Dell FluidFS NAS Solutions Administrator's Guide

The FluidFS NAS solution consists of one or more NAS appliances configured as a cluster. Each appliance consists of a pair of NAS Controllers in an active-active configuration. This configuration ensures that there is redundancy. The controllers handle load balancing of client connections, manage read-write operations, perform caching, and interface with servers and workstations. The cluster is a single pool of storage with a global name space, accessed using a virtual IP (VIP).

Read-write operations are handled through mirrored RAM. Mirroring the cache data between the paired NAS controllers, ensures a quick response to clients requests, while maintaining complete data integrity. Data from the cache to permanent storage is transferred asynchronously through optimized data-placement schemes.

The file system uses the cache efficiently to provide fast and reliable writes and reads. Writing or modifying files occurs first in the cache. Data is then mirrored to the peer controller’s cache. This feature ensures that all transactions are duplicated and secured.

Each controller is equipped with an internal BPS, which provides continuous power to the controllers for a minimum of 5 minutes in case of power failure. The controllers regularly monitor the BPS battery status, which requires the BPS to maintain a minimum level of power for normal operation. The BPS has sufficient power to allow the controllers to safely shut down.

The BPS enables the controllers to use the NVRAM as cache. The BPS provides the clustered solution enough time to write all the data from the cache to the disk if the controller experiences a loss of power.