Installation of Active File Management (AFM)

Consider the following while you install Active File Management (AFM).

The home and cache are two separate operational clusters that are separated from each other through LAN or WAN. The cluster setup has no considerations for using AFM functions. AFM functions are available on all editions of IBM Storage Scale.

The home cluster can be a legacy NAS or a cluster that is running GPFS version 3.5 or earlier, or IBM Storage Scale 4.1 or later. The cache cluster can run GPFS 3.5, or IBM Storage Scale 4.1 or later. User-extended attributes, ACLs, and sparse files are not supported on a home cluster that is running GPFS version 3.5 or earlier, if the home cluster is a legacy NFS export.

The NFS version 3 and 4 or GPFS protocol can be used for communication. The native NSD protocol can be used when the home cluster is also an IBM Storage Scale cluster and the cache can remotely mount the file system on the home cluster.

Nodes that can act as gateway nodes must be identified on the cache cluster. Gateway nodes must preferably be configured in the cache cluster before you create filesets and start applications.

Nodes that can act as NFS servers must be identified on the home cluster. If the GPFS protocol is planned to be used, the home file system must be remote mounted on all the gateway nodes in the cache cluster. Gateway nodes and NFS servers must preferably be configured in the cache and home clusters before you create filesets and start applications.

AIX® AFM gateway nodes in the AFM cache cluster must be running the Linux operating system.. AIX cannot be configured either as a home or AFM-DR secondary.