The latest release of the EMC® Isilon® OneFS operating system is now available!
This blog post summarizes noteworthy new features of OneFS 7.1.1, highlights new OneFS 7.1.1 documentation, and provides steps for upgrading to OneFS 7.1.1.
New OneFS 7.1.1 features and enhancements
High-level technical overviews for several OneFS 7.1.1 new features and enhancements are provided below. They’re grouped together by the types of benefits they provide, such as performance improvement and security. Refer to OneFS 7.1.1 Release Notes and Technical Overview of New and Improved Features of EMC Isilon OneFS 7.1.1 for additional details.
Performance improvements
The following new features and enhancements help improve performance for most OneFS workflows:
- SMB Multichannel support
OneFS 7.1.1 supports the Multichannel feature of SMB 3.0, which establishes a single SMB session over multiple network connections. SMB Multichannel enables increased throughput, connection failure tolerance, and automatic discovery. To take advantage of this new feature, client computers must be configured with Microsoft Windows 8 or later, or Microsoft Windows Server 2012 or later with supported network interface cards (NICs). For more information, see the SMB Multichannel section of the OneFS 7.1.1 Web Administration Guide and OneFS 7.1.1 CLI Administration Guide. - SmartFlash caching
In OneFS, level 1 (L1) cache uses random access memory (RAM) to store copies of system metadata and files requested from front-end networks. Level 2 (L2) cache uses RAM to store copies of file system metadata for files that are stored on the node that owns the data. SmartFlash, or level 3 (L3) cache, uses solid-state drives (SSDs) to hold file data and metadata released from L2 cache, increasing the total size of cache memory available in a cluster as well as the speed that you can retrieve data. In OneFS 7.1.1, SmartFlash is enabled by default for new node pools. - NDMP backup performance improvements
OneFS 7.1.1 uses multiple threads to restore files, making data transfer occur as fast as the tape backup device can deliver it. Additional operational enhancements improve throughput when transferring small files. - SyncIQ® performance enhancements
To allow multiple SyncIQ workers to replicate a single file simultaneously, SyncIQ now allows for file splitting, where a large file is split into segments, each of which is processed in parallel by a different thread.
Security and access zone enhancements
The following enhancements have been made to increase security and support Hadoop workflows:
- Access zone enhancements
Access zones have been restructured to enforce best practices and improve security. In OneFS 7.1.1, a root or a base directory must be designated for each access zone. SMB shares must subscribe to a single access zone, and access zones can no longer be used to share data. OneFS 7.1.1 also prevents access to non-system zones through NFS, SSH, and the OneFS web administration interface.To support security for Hadoop workflows and enable multiple unstructured datasets to be hosted on a single cluster, access zones now support an HDFS namespace per access zone. This means that you can now run multiple separate HDFS namespaces on the same cluster. Stay tuned for an upcoming ISI Knowledge blog post on this topic. - Self-encrypting drive enhancements
This release of OneFS expands the availability of self-encrypting drives (SEDs) to provide data at-rest encryption capabilities across the entire node family. In addition to the 3TB and 4TB SEDs, OneFS 7.1.1 introduces a 900GB SAS SED HDD for S-Series nodes and an 800GB SED SSD for all supported nodes. For details, see the Isilon Product Availability Guide. - Auditing enhancements
In OneFS 7.1.1, audit system configuration information can be forwarded to the audit log file for storage and analysis. - Role based access control enhancements
New privileges have been added to the role based access control (RBAC) feature in OneFS 7.1.1, such as ISI_PRIV_IFS_BACKUP and ISI_PRIV_IFS_RESTORE. These privileges can be assigned to roles that enable users to back up and restore files that they don’t have explicit permissions to.
Manageability and drive firmware updates
The following OneFS 7.1.1 features make it easier to manage your Isilon cluster and obtain the latest drive firmware:
- MMC integration
Microsoft Windows administrators with the correct privileges can remotely administer a share through the MMC shared folders snap-in feature. This enables an administrator to connect to an access zone and directly manage all shares within that zone. To take advantage of this functionality, the Isilon cluster must be joined to an Active Directory domain from which the MMC console can be invoked. - Drive Support Package for non-disruptive drive firmware updates
Drive support packages determine and apply updates for the drive’s firmware automatically, and eliminate the need to apply a patch and reboot the node when you replace or add drives. You can also configure alerts to indicate when you need to update your drive firmware. Review the Isilon Drive Support Package 1.0 release notes for information about system requirements and installation instructions.
For complete details about all of the OneFS 7.1.1 features and enhancements, including changes in functionality, fixed issues, and known issues in this release, refer to the OneFS 7.1.1 Release Notes.
OneFS 7.1.1 documentation and new guides available
A full list of OneFS 7.1.1 documents is available in the OneFS 7.1.1 Release Notes, on the Isilon online community and on the EMC Online Support site (login is required for the EMC Online Support site). This release also features two new guides:
- OneFS Migration Tools Guide
This guide describes how to migrate data from NetApp filers and EMC VNX storage systems to EMC Isilon clusters using the isi_vol_copy and isi_vol_copy_vnx tools. - OneFS API Reference
This guide—combining the former Platform and RAN API References—describes how the Isilon OneFS application programming interface (API) provides access to configure the cluster and access the data on the cluster. This guide also provides a list of all available API resource URLs, HTTP methods, and parameter and object descriptions.
How to upgrade to OneFS 7.1.1
If you want to upgrade to this new release, explore your upgrade options by reviewing the Isilon Supportability and Compatibility Guide and the OneFS Upgrade Planning and Process Guide.
Then, prepare for the upgrade process by reviewing the following documents:
After reviewing these documents, read the knowledge base article, “How to download OneFS 7.1.1 (172492)” (login to EMC Online Support is required).
Start a conversation about Isilon content
Have a question or feedback about Isilon content? Visit the online EMC Isilon Community to start a discussion. If you have questions or feedback about this blog, send an email to isi.knowledge@emc.com. To provide documentation feedback or request new content, send an email to isicontent@emc.com.