StorageUnificationTool

From Linux NFS

Contents 1 description 2 use cases 2.1 Handles storage devices 2.2 Handles storage pools 2.3 Handles file systems 2.4 Handles NFS administration 2.5 Handles data management 3 other examples 4 requirements 5 major architecture 6 operation 7 random ideas 8 free-form notes

description

• A easy-to-use graphical tool that can manage storage devices and pools, and file systems
• Includes a wizard (like Roxio or Toast) that can start different applications depending on what is to be accomplished
• Make it easy to create, manage, and back up very large data storage pools
• Make it easy to export and secure data
• Provide a framework for thinking about and documenting data management

use cases

Handles storage devices

• system and device health
• automatic and manual setting of I/O parameters
• installation, configuration, transport setup
• device error reporting and analysis

Handles storage pools

• administers RAID volumes and LVs
• set up hot remote pools
• identify hot swap spare LUNs

Handles file systems

• creating
• mounting
• tuning
• resizing
• deleting

Handles NFS administration

• client: automated server discovery,
• client: autofs configuration
• server: automatic export of file systems

Handles data management

• set up automated storage hierarchies
• one-time or periodic data replication
• one-time or periodic backup
• restore and disaster recovery

other examples

• star, cpio, rsync
• Smit on AIX
• zpool and zfs on Solaris

requirements

       <outline text="Need a good name for it (branding!)"/>
       <outline text="Must tie together the disparate, separately maintained, and undocumented masses of storage utilities that exist on Linux"/>
       <outline text="And provide new tools that don't already exist"/>
       <outline text="Emulates the nice model provided by zpool/zfs"/>
       <outline text="Management">
         <outline text="Do we want some kind of permanent storage management (disk/CF/optical/tape)? Device maintenance? Ways to drive smartctl, hdparm, or other testing?"/>
         <outline text="Do we want some kind of storage pool management (manage LVs, manage pools [for fs's that understand them]?"/>
         <outline text="Do we want some kind of file system management (create, check, remove, expand)?  Managing /etc/fstab, /etc/exports, and the automounters?  Disk usage analyzer (boabab)?"/>
         <outline text="Do we want some kind of data management (replication/migration/backup/mirroring)?"/>
       </outline>

major architecture

       <outline text="Need to look at tools for constructing nice GUIs on Linux">
         <outline text="Ask on #nc?"/>
         <outline text="Some web searching"/>
         <outline text="Look at Python web site: again, Python might be best to prototype">
           <outline text="Python seems to have plenty of options"/>
         </outline>
       </outline>
       <outline text="Let's start small">
         <outline text="Add a GUI to fdisk, mdadm"/>
         <outline text="Try constructing a GUI for managing fstab or exports"/>
         <outline text="Build a GUI for starting other applications"/>
       </outline>

operation

random ideas

       <outline text="Start simple -- admin /etc/fstab or run smartctl"/>
       <outline text="Need place to collect ideas publicly">
         <outline text="calpg wiki"/>
         <outline text="external wiki"/>
         <outline text="irc -- use #linuxfs, or something else"/>
         <outline text="mailing list?"/>
       </outline>
       <outline text="Python!">
         <outline text="Found some interesting pythings that could help">
           <outline text="module that can do stuff with devices"/>
           <outline text="pyparted to deal with partition management"/>
           <outline text="pylibacl for... well, you know"/>
         </outline>
       </outline>

free-form notes

Would be nice to have some kind of wizard-like user space tool that would allow virtualized data management on Linux.

Need to scope the requirements.

Do we want some kind of permanent storage management (disk/CF/optical)? Device maintenance? Ways to drive SMART, or other testing?

Do we want some kind of storage pool management (manage LVs, manage pools [for fs's that understand them])?

Do we want some kind of file system managment (create, check, remove, expand)? Managing /etc/fstab, /etc/exports, and the automounters? boabab (disk usage analyzer)

Do we want some kind of data management (replicate/migrate/backup/mirror)?

So I think we can start small. Take a common TUI utility or two (fdisk or mdadm) and try constructing a GUI around it.