by: Babin LonstonPosted on:

Creating Software RAID and Volumes on Openfiler Storage

Introduction

In our previous article we have a walkthrough Openfiler installation guide, now let us focus on creating a Software RAID, Volumes, Block devices and sharing them across a network range.

In our testing environment, we are about to use with 4 numbers of 1 TB disks. They will be added as a member into anyone of RAID level.

Read more about Openfiler setup

These are the steps we are about to cover in this guide.

  • Creating Partitions on Physical Volumes
  • Creating a RAID array
  • Checking array status
  • Creating Volume group
  • Adding New Volumes/Block device from VG
  • Access configuration for created Volumes
  • Start & Enable iSCSI server Service
  • Creating iSCSI Target
  • Mapping LUN’s with Target
  • Client Side Configuration

Creating Partitions for RAID

To create a partition on physical volume navigate to “Volume” menu and select Software RAID in the right-hand side. Click on “Create new RAID partitions“.

Volume –> Software RAID –> Create new RAID partitions

Create new RAID partitions
Create new RAID partitions

Each disk is 1 TB in size and they contain 0 partitions right now.

Block devices about to used under RAID set
Block devices about to used under RAID set

Click on “/dev/sdb” device name, And select the “Partition Type” as a RAID array member. Finally clicking on create will create the partition and it will add it under RAID group.

Creating partition
Creating partition
  1. Choose the partition type as “RAID array member“.
  2. Click Create to create the partition and adding it to a RAID group.

After creation, the member of RAID will appear in the top. Click “Back to the list of physical storage devices” to follow the same steps for remaining disks.

Creating Software RAID and Volumes on Openfiler Storage 1
  1. Created RAID member.
  2. Click to go back to choose the next disk.

After using all the disks we can notice each disk contain partitions.

Created Partitions
Created Partitions

Creating a RAID Array

Navigate to Volumes –> Software RAID to create the new RAID Array.

Creating RAID array
Creating a RAID array
  • Select array type as RAID-5
  • Chunk size as you wish
  • Select all available disk using the checkbox.
  • First 3 disks as a member.
  • 1 disk as spare.

Click “add array” to create the array.

Checking Array Status

Status of the created Raid array and their members.

Status of RAID Array
Status of RAID Array

Creating Volume Group

Now we have a raid device /dev/md0. Let’s create a volume group on top of it.

Volume –> Volume Groups

Create Volume group on RAID Array
Create Volume group on RAID Array

Created Volume group “vg_storage”.

Created Volume group
Created Volume group

Adding New Volumes/Block device from VG

Volumes –> Right-hand-side –> Add Volume

Listed volume group “vg_storage” have enough space to create volumes or filesystem. In our setup, we are about to create with 2 numbers of 500 GB block devices in iSCSI protocol by selecting volume type as “block (iSCSI, FC, etc). Click Create finally to create the block device.

Creating block devices from volume group
Creating block devices from volume group

After creating two numbers of block devices.

Creating Software RAID and Volumes on Openfiler Storage 2

Access configuration for created Volumes

Only by creating a block device or filesystem we can’t access them from anywhere, to reach them we need to define network range as shown in below picture.

Systems –> At the bottom of the page –> Network Access Configuration

Network Access for block devices
Network Access for block devices
  1. A unique name for the share
  2. Network range IP Address
  3. Subnet the network range
  4. Whether this Access list defined for a share or UPS.

Click “Update” to save the configuration.

Start & Enable iSCSI server Service

By default iSCSI services are in the stopped state, Our Open filer server now acting as an iSCSI server so we need to start the service and enable it persistently during the reboot.

Before starting & enabling the service
Before starting & enabling the service

To Start the service navigate to “Service” from the top menu.

After enabling the service we can notice the state as “Enabled” and “Running“.

Service enabled and started
Service enabled and started

Creating iSCSI Target

To share the block devices we created using the iSCSI protocol is required to add an iSCSI target. Navigate to

Volume –> Right-hand-side –> iSCSI Target –> Sub top Menu –> Target Configuration. Define your own Target IQN. I’m using iqn.2019-02.com.linuxsysadmins:tsn.12345678910111 as my IQN.

Adding new iSCSI target
  1. Click on Volumes
  2. Select iSCSI Targets
  3. Define iQN name as you wish
  4. Click on Add to create the Target.

A created iSCSI Target will list as shown below.

Create iSCSI Target iQN

Mapping LUN’s with Target

Once we create with Target other settings will be available, Navigate to next submenu “LUN Mapping” to map the available LUN’s with our created target.

Below figure showing there are 2 LUN’s available for mapping. Click on Map to add it under “iqn.2019-02.com.linuxsysadmins:tsn.12345678910111” target.

Map the LUNs

After mapping, it will be listed under the target.

Mapped LUN's are listed under target
Mapped LUN’s are listed under the target

Navigate to next Submenu “Network ACL” to allow the LUN for defined network range by changing the ACL from “Deny” to “Allow” for our target. Click on Update to save the changes.

Access Control List for iSCSI Target
ACL for iSCSI Target

That’s it we have created and shared a block device from the Openfiler OpenSource storage management system. By following let us see how to get these LUN’s in client servers.

Client Side Configuration

Now let us work on client-side configuration by installing the client package and scan for the iSCSI shared LUN’s.

List and Verify

Before that list the currently available disks.

[root@vcs1 ~]# lsblk 
 NAME          MAJ:MIN RM  SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
 sda             8:0    0   20G  0 disk 
 ├─sda1          8:1    0    1G  0 part /boot
 └─sda2          8:2    0   19G  0 part 
   ├─rhel-root 253:0    0   17G  0 lvm  /
   └─rhel-swap 253:1    0    2G  0 lvm  [SWAP]
 sr0            11:0    1  1.7G  0 rom  
 sr1            11:1    1  4.2G  0 rom  
 [root@vcs1 ~]# 

 [root@vcs1 ~]# lsscsi 
 [0:0:0:0]    disk    VMware,  VMware Virtual S 1.0   /dev/sda 
 [3:0:0:0]    cd/dvd  NECVMWar VMware SATA CD00 1.00  /dev/sr0 
 [4:0:0:0]    cd/dvd  NECVMWar VMware SATA CD01 1.00  /dev/sr1 
 [root@vcs1 ~]#

Install client package

Begin with installing the client package.

# yum install iscsi-initiator-utils -y

Define Initiator name

If you need to keep your own defined client-side initiator name make changes to below file.

[root@vcs1 ~]# cat /etc/iscsi/initiatorname.iscsi 
 InitiatorName=iqn.1994-05.com.redhat:387af62f2ce
 [root@vcs1 ~]# 
 [root@vcs1 ~]# vi /etc/iscsi/initiatorname.iscsi 
 [root@vcs1 ~]# 
 [root@vcs1 ~]# cat /etc/iscsi/initiatorname.iscsi 
 InitiatorName=iqn.2019-02.com.vcs1:12345678910
 [root@vcs1 ~]#

Discover and Login iSCSI

Discover the shared LUN from Storage server.

# iscsiadm --mode discoverydb --type sendtargets --portal 192.168.107.110 --discover

Log in to the target.

# iscsiadm --mode node --targetname iqn.2019-02.com.linuxsysadmins:tsn.12345678910111 --portal 192.168.107.110:3260 --login

Check session status

# iscsiadm -m session
# iscsiadm -m node
Openfiler iSCSI Client side configuration
Openfiler iSCSI Client-side configuration

List the new Disks

Again list the available disks, you should get 2 numbers of the 500GB disk from Openfiler.

[root@vcs1 ~]# lsblk 
 NAME          MAJ:MIN RM  SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
 sda             8:0    0   20G  0 disk 
 ├─sda1          8:1    0    1G  0 part /boot
 └─sda2          8:2    0   19G  0 part 
   ├─rhel-root 253:0    0   17G  0 lvm  /
   └─rhel-swap 253:1    0    2G  0 lvm  [SWAP]
 sdb             8:16   0  500G  0 disk 
 sdc             8:32   0  500G  0 disk 
 sr0            11:0    1  1.7G  0 rom  /mnt
 sr1            11:1    1  4.2G  0 rom  /media
 [root@vcs1 ~]# 

 [root@vcs1 ~]# lsscsi 
 [0:0:0:0]    disk    VMware,  VMware Virtual S 1.0   /dev/sda 
 [3:0:0:0]    cd/dvd  NECVMWar VMware SATA CD00 1.00  /dev/sr0 
 [4:0:0:0]    cd/dvd  NECVMWar VMware SATA CD01 1.00  /dev/sr1 
 [33:0:0:0]   disk    OPNFILER VIRTUAL-DISK     0     /dev/sdb 
 [33:0:0:1]   disk    OPNFILER VIRTUAL-DISK     0     /dev/sdc 
 [root@vcs1 ~]#

In case if you need to create a partition and file system on those disks, Follow below article to create the same.

That’s it we have completed with client-side setup and verification.

Conclusion

By creating a volume and sharing from Openfiler we have attached two disks in one of Linux server. The disk can be used for creating filesystem or as fencing device in any required scenario. Let us dive deeper into other article related to Openfiler soon. Subscribe to our newsletters and provide your feedback in the comment section.