SmartConnect, a licensable software module of Isilon’s OneFS® operating system software helps to meet these challenges by greatly simplifying client management across the enterprise.Through a single host name, SmartConnect enables client connection load balancing and dynamic NFS failover and failback of client connections across storage nodes to provide optimal utilization of the cluster resources.
How SmartConnect works
Client Connection Load Balancing:
SmartConnect balances client connections across nodes based on policies that ensure optimal use of cluster resources. By leveraging your existing network infrastructure, SmartConnect provides a layer of intelligence that allows all client and user resources to point to a single host name, enabling easy management of a large and growing numbers of clients. Based on user configurable policies, SmartConnect applies intelligent algorithms (e.g. CPU utilization, aggregate throughput, connection count or round robin) and distributes clients across the cluster to optimize client performance and end-user experience. SmartConnect can be configured into multiple zones that can be used to ensure different levels of service for different groups of clients. All of this is transparent to the end-user.
Dynamic NFS Failover and Failback with Performance Rebalance:
SmartConnect uses a virtual IP failover scheme that is specifically designed for Isilon IQ clustered storage and does not require any client side drivers. The Isilon cluster shares a “pool” of virtual IPs and the cluster distributes these IP addresses across NFS (UNIX) clients. If a node is brought down for any reason, including a failure, the virtual IPs on the clients will seamlessly failover across all other nodes in the cluster. When the offline node is brought back online, SmartConnect automatically rebalances the NFS clients across the entire cluster to ensure maximum storage and performance utilization.
In addition, SmartConnect leverages this virtual IP technology to enable scheduled and automated rebalance of NFS connections to ensure that optimal performance is being achieved from the cluster. For example, NFS clients can be automatically and easily rebalanced once per day, based on CPU utilization, to ensure high performance is being achieved from the cluster (i.e. certain clients which have become CPU intense may need to be “rebalanced” to their own nodes on the cluster to ensure an optimized client experience). All of this is transparent to the end user.
SmartConnect uses a virtual IP failover scheme that is specifically designed for Isilon IQ clustered storage and does not require any client side drivers. The Isilon cluster shares a “pool” of virtual IPs and the cluster distributes these IP addresses across NFS (UNIX) clients. If a node is brought down for any reason, including a failure, the virtual IPs on the clients will seamlessly failover across all other nodes in the cluster. When the offline node is brought back online, SmartConnect automatically rebalances the NFS clients across the entire cluster to ensure maximum storage and performance utilization.
In addition, SmartConnect leverages this virtual IP technology to enable scheduled and automated rebalance of NFS connections to ensure that optimal performance is being achieved from the cluster. For example, NFS clients can be automatically and easily rebalanced once per day, based on CPU utilization, to ensure high performance is being achieved from the cluster (i.e. certain clients which have become CPU intense may need to be “rebalanced” to their own nodes on the cluster to ensure an optimized client experience). All of this is transparent to the end user.
Robust Data Management
SmartConnect provides the intelligence and automation necessary to free up time to spend on other more strategic IT projects. Regardless of whether you have a few clients or thousands of clients or whether you have 3-node or 144-node Isilon IQ storage cluster, SmartConnect makes client management simple, requiring very little to no management resources.
For NFS environments, SmartConnect provides automated N-way failover/failback and automated rebalance across the cluster in the event of a failure or for ensuring performance. This delivers industry leading levels of high availability and optimized performance for Isilon’s scale-out storage solutions.
With its intelligent client connection load balancing and NFS failover support, SmartConnect achieves breakthrough levels of performance and availability, enabling IT Managers to meet the ever-increasing demands being placed on them to ensure always-on, always-available performance from their Isilon clustered storage solutions.
Tiron has used some similar software-based solutions in the past to try to accomplish this type of load balancing, but it was complex and required client side drivers. With SmartConnect, there is no need to install client side drivers. Tiron will be able to easily manage a growing number of clients and rest assured that in the event of a system failure, inflight reads and writes will successfully finish without failing. Part of this test will walk through two different versions of SmartConnect, the Basic and the Advanced. The Basic version is included without additional licensing and provides the ability for DNS round-robin to load balance across all nodes in the cluster. The Advanced version requires an additional license, but introduces additional features such as rebalancing of clients to nodes based on utilization.
SmartConnect provides the intelligence and automation necessary to free up time to spend on other more strategic IT projects. Regardless of whether you have a few clients or thousands of clients or whether you have 3-node or 144-node Isilon IQ storage cluster, SmartConnect makes client management simple, requiring very little to no management resources.
For NFS environments, SmartConnect provides automated N-way failover/failback and automated rebalance across the cluster in the event of a failure or for ensuring performance. This delivers industry leading levels of high availability and optimized performance for Isilon’s scale-out storage solutions.
With its intelligent client connection load balancing and NFS failover support, SmartConnect achieves breakthrough levels of performance and availability, enabling IT Managers to meet the ever-increasing demands being placed on them to ensure always-on, always-available performance from their Isilon clustered storage solutions.
Tiron has used some similar software-based solutions in the past to try to accomplish this type of load balancing, but it was complex and required client side drivers. With SmartConnect, there is no need to install client side drivers. Tiron will be able to easily manage a growing number of clients and rest assured that in the event of a system failure, inflight reads and writes will successfully finish without failing. Part of this test will walk through two different versions of SmartConnect, the Basic and the Advanced. The Basic version is included without additional licensing and provides the ability for DNS round-robin to load balance across all nodes in the cluster. The Advanced version requires an additional license, but introduces additional features such as rebalancing of clients to nodes based on utilization.
SmartConnect Basic
First, Tiron will walk through the SmartConnect Basic version. Bring up your web browser:
Because SmartConnect is a network component, we will start by clicking CLUSTER MANAGEMENT and then click the Networking Configuration link.
First, Tiron will walk through the SmartConnect Basic version. Bring up your web browser:
Because SmartConnect is a network component, we will start by clicking CLUSTER MANAGEMENT and then click the Networking Configuration link.
Configure SmartConnect Basic
Because SmartConnect is used on the external network, the external subnet will need to be modified.
Click subnet0 to edit the external subnet configuration and add SmartConnect.
Because SmartConnect is used on the external network, the external subnet will need to be modified.
Click subnet0 to edit the external subnet configuration and add SmartConnect.
Click Edit
Click Edit link next to Settings for Subnet0.
Click Edit link next to Settings for Subnet0.
Enter IP Information
1. Type 192.168.1.100 in the SmartConnect service IP field.
2. Click on the Submit button to verify and secure your IP entry.
1. Type 192.168.1.100 in the SmartConnect service IP field.
2. Click on the Submit button to verify and secure your IP entry.
Edit SmartConnect Settings
Click on the Edit link next to SmartConnect settings
Click on the Edit link next to SmartConnect settings
Configure SmartConnect Zone name
The external subnet is comprised of settings for the subnet and the IP address pools. For SmartConnect to work properly we have to use a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN). We will explain in a moment.
1. In the Zone name field, type enterprise.vlab.local.
2. Try to change the connection policy from Round Robin to another policy. It is not possible, as this cluster is only licensed for SmartConnect Basic. Round Robin is the only Connection Policy available.
3. In the SmartConnect service subnet field, click on subnet0 from the pull down menu.
4. Click the Submit button
The external subnet is comprised of settings for the subnet and the IP address pools. For SmartConnect to work properly we have to use a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN). We will explain in a moment.
1. In the Zone name field, type enterprise.vlab.local.
2. Try to change the connection policy from Round Robin to another policy. It is not possible, as this cluster is only licensed for SmartConnect Basic. Round Robin is the only Connection Policy available.
3. In the SmartConnect service subnet field, click on subnet0 from the pull down menu.
4. Click the Submit button
Verify Settings
Verify on the Network Configuration page that you have 192.168.1.100 for the SmartConnect service IP and that in the SmartConnect settings field, you see enterprise.vlab.local for Zone Name and subnet0 for SmartConnect service subnet.
Verify on the Network Configuration page that you have 192.168.1.100 for the SmartConnect service IP and that in the SmartConnect settings field, you see enterprise.vlab.local for Zone Name and subnet0 for SmartConnect service subnet.
Configuring SmartConnect Advanced
Return to the Networking Configuration of the Isilon cluster found under CLUSTER MANAGEMENT. Click the Network Configuration link
Return to the Networking Configuration of the Isilon cluster found under CLUSTER MANAGEMENT. Click the Network Configuration link
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