Xserve G5 Cluster as Metadata Controller?

We just got a great deal on a G5 Cluster. Would it make a good metadata controller for our future SAN? The MDC does not use local storage for the metadata right? How much RAM should it have? Thanks for all the info! All you guys are great!

Thanks for the advice. I do have ARD. It's great on the LAN, but I find it easier to get things done over the WAN using Timbuktu. I wish ARD would allow me to monitor Windows servers also. I have to keep a couple around and ther're a pain to monitor. We always get video cards added to the Xserves anyways. We have a couple big KVM switches. Sometimes you just have to see the real thing. I'm not into Terminal!

Similar Messages

  • How important is a dedicated metadata controller?

    Hello,
    I'm currently setting up a computational cluster consisting of 16 XServes (eventually 32) and 5 Mac Pros, each of which need to simultaneously write to a single volume on a shared 10TB Promise VTrak RAID. My motivation for using XSan is data integrity and redundancy (which is critical) and not speed (which is nice, but not necessary).
    For this type of setup, how important is it to have a dedicated metadata controller? Ideally, I'd like to have one XServe as a dedicated controller for both XGrid and metadata, the Mac Pros as XGrid clients and agents, and the remaining XServes as XGrid agents. Everything I read says that there will be "decreased performance" if the metadata controller is used for functions other than XSan, but what exactly is this decreased performance? I can live with some latency in data access while the metadata controller is doing other things, provided all data gets written eventually. There will be no other traffic (mail, web, etc) on this network.
    I know the first thought is that with so many machines, why not just use one as a dedicated metadata controller? Again, data access isn't the primary goal here; each machine performing computations takes about a day off my computation time so I want every available asset working towards that goal. Even if I have to wait five minutes to access the data, I'm still way ahead of the game using the other machine for computations.
    In the event that using a dedicated metadata controller is vital to using XSan in this situation, are there other solutions which would perhaps better suit my needs?

    The question really is 'how important is the reliability of your Xsan' and because its become a single shared resource everything depends on it, this is the same in post or data centre workflows.
    The ideal situation is to have no other services pulling any clock cycles from the processor because it could coincide with xsan requiring resources. The tricky thing in xsan deployment is latency reduction, the controllers and switches don't look busy and they aren't but the smooth running of the system depends on that reduced latency and when you lose it your going to run into some strange and probably intermittent problems.
    Ive cut corners in the past by running open directory and DNS on the backup controller but never on the primary. Really it depends how busy the whole system is going to get but dont expect Xsan to behave simply when the latency starts to go. Its a very robust file system but it wont slow down in a linear way like a busy web server it will slow then hiccup stop, start or fall over entirely, which is not good in a critical situation.
    One solution Ive used in a similar situation is a smalltree 6 port ethernet card in an xserve with all ports bound together, make sure your switch can handle link aggregation but it creates a nice big pipe to a fileshare in a situation where xsan wont work. You can't edit video like this but you can remove the server bottleneck when you have several client computers requiring big file transfers.
    Another route is iSCSI but its still early days in the Apple world, ATTO now make an iSCSI initiator for Macs but I can say Ive deployed it.

  • Metadata Controller, inability to login to diagnose Xsan issue

    Hi,
    I'm trying to diagnose an issue with a small Xsan (1.x) we have here at the Uni.
    The SAN volume isn't being mounted on the clients so I assume the finger points to the Xserve G5 metadata controller.
    Now I can ping it OK, but not access it via ssh (remote host refused connection), ARD or any means I can think of - the Xserve doesn't have a VGA card btw.
    What's the best way to proceed whilst (hopefully) preserving the SAN integrity?
    PS - Before my intervention the SAN had been power recycled to no avail & I'm not sure the 'correct' procedure was followed; well it probably wasn't as you can't get in to gracefully shut each component down.
    Cheers in advance for any thoughts!

    1. Are you authenticated to the clients that you want to promote to controllers? If so, perhaps you have a problem with your metadata subnet.
    2. Sounds like possibly the same issue.
    In order to change settings, there needs to be communication over the metadata network between clients and controllers. Your logs should have some answers.

  • Backup Metadata Controller Questions...

    I have two questions regarding the Backup Metadat Controller for Apple's XSAN.
    Question 1: Do I need to purchase an XSAN client ($999) for the Backup Metadata Controller AND the primary? I was hoping the backup used the same client as the primary.
    Question 2: I'm having trouble finding the hardware requirements for the MDC. I was hoping to use a single cpu G5 Xserver as the primary and a dual G4 Xserver as the backup. We plan to only have a handful of clients and will only be working with DV-25 and Mpeg-2 files, no HD stuff here. Will these Xserves do the trick?
    Any ideas would be great!
    Thanks!

    The licensing confused me at first too. Until you realize that every computer that is direct-attached to fiber and mounts the Xsan volume directly is a client and needs the software, and therefore needs a separate license. That's the way it works. Computers which connect via a re-share (AFP/NFS/SMB) do not need an extra license.
    Doing a google for the Xsan mdc requirements brought up this page:
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302143
    System Hardware Requirements
    Xserve or Xserve G5
    Power Mac G4 (dual 800MHz or faster)
    Power Mac G5 (any model)
    Consult the manuals for more detailed info:
    http://www.apple.com/server/documentation/

  • Xserve G5 Cluster problem

    Hi,
    Recently I inherited Xserve G5 Cluster server. unfortunately it fails to boot.
    After blue leds draw a line and then fall back, the power leds blinks in a serie of 3 shorts - nothing - 3 shorts - nothing, etc.
    I wasn't able either to enter the OpenFirmware for diagnotics or to boot the OS.
    Can one please enlighten me what can we do, or what does that lights mean?
    Thank you!

    Hi
    They have to be PC-3200 DDR400 ECC SDRAM.
    Have you tried to Google for a suitable outlet? Failing that you could always go to your nearest Apple Store or Apple Repair Specialist and give them the serial number of your XServe. They should be able to supply you with relevant RAM as a Service Replacement.
    Have you seen this?
    http://mactracker.dreamhosters.com/
    Tony

  • Can I use cluster node for metadata controller?

    Just as the subject says - can I use a cluster node as a secondary metedata controller, or do I need to use an Xserve? We already have an Xserve we would use as the primary controller

    I have done this and attached the node to my iBook by firewire and booted the node in target mode and set the ServerHD as the startup for my iBook. Upon restart my iBook was an OSX server

  • Newbie lesson - xServe RAID boxes need 2 Controller modules to work well!

    So I thought I'd share my experience with my xServe RAID box, because I built it from parts (via eBay) I thought I could run it with a single controller with up to 7 drives until I needed to expand it later, I had all sorts of strange problems:
    - Could't build new RAID arrays
    - Couldn't update firmware
    - Restarting box often led to the array disappearing
    - Existing array sometimes didn't show up in Disk Util.
    I tried replacing cables and Fibre cards but no change until I added a second RAID controller and then suddenly everything worked great!
    Thanks to everyone here for trying to help me out with my problems, the box now runs great
    So the lesson here is that an xServe RAID box needs 2 controllers to function properly, with only 1 it runs in some kind of undocumented failsafe mode.

    See my response to your crosspost in the Xserve RAID group.

  • Reformatting a XServe G5 Cluster Node

    I got my hands on a pair of G5 cluster nodes (the ones with a single drive bay and no optical) and I need to intall Mac OSX server on it. I tried removing the hard drive and using my macBook Pro to install to it, but I can't install mac Os X using the apple partition map, since I am working from and intel machine.
    The G5 Cluster node has no video card so I can't even plug in my external reader and install it from there.
    A Little Help Please? I am not a server guy, I'm a video guy but this happens to have fallen into my hands.
    Thanks,
    Charles

    Hey Chuck,
    You can install whatever partition map you need from the OS X Server installer. Before you begin the installation, go to "Utilities" and open Disk Utility.
    Select the server's hard drive (be careful NOT to select your MacBook's drive, you don't want to erase that). Go to the "Partition" tab. Select "1 Partition" from the Volume Scheme popup. Then click on the "Options" button and and select "Apple Partition Map". Hit Apply. This should ensure that your XServe has the appropriate boot record.

  • Xserve G5 Cluster Nodes and Built-in distributed encoding in Compressor 4.

    My IT friend just handed me down a rack full of XServe G5 nodes. ( They left the Apple camp as the result of Xserve being killed by Apple - i wonder if Adobe or Avid makes any highend servers boxes. LoL ). In the past running a render farm under QMaster was part voodoo part witchcraft. Apple is advertising " Built-in distributed encoding " as one of main features of Compressor4. Has any one tried to install compressor 4 on Xserve non-intel machines ? Where do i get the Qmaster from download file that App Store automatically dispatches to my NLE machine ?

    Compressor 4 won't run on G5's.

  • Creating cluster over subnet, controller cant find cluster!

    Hi,
    Running a macbook pro running 10.6.5 with a subnet of mac mini's (all ppc) via a netgear gigabit switch.
    Have set up the three minis to service only and in QAdministrator I can see them all together in the service browser.
    However, with my mac book pro set to controller i cant see anything but my mac books cores in the service browser. Am I doing something wrong? Is this a fools errand? Any help greatly appreciated.

    I believe it's part of the pro apps: FCS, Logic, Shake, etc.
    What I'm suggesting is leaving the minis alone. Removing QM from the MacBook Pro, and then using the same disc that you used to install QM on the minis to reinstall QM on the MacBook Pro. That may entail pulling more off than QM, like the whole prokit module. FCS Maintenance pack is good at pulling off selected sections.
    Conversely, you could just try updating the minis with a later copy of QM. It's been noted that the later versions apparently work on PPC machines. However, the installer baulks and sees that PPC and refuses to continue the installation. Someone listed a workaround here very recently. And you could try doing a migration to the other machines. That might pull along the parts you need.

  • Xsan 2

    Hi,
    I'm new to this and can you clarify this for me?
    "The MultiSAN feature gives simultaneous access to multiple volumes that are hosted by separate controllers."
    How does this work? Will this work on our current setup?
    1 x Xserve, 4 Mac Pro and 1 Qlogic SanBox 1400 (all computers have fibre cards)
    Does the statement above mean that all 5 computers will be able to access files from each other? Most of our Mac Pros are video editing machines and we would like to access files using fibre instead of just the ethernet network.
    Also do we need Xsan on each machine?
    Thanks in advance
    Message was edited by: dichiee

    For all the machines in the SAN to share data on a single Xsan volume, you will need 5 copies of Xsan -- one for the Xserve (acting as a metadata controller) and 1 for each edit station (acting as an Xsan client).
    If you just want to run a file server, then connect the storage directly to the Xserve and format it as HFS+ and share it out via AFP. It'll be a lot slower and not suitable for online video editing, but it'll be inexpensive.

  • Xserve Cluster node does not (really) switch on

    Hi.
    I've got a pretty strange problem.
    Today, after a long break, I have tried to switch on my Xserve G5 cluster node. The yellow ID light was constantly on, the power light was white, machine was powered on, and nothing happened. It did not boot, did not fail -- just sat there with both lights on.
    Then, I tried to get into OF by using panel lights method -- it didn't work. No matter how long I was keeping status button pressed after a power on, nothing happened -- none of the activity lights were on or flashing.
    Next thing I tried to do was to reset a PMU.
    After that the situation is exactly the same except that the power light is no longer on -- although the machine starts up and the status light is on. I am still not able to enter any OF commands using front panel.
    All in all, it looks like the bootstrap processor is on, but none of the G5s is getting up (for example, even if I take out all of the memory, nothing changes and no failures are indicated)
    Any ideas?

    Try this:
    1 - Remove the battery from the machine for 24 hours. Replace.
    2 - Reset the PMU.
    3 - Try to boot.
    If you still have a problem, disconnect the firewire cable from the front panel. Try to boot.
    If you STILL have a problem, you're at the hardware change stage. It could be a number of problems, but it's likely either the main logic board, the power supply, or the front panel board.

  • Adding a second xserve

    Hi
    we have 1 x Xserve G5 running OSX Panther server 10.39 connected via fibre channel to Xraid. We are buying a new Xserve G5 Dual 2.3 with OSX Tiger server.
    Does anybody have have any suggestions as to the best way to integrate the new server as our main server whilst using the old server as a back up.
    Will we need to purchase extra fibre channel cables/cards to connect to the Xraid etc.
    We only use the server for file sharing, ftp and IP transfer.
    Any suggestions would be helpful
    Thanks in advance

    Do you want full, automatic failover when the main server dies? or do you want a standby system that you can drop in place?
    The reason I ask is because I'm guessing the files you want to share are on the XServe RAID, and that's where it gets tricky. You cannot directly connect the same volume to multiple hosts at the same time. It's easy to manage the software failover part (getting the old machine to look like the new one on the network), but getting the old machine to pick up the XServe RAID volumes is a little tricker.
    There are really two approaches you can take on that - one is a series of scripts that talk to the fiber channel switch (which you'd need to buy) to disable the fiber channel ports going to the new machine and enable the ports going to the old one - now the old machine can see the XServe RAID and mount the volume before it fires up the various file sharing processes that rely on it.
    The other option is to get XSAN (or other SAN software) which would let you connect both machines to the same storage device. The downside to this, though, is that XSAN requires an additional server known as the Metadata Controller which acts as a sort of traffic cop, directing each server to the appropriate files on the RAID. You might be able to get away with the backup machine acting as the metadata controller, but I don't know if this is a supported configuration.

  • 2x Xraid + 2 XServe how to use XSAN?

    Hello List Users!
    I have 2 XRaids and 2 XServes Systems. Each XRaid have 2 Arrays 7x500GB Raid5 and 7x 750GB Raid5.
    The 2 Systems backup each other. I would like to publish all Diskspace on each XRAID as one big Networkvolume (2,5 + 4,0 TB) to the public (Just to make it clear for each Xserve/XRaid combination one Volume)
    Is this possible to be done with XSAN?
    Is it worth doing it with XSAN?
    Can I use the 2 XServes as Metadata Controller: One as main controller and one as Backup controller?
    Is it still possible to install other software on this XServes. I mean
    Here you find a PDF and Omnigraffle file for illustration: http://www.ademmler.de/files/ademmler-xsan.zip
    Any hints are more than welcome.
    Regards Alex

    Dear Donald!
    Here is what I wanna do: http://www.ademmler.de/files/xraid-B.pdf
    I also want to swap all HD Drives and put all 500GB drives into the main System and all 750 GB drives into the Backup System. The BackupSystem then will have some more space, wich is good for "keeping older data" in the backup (overhead). On the Backup System I will have 1 SpareDrive in each Array. On the main System I wont - I will need all space.
    What do you think? Is it possible to switch down XRAID and move all HDs from XRAID2 into XRAID1 and get the same Array/Data working . . .? If yes I will have my backup running while I format XRAID2 with all the new 750GB HDs.
    Thank you for your advice
    Alex

  • Adding Additional Drives to 3.55 Xserve RAID

    So, we just purchased the 3.55 Xserve RAID (7 500gb ADM's). I'm surprised to read that I cannot "grow" the volume by adding ADM's without reformating the volume using OS X. Is this still true?
    Our intention was to simply add ADM's as needed, however this is likely not going to work... if each time I need to offload the data and reformat the volume.
    Annoyed.

    Xsan allows you to aggregate fibre channel LUNs (analogous to "disks") into what are called "storage pools." You then aggregate storage pools into volumes. So to grow a volume, you can either add more LUNs to an existing storage pool, or you can add more storage pools to a volume.
    A bit technical.
    Keep in mind that to run Xsan, you will need a few things:
    1) A fibre channel card for every machine that wants to access the volume over fibre
    2) A dedicated ethernet network which is separate, and used specifically for metadata traffic on the volume -- this enables Xsan to do file locking
    3) A pair of dedicated metadata controller machines -- preferably Xserves with > 2 GB of RAM, to manage the SAN.
    At minimum, figure $20K on top of the storage to get started with Xsan, if you want it to perform well and be reliable. You owe it to yourself to get Xsan training and certified as well -- making errors early in the planning/deployment process can magnify later on.
    Xsan is great for what it does best -- high speed, shared, video editing -- but to just give the ability to grow a volume, I personally think it's overkill. If you can stick to one RAID you could probably do a concatenated RAID volume with OS X's built-in RAID.

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