open source solutions for building your own storage area

Data Science FoundationData Science Foundation, Atlantic Business Centre, Atlantic Street, Altrincham, WA14 5NQTel: 0161 926 3641 Email: [email protected] Web: www.datascience.foundationRegistered in England and Wales 4th June 2015, Registered Number 9624670

Open Source Solutions for Building YourOwn Storage Area Network and Network

Attached Storage

Author, Balakrishnan Subramanian

A Data Science Foundation White Paper

May 2020

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Copyright 2016 - 2017 Data Science Foundation

INTRODUCTION1.

Generally, Storage solutions can be grouped into following four categories: SoHo NASsystems, Cloud-based/object solutions, Microsoft Storage Server solutions, EnterpriseNAS (Networked Attached Storage) and Storage Area Network (SAN) solutions.

Enterprise NAS and SAN solutions are generally closed systems offered by traditionalvendors like EMC and NetApp with a very large price tag, so many businesses arelooking at Open Source solutions to meet their needs. This is a collection of links andbrief descriptions of Open Source storage solutions currently available.

Open Source of course means it’s free to use and modify, however some projects have docommercially supported versions as well for enterprise customers who require it.

Factors for choosing Storage Solutions1.

When you are in the need of Storage solutions for managing your owninfrastructure in your private Data Center, there are many offerings but selectingthe right one depends upon your requirement.

Factors involved in selecting a Storage type

BudgetType of Data that you want to storeScaling concerns andUsage pattern

In this article, we will be discussing two different methods (i.e. NAS and SAN),these two methods define the Structure of the storage, it is important to choose theright one based upon your use case and type of data.

NETWORK ATTACHED STORAGE2.

A Network Attached Source (NAS) is a device/server attached to the TCP/IP network, the


data stored in this device can be shared. When a file read/write is requested in the formof an Network File system (NFS) or Common Internet File System (CIFS), it is sent to theNAS attached to a TCP/IP server, which on receiving the NFS or CIFS request, convertsthe request into local storage IO command set.

Features of NAS1.

NAS uses File Level Data access. The main I/O protocol of NAS is NFS or CIFS.NAS may appear like a “shared folder” but it is connected by means of Ethernet,this can in some cases exacerbate the execution if the system is being utilized forsome different things (which are the typical case) or the network slacks.

Figure 1: Network Attached Storage with LAN Network (Source:WikiMedia)

STORAGE AREA NETWORK3.

Storage Area Network (SAN) is a rapid system of storage device and switches associatedwith the computer systems. SAN works as the result of sharing the pool with multipleservers. Each server can have direct access to the storage. SAN provides centralized


storage management. SAN can move information starting with one storage device thenonto the next and can share information between different servers, which makes therestoration and backup of information quickly. A productively and legitimately designedSAN encourages both calamity recuperation and high accessibility.

Features of SAN1.

SAN uses block level data access. The main I/O protocol of SAN is Small ComputerSystem Interface (SCSI). SAN appears to the computer as its own storage. It isconnected by means of Fiber channel which results in excellent speeds andperformance.

Figure 2: Storage Area Network with Network (Source: www.slideshare.net)

Nowadays many organizations and sectors have switched to Software-definedinfrastructure which means they have to store large amount of data safe andsecure. Many of the organizations were using open source software to meet theirrequirement in the section of storing data. E.g.: Projects like Hadoop, Ceph,Gluster.

Home users and small businesses can also use open source storage software to


meet their needs of storing data, this software allows them to set up their own NASor SAN device, which uses industry standard hardware without paying the highprices for buying a dedicated storage equipment. It is also possible to set up acloud storage which is safe, secured and private, it is affordable too when lookingfor backup and recovery.

NAS/SAN OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE4.Ceph1.

Red Hat's Ceph offers multiprotocols (i.e. unified) objects and block storagecapabilities. It is a distributed storage solution that boasts scalability, reliabilityand excellent performance. Well-known users include Cisco, DreamHost, CERN,Bloomberg, and Deutsche Telekom.

Operating System: Linux

CryptoNAS2.

This project aims to simplify the process of setting up an encrypted fileserver. Itcomes in a live-CD package or a server package that adds a web front-end.


ESOS3.

Short for Enterprise Storage OS, ESOS is a Linux distribution for setting up astorage array on your own hardware. Commercial support is available.


FreeNAS4.

FreeNAS claims to be the "the World's No.1 storage OS with over 10+ milliondownloads." It counts the United Nations, the University of Florida, and theSalvation Army, Reuters, Michigan State University, the Department of HomelandSecurity and many other organizations among its users. It can be installed onnearly any hardware to turn it into a network attached storage (NAS) device. Paid,supported enterprise solutions based on the same technology are available underthe TrueNAS brand name.

Operating System: FreeBSD

NAS4Free5.


NAS4Free claims to be “the simplest and fastest way to create a centralized andeasily accessible server for all kinds of data”. Its features are Zettabyte File System(ZFS), software RAID (levels 0, 1 or 5) and disk encryption.

Operating System: FreeBSD

Openfiler6.

As a unified storage solution, Openfiler combines the best features of NAS storageand SAN storage. Key features include high availability/failover, block replicationand Web-based management. London Metropolitan Police, Bill Me Later, Pratt &Whitney and Motorola are some of the users. A paid commercial version is likewiseaccessible.


OpenMediaVault7.

OpenMediaVault describes itself as a ”next-generation network attached storage(NAS) solution." Its goal is to give NAS shape home clients or small workplaces. Itoffers Web based organization support and incorporates programming RAIDabilities.


Turnkey Linux File Server8.

The Turnkey Linux Project gives pictures to setting up Linux-based servers forvarious purposes. It supports SFTP, SMB, NFS, rsync and WebDAV file transferprotocols.


BUILDING OF OUR OWN SAN AND NAS STORAGE USING FREENAS OPEN9.SOURCE SOFTWARE

Boot the machine with the CD/DVD:


Figure 3: FreeNAS Installer

Select the option 1 Install/Upgrade:

Figure 4: FreeNAS Stable Console Setup


Select the drive where the Operating System will be installed. We recommend utilizing aFlash drive (8GB) yet you can utilize a Hard Disk as well:

Figure 5: Choosing of Destination Media

Then root password is specified:

The installation is very quick, now you can discharge the DVD/CD and reboot:


Figure 6: Installation Success

Presently FreeNAS is fully operational. The shell educates us of the relegated IP. In ourlab network we have an Active Directory Domain Services so we need to design thedomain controller as the DNS server. To do as such we should choose choice 6:


Figure 7: Console Setup

Then specify the DNS domain and the nameserver IP:

Figure 8: DNS domain and the nameserver IP Specification


Presently it's an ideal opportunity to find the FreeNAS web interface. To get to the webUI utilize the IP address of the machine, determine the root credentials:

Figure 9: Root Credentials

Then, a quick wizard will be started as follows:


Figure 10: Initial Wizard setup

Next, Select the default volume and go on:


Figure 11: Wizard Volume setup

Specify the domain administrator credentials:


Figure 12: Domain Administrator Credentials

Then, we will see how to create a CIFS (SMB) share in future posts, for now leave thefields empty:


Figure 13: Choosing of Windows (CIFS)

Presently you can configure FreeNAS to send alarms and notices to an email account andaffirm it:


Figure 14: Configuration of FreeNAS for sending alarms

We have to make the volume where we will put the information. Go to the Storagesection and click Volume Manager:


Figure 15: Identifying Storage

We have 4 disks accessible and a RaidZ setup is the best exchange off between security,storage capacity and performance:


Figure 16: RaidZ setup

Then volume is ready for use:


Figure 17: FreeNAS is ready for use

That’s it, we've installed and configured the FreeNAS server.

THE ROAD AHEAD5.

As the amount of usage of data is increasing day by day, Storage solutions are moreadvanced solution which is easy to maintain. When these storage solutions areimplemented and maintained properly, they provide the required safety to data. NAS andSAN offers centralized storage, they are very easy to maintain and do not require hugeinvestments for setting up. The above considered open source technologies NAS andSAN paves the way for small business users to securely store their data and move ontowards their development in IT world.


About the Data Science FoundationThe Data Science Foundation is a professional body representing the interests of the DataScience Industry. Its membership consists of suppliers who offer a range of big data analyticaland technical services and companies and individuals with an interest in the commercialadvantages that can be gained from big data. The organisation aims to raise the profile of thisdeveloping industry, to educate people about the benefits of knowledge based decision makingand to encourage firms to start using big data techniques.

Contact Data Science FoundationEmail:[email protected]: 0161 926 3641Atlantic Business CentreAtlantic StreetAltrinchamWA14 5NQweb: www.datascience.foundation

open source solutions for building your own storage area

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