Red Hat GLOBAL FILE SYSTEM 4.7, Manual

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You must configure each GFS node in your Red Hat cluster for at least one form of fencing.
Fencing is configured and managed in Red Hat Cluster Suite. For more information about
fencing options, refer to Configuring and Managing a Red Hat Cluster.
4. Fibre Channel Storage Network
Table 2.2, “Fibre Channel Network Requirements” shows requirements for GFS nodes that are
to be connected to a Fibre Channel SAN.
Requirement Description
HBA (Host Bus Adapter) One HBA minimum per GFS node
Connection method
Fibre Channel switch
Note: If an FC switch is used for fencing, you may want to
consider using Brocade, McData, or Vixel FC switches,
for which Red Hat Cluster Suite fencing agents exist.
Refer to Configuring and Managing a Red Hat Cluster for
more information about supported fencing agents.
Note: When a small number of nodes is used, it may be
possible to connect the nodes directly to ports on the
storage device.
Note: FC drivers may not work reliably with FC hubs.
Table 2.2. Fibre Channel Network Requirements
5. Fibre Channel Storage Devices
Table 2.3, “Fibre Channel Storage Device Requirements” shows requirements for Fibre Channel
devices that are to be connected to a GFS cluster.
Requirement Description
Device Type
FC RAID array or JBOD
Note: Make sure that the devices can operate reliably
when heavily accessed simultaneously from multiple
initiators.
Note: Make sure that your GFS configuration does not
exceed the number of nodes an array or JBOD supports.
Size
GFS is based on a 64-bit architecture, which can
theoretically accommodate an 8 EB file system. However,
the current supported maximum size of a GFS file system
is 25 TB. If your system requires GFS file systems larger
than 25 TB, contact your Red Hat service representative.
Chapter 2. System Requirements
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