Novell technology for file tiering—without impact to end users—has been a game changer for Novell Open Enterprise Server customers. Attend this session, delivered by the technology's architect and lead developer, to learn how a new offering brings this same efficiency to Active Directory storage environments. Known as Novell Dynamic File Services, it automatically tiers Windows-based files using relevance and policy. Find out how this technology can help you manage file system chaos today.

1. Novell Dynamic File Services:
®
Intelligent Tiering in Microsoft Active Directory Environments

2. Jim Nicolet
Novell Distinguished Engineer
jim@novell.com
Richard Keil
Novell Software Developer
rkeil@novell.com
Brett Garrett
Novell Software Developer
bgarrett@novell.com
2 © Novell, Inc. All rights reserved.

3. Novell Dynamic File Services
®
• Dynamic File Services provides
– Tiering or relocation of unstructured files via network
“shares on Microsoft Windows Servers
– Seamless end-user experience created with a merged
view of files through Microsoft Windows network shares
– Simple easy to use management console
> Pair and Policy creation
> Pair and Policy management
> Reports (Policy execution history and Pair inventory history)
– Command line tools
> Configuration and management automation
3 © Novell, Inc. All rights reserved.

4. Novell Dynamic File Services
®
• Value of Seamless Transparent Tiered Storage
– Reduce back-up window
– Efficient use of expensive storage
– Migration without end user impact
– No agents on desktop
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5. Dynamic File Services Pair
The primary location contains frequently
The secondary location contains static or less
used and volatile files, so it is backed up
important files, so it is backed up less often
Incrementally and weekly.
C:primary F:secondary
music music
song-2.wav song-1.mp3
classical song-3.mp3
song-4.wav classical
documents
song-5.mp3
project-A song-6.mp3
project-B
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6. Dynamic File Services Merged View
users
server1primary
Primary on
C:primary F:secondary server1.example.com
music music music
song-2.wav song-1.mp3 song-1.mp3
classical song-3.mp3 song-2.wav
song-4.wav classical song-3.mp3
documents
song-5.mp3 classical
project-A song-6.mp3 song-4.wav
song-5.mp3
project-B
song-6.mp3
documents
project-A
project-B
6 © Novell, Inc. All rights reserved.

7. Installation and Setup
• Supported Platforms
– Server
> Windows* Server* 2003/2008
» Windows Clustering supported
– Management Client
> Windows XP/Vista/7
> Windows Server 2003/2008
• Required Software Components
– Microsoft* .NET 3.5 Service Pack 1
– NTFS file system
– Microsoft Network Sharing
• Workgroup or Domain mode
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8. Demo Install and Setup

9. Dynamic File Services Architecture
Windows
Management Dynamic End User
Console Storage Merged View
Server
HTTPS Microsoft Networking Share
Dynamic Controller GUI Tools
File
Management Command
Services Certificate Firewall
Console Line Interface
Windows
Service Repair Port
Microsoft .NET Framework Microsoft .NET Framework
File Protocol
Primary Mini Filter Driver Secondary
Storage Storage
File System
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10. Dynamic File Services
• Components
– Client Management Console
> Windows based console that runs on the server or a workstation. It connects
to the service, allowing pairs and policies to be created and managed
– Client Command Line Application
> Text interface that allows scripting of all Dsw commands instead of using
the console
– Service (Windows Service)
> Server service that executes policies
– Mini Filter Driver
> Windows File System filter driver, managed by the Dynamic File Service
service that provides a merged view of the primary and secondary volumes
that can be advertised via a network share
10 © Novell, Inc. All rights reserved.

11. Dynamic File Services
• Components (continued)
– Repair Utility
> Utility that allows an administrator to repair the policy and pair
databases in the unlikely event of corruption
– Service Controller Application (Windows Notification area)
> Service management interface
– Sync Check Utility
> Small utility that allows an administrator to check the primary and
secondary paths for file consistency
– Configuration Dump Utility
> Diagnostic utility that provides a text file dump of the entire NDFS
system configuration
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12. Client Management Console
• Defines Pairs
• Defines Policies
• Associates Pairs with Policies
• Previews Policies
• Provides file movement and other statistics
• Permits immediate running of policies on a pair
• Allows for the inclusion and exclusion of folders
• Management sessions run via HTTPS
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13. Demo Management Console

14. Client Command Line Application
• Used to perform similar operations as the
Management Console from a command line
• Allows for command scripting (local and remote)
• Encrypted to protect data on the wire
Example:
dswcli.exe -servername="192.168.1.1" -username="Administrator" -password="novell" -pair
14 © Novell, Inc. All rights reserved.

15. Demo Command Line Interface

16. Windows Service
• Dynamic File Service
– Maintains the databases that describe the pair and policies
– Performs that file movement according to the policies
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17. Windows Mini Filter Driver
• Kernel-level mini filter driver
• Provides a merged view of files from primary and
secondary paths viewed via the network share.
• Keeps file and folder attributes and security
rights consistent
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18. Service Controller App
(Windows Notification Area)
• Component: DswServiceController.exe
– Access Client Management Console
– Start or stop the Novell Dynamic File Service (NDFS)
®
– Repair utility
– Firewall access
– Service port access
– Certificate configuration
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19. Repair Utility
• Component: dswrepair.exe
– Check Pair and policy databases for consistency
– Reports information about pairs and policies
– Fixes problems with the pair and policy databases
when possible
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20. Firewall Access
• Enable or disable an exception in the firewall.
– Modifying firewall setting causes service to be restarted
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21. Service Port Access
• Default port is 8999 (HTTPS/TCP)
• Allows port to be changed.
– Modifying port causes service to be restarted.
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22. Certificate Configuration
• Create a new self-signed Certificate
– Naming = <hostname>DswSelfSignedSSLCertificate
– SHA1 RSA (2048)
• Use certificate provided by the customer
– Private key is needed with this certificate
– Must be stored as (local computer) certificate and needs to
be placed in the Windows personal certificate store
– NDFS was tested with Verisign and used a .P12 file format
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23. Demo Service Controller

24. Sync Check Utility
• Component: dswsyncpair.exe
– Stop Service prior to running Sync Check Utility
– Command line tool to check for duplicate files in the source
and destination folders
– Reports inconsistencies between folders that reside on
both the source and destination (ACLs and Attributes)
– Reports can be saved as a CSV and/or XML File
Examples:
dswsyncpair -pair="DemoPair" -folders -files -xml="XmlReport" -csv="CsvReport“
dswsyncpair -pair="DemoPair" -folders -xml="myXmlReport"
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25. Configuration Dump Utility
• Component: Dswdump.exe
– Component file list, configuration, log files, policies, pairs
Example:
C:Program FilesDynamic Storage>DswDump.exe
... starting
... output file = Config.txt
... Configuration Information
... Pairs Information
... Policies Information
... Audit Information
... finished
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26. Demo Dynamic File Service Utilities

27. Tips and Troubleshooting
Log File and
Merged View
Event
Issues
Viewing
Policy
Auditing
Issues
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28. Log File and Event Viewing
• Microsoft Event Viewer
– Application log
• NDFS Core log and configuration files
– DswMcpCore.log
– dswMcpCore.config.xml
• NDFS Enforcer log and configuration files
– DswEnforcer.log
– DswEnforcer.config.xml
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29. Merged View Issues
• Merged view is not showing expected list of files
– Check that the pair still exists
– Check to see that files exist in either primary or secondary
– Start and stop the Dynamic File Service
– Check that the filter driver is loaded.
> DswDump.exe will display filter driver information if it is loaded
– Check the event log for Dynamic File Services events
– Make sure the file system is NTFS for the primary
and secondary
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30. Policy Issues
• Policy is not working correctly. – Check for conflicting policies
scheduled for same time.
– Verify that the policy
is scheduled. – Check the policy execution
history for files-failed-to-move
– Check the policy last run time errors.
on the pair statistics page. – Check that the dynamic file
– Verify that the policy is service is running.
associated with a pair or pairs. – Check the audit log for
policy execution.
– Verify that the policy frequency
is correct. – Make sure the file system is
NTFS for the primary
– Verify the policy filter options. and secondary.
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31. Auditing
• Audit log and configuration files
– DswAuditLog.xml
– DswAuditCfg.xml
• Typical auditing events
– When did this policy or pair get created?
– When did this policy run?
– Who created and ran this policy?
– etc...
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32. Futures
• Remote storage on network shares (secondary)
• Cloud storage
• Policy filters using file patterns
• Move specific files and folders
• Sign up for beta at http://www.novell.com/beta
32 © Novell, Inc. All rights reserved.

33. Question and Answer

35. Unpublished Work of Novell, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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