PowerStore Manager Storage Provisioning for File Resources

In this module, you will explore the configuration tab where you will manage the storage residing on the PowerStore system and perform the following actions: Creating new File storage resources and accessing them from your host.

Create a NAS Server

If you are starting the lab with this section, you will have to first login to the PowerStore Manager. Double-click **PowerStore** on the desktop. Login to PowerStore Manager with the following settings: - Username: **admin** - Password: **Password123!**

Here we will create file resources. This is a simple process using PowerStore Manager. Note that file capabilities are only available for PowerStore T models in Unified configuration mode.

In the top navigation bar, click on **Storage > NAS Servers** in the resulting drop-down menu.

There are already existing NAS Servers for this demo, but let's create a new NAS Server to see how the workflow process works. Click the **\+ Create** button to create a new NAS Server.

Fill in the following settings for the **Details** step (leave all other settings as default): - Name: **Demo_NAS_Server** - Description: **NAS Server for demo purposes** Click **"Next"**

Click **Select Link Aggregation/FSN** Select **bond0** Click **"Apply"**

Fill in the below details: - IP Address: **192.168.16.200** - Subnet Mask/Prefix Length: **24** - Gateway: **192.168.16.1** - VLAN: **1010** Click **"Next"**

Use the following settings: - Select **SMB** - Select **NFSv3** - Select **NFSv4** Click "**Next"**.

Here you will choose the server type you want for the Windows Server configuration. Since this is a demo simulator, Click on **Standalone** for the Windows Server Type. Enter in the following settings: - WorkGroup: **Demo** - Netbios Name: **Demo** - Description: **Demo Windows Server** - Administrator Password: **Pass@123!** - Retype the Password: **Pass@123!** Click **"Next"**.

This page allows you to choose a Unix Directory Services (UDS) to connect to or use local files to do name mapping services. Since this is a demo simulator, there is no way to connect to a local server for name mapping. Leave settings as default Click **"Next"**

This page allows you to enable DNS services for name resolution. Since this is a demo simulator, you cannot connect to an active DNS server. Leave settings as default Click **"Next"**

This page allows to enable automatic mapping Windows users through UDS. Leave the default settings Click **"Next"**

Select the **ProtectionPolicy1** which has a replication rule with an RPO of 1 hour. Click **"Next"**

This step allows to you to select a File QoS Policy which is addressed in a later section of this module. Leave as default (no Policy selected) Click **"Next"**

Verify that settings are correct on the **Summary** step. Click **Create NAS Server**

Review the newly created nas server called "**Demo Nas Server**"

Create a File System

Creating a File System and sharing it to your clients is a single-flow process. File Systems can be shared via SMB, over NFS, or over both protocols simultaneously in a Multiprotocol arrangement. For this lab, you will configure a multiprotocol File System on top of the multiprotocol NAS Server previously created.

In the top navigation pane, click **Storage > File Systems**.

Click the **\+Create** button to create a new File System.

Select **VMware File System**. This type is meant to be used to create NFS Datastores. Click **"Next"**

Here you will choose the NAS Server that the file system will be hosted from. In the table select **Demo_NAS_Server.** Click **"Next"**

Use the following settings for the **File System Details:** - Name: **Demo_VMware_File_System** - Description: **File system for demo purposes** - Size: **350GB** - Host IO Size: **8K** (the host IO size can be customized to the application's requirement) Click **"Next"**

Since you are creating a file system on a multiprotocol NAS Server, you can configure an NFS Export and SMB Share in the same workflow. Use the following settings: - Name: **Demo_NFS_Export** - Description: **NFS export for demo purposes** Notice that the export path automatically updates to the right to show the ending result once the share gets created successfully. Click **"Next"**

To configure host access for the NFS Export, you can choose specific hosts to provide access for or change the **Default Access** from **No Access**. For Default Access, all clients, without specific host access, connecting to the export have that access. Note that adding specific host access overrides the default host access value. Click **"+ Add Host"**

In the resulting **Add Host** pane, select the Access Type to be **Read/Write**, **allow Root** and type in an IP address of **192.168.10.30**. Click **"Save"**

Verify that the host was added successfully with the correct **Access Type.** Click **"Next"**

This step allows you to apply an existing protection policy to the file system. For this lab, we won't be looking at protection policies. Click **"Next"**

This step allows to you to select a File QoS Policy which is addressed in a later section of this module. Leave as default (no Policy selected) Click **"Next"**

Verify in the **Summary** step that all of the configuration information is correct. Click **"Create File System"**

Wait until the job has completed successfully, and then verify that a new **Demo_VMware_File_System** is in the **File Systems** table.

Edit the Size of an Existing File Resource

Let's now try editing the size of some of the storage resources we created in the previous lessons. The use case would be increasing used capacity from users of the storage resource requiring allocation of additional storage to affected resources. Note that File Systems, unlike Volumes, have the ability to shrink in size.

In the **File Systems** page, select the **vSphereNFS** file system Select **vSphereNFS** Click **"Modify"**

Here we are changing the size of the file system. Its important to note that we can't shrink below it consumption value. Change the Size to: **200GB** Click **"Apply"**

Verify in the **File Systems** table that the **vSphereNFS** size is now listed as **200GB**.

Data Efficiency

In this section we will talk about the PowerStore's Data Efficiency which PowerStore comes with a **5:1 data reduction guarantee** for reducible data. PowerStore Manager provides end users with the Following Data Efficiency metrics of **File System Family Unique Data**, **Overall DRR**, **Reducible DRR**, and **Unreducible Data** at the cluster and appliance levels.

We can also view the **Overall DRR**, **Reducible DRR**, and **Unreducible Data** metrics at the **File System Family** level. Locate and select the **Production_General_FS9** file system

Click **More Actions > View Topology**

A slide out pane will appear; click the **Capacity** tab

Now you will be able to view the **Overall DRR, Reducible DRR and Unreducible DRR** for the **File System Family** When finished click **Close**

**Note** DRR metrics can also be added as additional columns to the file systems page. - **Overall DRR**: Data Reduction Ratio which includes reducible and unreducible data - **Reducible DRR**: Data Reduction Ratio which includes only reducible data - **Unreducible Data**: Total amount of unreducible data

Configure a Quota

Quotas can be used to define storage limits for specific users and directories on a File System. User Quotas and Tree Quotas are supported on PowerStore T systems both independently and in combination.

In the **File Systems** page, locate the **UnityNFS01** file system. Click on the link for **UnityNFS01** to go to the corresponding properties page.

View the details of the **UnityNFS01** file system, Click the **Quotas** tab

To use user or tree quotas on the file system, you need to enable quotas for the file system Click **"Properties"**

Quotas allow the end user to set **Grace Period, Soft Limit**, and **Hard Limit** in the properties page. Use the following settings: - Quotas: **Enabled** - Grace Period for All Quotas: **2 Days** - Soft Limit: **50MB** - Hard Limit: **60MB** Click **"Apply"**

Note that the default **Soft Limit** and **Hard Limit** are applied to any user that connects to the file system and doesn't have an already custom assigned soft and hard limit. Setting the soft and hard limit to 0 means no limit. A **Soft Limit**, when surpassed, will begin the Grace Period countdown. You can continue to write to your file system until the Grace Period expires. The **Hard Limit** stops any write activity when it is reached, regardless of any Grace Period.

Let's create a new user quota. Clicking **"+ Add User Quota"**

Now you'll specify the Host Type, domain, username, soft limit, and hard limit for this new user quota. Use the following settings: - Host Type: **Windows Name** - Domain: **demo.local** - Windows Name: **testuser** - Soft Limit: **10MB** - Hard Limit: **12MB** Click **"Add"**

Verify that the new user quota was successfully created in the User Quotas table. Feel free to add additional user quotas or tree quotas.

SMB Share with ACLs

SMB Share permissions determine the permission allowed on the root of the share. PowerStoreOS adds the ability to set SMB share permissions directly from the PowerStore system, eliminating the requirement for any external clients or tools.

If not already there, navigate to **Storage > File Systems** Click on the **"SMB Shares"** tab.

Locate and select the SMB share by the name of **Image_FS3-SMBShare**. Click **More Actions > Access Control List**

Click **"+ Add ACE"** to add an Access Control Entry to the SMB share

Add in the local administrators group to have full access to the **Image_FS3-SMBShare** share by entering the following information into the **Add ACE** window: - Trustee Type: **Group** - Trustee Name / ID: **Local\\Administrators** - Access Level: **Full** - Access Type: **Allow** Click **"Save"**

Review the newly created ACE for the local administrators group is in the Access Control List (ACL). Click **"Apply"** to apply the changes

Locate and select the SMB share by the name of **Image_FS3-SMBShare.** Click **More Actions > Access Control List**

Review the Access Control List which now shows the default of Everyone and our newly added group of Local\\Administrators. Proceed to modify the **Everyone** ACE. Users should change the default ACL configuration of a share in order to secure any sensitive or restricted data. In this example we will modify the ACE to allow read permissions for **Everyone** instead of full control. Select the **"Everyone"** ACE Click **"Modify"**

In the Modify ACE window make the following change to the field below: - Access Level: **Read** Click **"Save"**

Once the changes are applied, **Everyone** in the local network will have read access to this share. The **Local\\Administrators** group will have full access to this share. Click **"Apply"**

Once again, locate and select the SMB share by the name of **Image_FS3-SMBShare**. Click **More Actions > Access Control List**

Review the Users and groups for the SMB Share. Select the **Everyone** ACE Click **"Delete"**

Acknowledge the Deletion of the Everyone ACE Click **"Delete"**

The user should receive a message that the ACE was deleted successfully. Click **"Apply"**

Quality of Service (QoS) Rules and Policies

Users can now set maximum bandwidth limits on file-level resources, including file systems and NAS Servers. This prioritizes critical applications and prevents one application’s performance demands from impacting others.

Navigate to **Storage > Quality of Service (QoS)**

From the left pane, click **"File IO Limit Rules"** Click **"+Create"**

File based limits are absolute limits and are created by setting a Max bandwidth allowed. Set the following for File IO Limit Rule: - Name: **Demo_File_Limit** - Max Bandwidth (MB/s): **250** Click **"Create"**

**Absolute Limits:** which allows users to specify the maximum amount of **Bandwidth** a resource is allowed to achieve regardless of the resource’s size.

Now we set the QoS Policies (The QoS policy contains a set of rules defining the level of protection on the resource) - A QoS Policy can only contain one IO Limit Rule\ \ On the left pane, click **"File QoS Policies"**

Click **"+ Create"**

Create a QoS Policy with the following settings: - Name: **File_QoS_Policy** - Description: **PowerStore File Demo QoS Policy** - File IO Limit Rule: **Demo_File_Limit** Click **"Create"**

Note: File QoS Policy can be assigned to both NAS Server and File System resources. The same or separate limits can be applied to both file system and NAS Server resources at the same time. If both a file system and its NAS server have a QoS policy applied, the lowest threshold will be enforced.

Now we will assign the created policy to a file resource. Navigate to **Storage > File Systems**

Locate and select **vSphereNFS** file system. Click **More Actions > Change QoS Policy**

Select the **File_QoS_Policy** created in previous steps. Click **"Apply"**

Verify that the **vSphereNFS** file system has now had a QoS Policy applied Users can review the performance on the host, in the **PowerStore Manager** the bandwidth should now be limited to the value within the set limit rule within policy. However, this being a demo, it would not be possible to show this.

Congratulations! You have reached the end of this particular module. Click **Close** in the top left corner of this script to return to the demo guide.