The combined structure combines the application-oriented and departmental approaches

Directory Structure

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NetWare provides several ways to create and manipulate files and directories and to view information on them Windows Explorer allows you to view NetWare volumes,

their contents, and related properties There are command-line utilities available to perform file

system functions as well as to automate a process, such as NetWare’s powerful NDIR command which has many options for sorting and displaying files

NetWare File and Directory Utilities

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NetWare provides several ways to create and manipulate files and directories and to view information on them (cont.) Files and directories in Windows Explorer can be copied

in many ways, but in particular, using NetWare Copy gives greater flexibility

NetWare Copy goes beyond standard methods of copying files by preserving the rights specified for a file, as well as preserving all file attributes

Network Administrators also have the option of renaming files through Windows Explorer

NetWare File and Directory Utilities

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Chapter Summary

The basic components of the Novell Storage System (NSS) include partition, storage pools, volumes, directories, and files

Storage pools are made up of one or more physical disk partitions. The volume is the logical division of the storage pool and is comparable to a file cabinet drawer in that it holds folders and files. Each server is required to have a minimum of one NSS volume named SYS consisting of at least 2 GB, with 4 GB recommended

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Chapter Summary

When NetWare is installed on your server, the required SYS volume and system directories are created automatically. Some of the NetWare required directories include Login, Public, System, Mail, Etc, and Deleted.sav. Each serves a specific purpose

In addition to the directories created by NetWare, directories should be created for application software, shared data, and personal user home directories

Two major methods exist for arranging directories: application-oriented structures are grouped around applications; departmental structures are grouped around workgroups

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Chapter Summary

A path is used to specify the location of a file or directory in the NetWare file system. A complete path contains all components of the directory structure leading to the specified file or directory

You can use command-line utilities or Windows Explorer to work with the NetWare file system. Novell Client for Windows adds some features to Windows to enhance working with the NetWare file system and allow you to access volume, directory, and file information on NetWare servers and to rename and delete files and directories from NetWare volumes