Dell PowerVault NX3600, Administrator'S Manual, Page: 14 / 117

• Is capable of providing user-accessible Point-In-Time snapshots.
• Is capable of sharing files with Microsoft Windows, Linux, UNIX, and Mac users.
• Offers flexible, automated online replication and disaster recovery.
• Features built-in performance monitoring and capacity planning.
NAS Cluster Solution Views
You can access the NAS cluster solution as a client or an administrator depending on the access privileges you have.
NOTE: It is recommended that you do not attempt to log on to both the CLI and NAS Manager at the same time.
Client View
To the client, the NAS cluster solution presents itself as a single file-server with a single file system, IP address, and
name. The NAS cluster solution’s global file system serves all users concurrently without performance constraints. It
offers end users the freedom to connect to the NAS cluster solution using their respective operating system's NAS
protocols.
• NFS protocol for Linux and UNIX users.
• CIFS protocol for Windows users.
Administrator View
As an administrator, you can use either the CLI or the NAS Manager to configure or modify system settings, such as
configuring protocols, adding users, and setting permissions.
The NAS Manager provides access to system functionality, using standard internet browsers.
System Components
The NAS cluster solution system consists of:
• Hardware
– One or more NAS appliances
– Storage arrays
• Network
– SAN network
– Internal network
– LAN or client network
NAS Appliance
The FluidFS NAS solution consists of one or more NAS appliances configured as a cluster. Each appliance consists of a
pair of NAS Controllers in an active-active configuration. This configuration ensures that there is redundancy. The
controllers handle load balancing of client connections, manage read-write operations, perform caching, and interface
with servers and workstations. The cluster is a single pool of storage with a global name space, accessed using a virtual
IP (VIP).
Read-write operations are handled through mirrored RAM. Mirroring the cache data between the paired NAS
controllers, ensures a quick response to clients' requests, while maintaining complete data integrity. Data from the
cache to permanent storage is transferred asynchronously through optimized data-placement schemes.
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