I posted a question awhile back about the wisdom of using
AdvFS, without the Advanced Filesystem Utilities, in an attempt to
cheapen the expense of converting a AlphaServer 1000 from NT to
OSF/1.
Most pointed out the main advantage of the utilities is the ability
to add partions/disks to an existing volume, which seems essential
for large and growing data volumes.
Other useful information came in the form of a chart that compares
the functionality of AdvFS, LVM, and AdvFS + AdvFS Utilities.
Also it was suggested that an additional application, the Advanced File
System GUI (AFAADVGUI300), can provide an easy to use interface for the
applications within the AdvFS Utilities.
As a related point, some mentioned being at a university, I would get
these utilities for free, but unfortunately, not at THIS university.
Thanks to (their responses follow):
Hellebx Knut <bgk1142_at_bggfu2.nho.hydro.com>
David Brady <dave_at_lynx.dac.neu.edu>
David Warren <warren_at_atmos.washington.edu>
Herve DEMARTHE <demarthe_at_alpha.cad.cea.fr>
Dan Cambron <Dan_Cambron_at_tempeqm.sps.mot.com>
Richard_Fleming_at_ccmsmtpgw.gam.com
Paul E. Rockwell <rockwell_at_sco.dec.com>
Simon Lai <sjlai_at_broncho.ct.monash.edu.au>
Jim Palfreyman jim_at_orac.ecc.tased.edu.au
Jyotinath <jyoti_at_qcav01.enet.dec.com>
from Hellebx Knut <bgk1142_at_bggfu2.nho.hydro.com>
> The AdvFs utilities can be valuable becuause to my knowledge it is
> impossible to include more than one disk in a AdvFS domain if you don't
> have the optional products (I hope I'm wrong).
>
from David Brady <dave_at_lynx.dac.neu.edu>
> I'm using AdvFS now. Without the Utilities, you can't create
> multi-partition domains. (Which in my mind makes it kinda useless.)
>
> On the other hand, even the base AdvFS stuff provides you with a journaling
> filesystem, which is GREAT at dealing with crashes. I have a 3 GB
> domain, that even with a crash re-mounts in less than one minute.
David Warren <warren_at_atmos.washington.edu> writes:
> The most important one for us is the addvol command. Due to this instead of
> a bunch of 4 gig partitions we have one larger one per machine. Since we
> deal with really big (as in hundreds of megabytes) datasets, this is very
> useful. However, realize universities get the utilities for free.
From Richard_Fleming_at_ccmsmtpgw.gam.com
> AdvFS utilities include some useful bits and pieces,
> particluarly the 'clone file system' which makes an instant
> 'snapshot' of a live file system. The AdvFS utilities are
> useful generally for system administrators and such, but I
> don't think a single user machine will have any requirement
> for them.
>
from Paul E. Rockwell" <rockwell_at_sco.dec.com>
> If you have more than one disk, AdvFS utilities are *extremely* useful. It
> allows you to create file domains of more than one volume. It also opens
> up the other on-line management functionality of AdvFS such as:
>
> * add and remove disks on-the-fly
> * file level striping
> * file undelete (trashcans)
> * fileset cloning
> * on-line defragmentation
> * file system balancing (spreading files evenly across more than 1 disk in the
> domain)
>
>
> AdvFS utils is probably *not* the component to scrimp on.
from Simon Lai <sjlai_at_broncho.ct.monash.edu.au>
> You might also consider AFAADVGUI300,
> {POLYCENTER advanced File System GUI(General Applications) } which is
> the GUI to manage all this. It is possible of course without the GUI,
> but the GUI makes it easy to quickly understand the concepts involved.
> There are of course also the manual pages for AFAADVANCED30 called
> AFAADVMAN300.
>
> What is useful in the utilities? Well we use defragment a lot, not
> so much balance, though I can see a time when we add another disk that
> it will come in useful. We don't use the trashcans or striping. You
> can't add additional volumes (ie disks) to an existing domain without
> addvol, so if you want to span disks you'll need this.
>
> Overall if you are running systems that creates/deletes lots of files
> all the time, you'll probably need defragment. It costs us nothing
> so we run it once a week on all disks.
>
> Oh and the main benefit for us is the quick crash recovery times.
> About 2-3 seconds on 9+Gb of disk for us.
from jim_at_orac.ecc.tased.edu.au
> our perspective, we couldn't function without it. We have a 4720 (two
> cpu's), 768Mb RAM and 24*2Gb rz28's. Each of these rz28's are matched off in
> pairs and mirrored under LSM. Each of these LSM volumes is then formed into a
> large AdvFS domain which provides the base of our file storage. (Except for /
> /usr and swap.)
>
> Without the utilities, I understand you cannot have more than one volume in your
> domain. We also stripe (at the file level) two of our large and regularly
> accessed files so the load is spread over many spindles.
>
> We also take a snapshot of our filesets (using clonefset) and then back that up.
> This means that we get a clean backup of the entire filesystem.
>
> We run the library system for all public libraries and schools throughout the
> state. By the end of the year we will have 600+ terminals using the system at
> once. Of most importance to us is uptime. It is nice to know that I can go in
> and rip out a disk drive from the rack and the system will still keep
> functioning.
>
from Jyotinath <jyoti_at_qcav01.enet.dec.com>
> below is a storage summary I had written up a while ago;
> the numbers should be indicative, in case they are dated....!!
>
> Please check the respective Software Product Descriptions (SPD) for
> more details, available via anonymous ftp from gatekeeper.dec.com
> in pub/DEC/DECinfo directory.
>
> Table: Summary of Alpha-OSF/1 Storage Technology
> -------------------------------------------------
>
>
> ================================================================================
> |\... Software| 64-bit | Advanced | Logical | Advanced |
> | \..... | UNIX | File | Storage | File System |
> |Benefit \....| on Alpha | System | Manager | Utilities |
> ================================================================================
> | | | | | |
> | Data | | Journalled | | |
> | Integrity | | file system | | |
> | | | | | |
> | | | | | |
> | | | | | |
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> | | | | | |
> | System | | Quick system | Add/remove | Add/remove |
> | Availability| | reboot | disks online | disks online|
> | | | | Extend file | Extend file |
> | | | | system | system |
> | | | | online | online |
> | | | | | Writelock |
> | | | | | clone for |
> | | | | | online |
> | | | | | backup |
> | | | | | |
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> | | | | | |
> | Data | | | Volume | |
> | Availability| | | mirroring | |
> | | | | | |
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> | | | | | |
> | I/O | | | Volume | File level |
> | Performance | | | striping | striping |
> | | | | Migrate file | Migrate files|
> | | | | systems for | for load |
> | | | | load | balancing |
> | | | | balancing | |
> | | | | | |
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> | | | | | |
> | Data | Files and | | File system | File level |
> | Capacity | file sys | | striping | striping |
> | | greater | | 128 GB/volume | |
> | | than 2 GB | | 256 volumes | |
> | | | | | |
> | | | | | |
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> | | | | | |
> | Data | | | Migrate file | Migrate files|
> | Management | | | system | online |
> | | | | online | Writelock |
> | | | | 256 partitions | clone for |
> | | | | per volume | online |
> | | | | | backup |
> | | | | | |
> ================================================================================
>
>
Cheers.
- troy
-----------------------------------------------
Troy Jordan
Systems and Network Manager
NCGIA (National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis)
University of Maine
Orono, Maine 04469
(207) 581-2209
Received on Thu Feb 02 1995 - 08:31:29 NZDT