6.7 Create Pool

create pool <name> <size [device]|part> [ip] [vsn] [csn] [cifs] [afp]

Create an NSS pool.

nlvm [nlvm_options] create pool <name> <size [device]|part> [ip] [vsn] [csn] [cifs] [afp] [type]

For a cluster-enabled pool, issue the command from the master node in the cluster.

NOTE:NSS64-bit pools are by default Trustee Index media upgraded. Creating NSS64-bit pools in a mixed-node cluster environment is not recommended, because the pools will not be accessible from nodes older than OES 2015 SP1. You can still go ahead and force the creation of the pool using the -f or --force options. As a workaround, configure preferred nodes for each media-upgraded cluster resource so that these resources load on OES 2015 SP1 or later nodes. For more information on creating preferred nodes, see Configuring Preferred Nodes and Node Failover Order for a Resource in the OES 2018 SP3: OES Cluster Services for Linux Administration Guide.

Command Options

name=pool_name

Mandatory. Specify the name of the pool to create. This name must be unique from other pools. The pool name is automatically converted to uppercase.

Pool names are 2 to 15 characters. Uppercase letters A to Z, number characters 0 to 9, and underscore (_) are valid characters for all pools. Names cannot start or end in underscore, and cannot contain double underscores.

If the pool is not shared, the pool can also contain special characters:

!@#$%&()

Names that contain special characters must be enclosed in quotation marks in all commands and scripts.

The names cannot be reserved names such as con, com, lpt, pipe, all, and so on.

Example

name=MYPOOL1

size=<value[K|M|G|T]|max>

Mandatory. Specify the amount of space to be used on the associated device. The size is not used if you specify the part= option instead of device=. The total pool size must be greater than 10 megabytes.

If multiple devices are specified, each device option instance must have a matching size option instance. The first size instance is matched to the first device instance, and so on.

Examples

size=200G
size=3.98T

device=<devicename|anydisk|anyshared>

Specify the device to use for the pool, or specify the keyword anydisk or anyshared.

Do not specify the device option in combination with the part option.

You can specify multiple device instances to create a pool composed of multiple segments. Each device option instance must have a matching size option instance. The first device instance is matched to the first size instance, and so on. When specifying multiple devices, device names must be provided for each instance.

Examples

device=sdb
device=sde device=sdf device=sdg    (Specify a size for each instance.)
device=anydisk
device=anyshared

part=partition_name

Specify the node name (such as sdc1.1) for the partition where you want to create the pool. The partition must exist; it is not created with this command. The entire partition is used for the pool.

Do not specify the part option in combination with the device option.

Example

part=sdc1.1

ip=ip_address

Specify this option to create a cluster enabled pool. If using this option, the device or partition must be shared. This option is mandatory if you are creating a cluster enabled pool.

Example

ip=10.10.10.41

vsn=virtual_server_name

Specify the virtual server name for a cluster enabled pool. It is optional and used only for cluster enabled pools. If a name is not supplied, the default name will be used in the format of <clusterName>-<poolName>-SERVER. Underscores in the cluster name or pool name are changed to hyphens. If you customize the virtual server name, you can use letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores.

Examples

vsn=CLUSTER2-POOL-2-SERVER
vsn=C1-P1-SERVER
vsn=MY-CUSTOM-NAME

csn=cifs_virtual_server_name

Specify the CIFS virtual server name for a cluster enabled pool. It is optional and used for cluster enabled pools where CIFS is enabled as an advertising protocol. The name can be up to 15 characters, which is a restriction of the CIFS protocol.

For users to collaborate effectively, all paths for user access should be identical, independent of the access protocol used. This is possible only if the same name is used for the NCP virtual server name and the CIFS virtual server name, and the name can be only up to 15 characters.

If the cifs option is used without the csn option, the NCP virtual server name is used as the CIFS virtual server name. In this case, if the name is more than 15 characters, the CIFS virtual server name uses the rightmost 13 characters and adds -W. For example, an NCP virtual server name of CLUSTER1-P_USERS is modified to STER1-P_USERS-W for the CIFS virtual server name. If a default NCP virtual server name was used in the form of <clusterName>-<poolName>-SERVER and the name exceeds 15 characters, the CIFS virtual server name uses the rightmost 13 characters of the <clusterName>-<poolName> part of the name and adds -W. For example, an NCP virtual server name of CLUS1-P123-SERVER is modified to CLUS1-P123-W for the CIFS virtual server name.

To use the NCP virtual server name for the CIFS server name, use the nlvm command as follows without the csn option:

nlvm create pool name=a4 size=15M device=sdb ip=10.10.10.39 vsn=pqr cifs

In this example, pqr is used as the NCP virtual server name and CIFS virtual server name.

If an administrator user later changes the NCP virtual server name in NSSMU or iManager, NSSMU automatically applies the name change to the CIFS virtual server name, so that the administrator does not need to make the change twice. To use a different server name for the CIFS virtual server name, you can change the CIFS virtual server name by using the CIFS management tools. This change will not affect the NCP virtual server name.

Examples

csn=CLUS1-P1
csn=c1-p123

cifs

Specify this option to enable CIFS as an advertising protocol when you create a cluster enabled pool. By default, CIFS is disabled as an advertising protocol. OES CIFS must be installed on the machine in order for this option to work.

You can use the csn option to specify a CIFS virtual server name. Without the csn option, the NCP virtual server name is used as the CIFS virtual server name. See the csn option for details.

Example

cifs

afp

Specify this option to enable AFP as an advertising protocol when you create a cluster enabled pool. By default, AFP is disabled as an advertising protocol. OES AFP must be installed on the machine in order for this option to work.

Example

afp

type

NSS supports two types of pools: NSS64 and NSS32. NSS32-bit pools use 32-bit block addressing and supports up to 8 TB, whereas, NSS64 pools use 64-bit block addressing and supports up to 8 EB (exabyte). When creating a pool, specify the pool type. Beginning with OES 2018, if you do not specify the type, NLVM defaults to NSS64. All pools prior to OES 2015 use 32-bit block addressing and they are of type NSS32. You cannot change the pool type later.

Example

type=nss64

-f, --force: This option, when used with the create pool command, forcefully creates an NSS64-bit pool in a mixed-node cluster environment.

Command Examples

nlvm create pool name=MYPOOL1 size=20G device=sdb: Create a pool named MYPOOL1 on device /dev/sdb that is 20 GB in size.
nlvm create pool name=MYPOOL2 size=20G device=sdb size=100G device=sdg: Create a pool named MYPOOL2 that is a total of 120 GB in size. Use 20 GB of free space from device /dev/sdb. Use 100 GB of free space from device /dev/sdg.
nlvm create pool name=MYPOOL2 size=200G device=anydisk: Create a pool named MYPOOL2 on any device that has 200 GB of free unpartitioned space available.
nlvm create pool name=MYPOOL3 size=100G device=anyshared: Create a pool named MYPOOL3 on any shared device that has 100 GB of free unpartitioned space available.
nlvm create pool name=MYPOOL4 part=sdc1.1: Create a pool named MYPOOL4 on partition /dev/sdc1.1 and use all of the partition.
nlvm -f create pool name=MYPOOL6 size=10G device=sdc type=NSS64 ip=192.168.1.1: Forcefully creates the NSS64-bit pool named MYPOOL6 in a mixed-node cluster environment.