10 GlusterFS Best Practices

GlusterFS is an open-source distributed file system that allows users to store and manage large amounts of data across multiple servers. It is a powerful tool for businesses that need to store and access large amounts of data quickly and reliably.

However, GlusterFS can be complex to set up and manage. To ensure that your GlusterFS deployment is successful, it is important to follow best practices. In this article, we will discuss 10 GlusterFS best practices that you should follow when setting up and managing your GlusterFS cluster.

1. Use a RAID card with BBU

RAID cards with BBU (Battery Backup Unit) provide a layer of protection against data loss in the event of power failure. Without this, any data that is being written to disk at the time of the power outage will be lost.

A RAID card with BBU also helps improve performance by caching write operations and allowing them to complete even if there is an interruption in power. This means that when the power comes back on, the cached writes can be completed quickly without having to wait for the disks to spin up again.

Using a RAID card with BBU is especially important for GlusterFS deployments because it ensures that all nodes are able to access the same data in the event of a power failure. Without this, nodes may have different versions of the same file, leading to inconsistencies and potential data corruption.

2. Use SSDs for metadata

GlusterFS stores metadata on the server side, and this data is accessed frequently. If you use traditional hard drives for storing metadata, it can lead to slow performance due to latency issues.

Using SSDs instead of HDDs will significantly improve your GlusterFS performance. The faster read/write speeds of an SSD will ensure that your metadata is quickly accessible, resulting in improved overall performance. Additionally, using SSDs will reduce power consumption and heat generation, which can help extend the life of your hardware.

3. Avoid using the same disk for multiple bricks

When you use the same disk for multiple bricks, it can cause performance issues. This is because when one brick needs to access data from another brick on the same disk, it has to wait until the other brick finishes its operation before it can start its own. This can lead to slowdowns and latency in your GlusterFS cluster.

To avoid this issue, make sure that each brick is stored on a separate disk. This will ensure that each brick can access its data independently without having to wait for any other bricks to finish their operations.

4. Ensure that all GlusterFS nodes have the same time

GlusterFS uses timestamps to determine the order of operations. If two nodes have different times, then GlusterFS will not be able to accurately determine which operation happened first and could lead to data corruption or other issues. To avoid this, make sure that all GlusterFS nodes are synchronized with a reliable time source such as NTP.

5. Don’t use NFS-Ganesha on top of GlusterFS

NFS-Ganesha is a user-space NFS server that can be used to access GlusterFS volumes. However, it adds an extra layer of complexity and overhead which can lead to performance issues.

Additionally, using NFS-Ganesha on top of GlusterFS can cause data corruption due to the way NFS-Ganesha handles file locks. Therefore, it’s best to avoid this configuration altogether. If you need to access your GlusterFS volumes via NFS, use the native NFS server provided by GlusterFS instead.

6. Use XFS as filesystem for brick

XFS is a high-performance, journaling filesystem that was designed for large file systems. It has features such as dynamic inode allocation and support for extended attributes which make it ideal for use with GlusterFS.

XFS also offers better performance than other filesystems when dealing with large files. This makes it the perfect choice for storing data on bricks since GlusterFS stores its data across multiple nodes. XFS also supports online defragmentation, which helps keep your storage cluster running smoothly.

7. Enable quota support

Quota support allows you to set limits on the amount of storage space that can be used by each user or group. This helps ensure that no single user or group is using an excessive amount of storage, which could lead to performance issues and other problems.

Enabling quota support also makes it easier to track usage and identify potential areas for improvement. For example, if a particular user or group is consistently exceeding their allotted storage limit, then you can take steps to address the issue before it becomes a problem.

Finally, enabling quota support ensures that your GlusterFS cluster remains secure and compliant with any applicable regulations. By setting limits on how much storage space can be used, you can help protect against unauthorized access and data breaches.

8. Disable SELinux and firewalld

SELinux and firewalld are both security measures that can interfere with GlusterFS’s ability to communicate between nodes.

If SELinux is enabled, it will block the ports used by GlusterFS for communication. Similarly, if firewalld is enabled, it will also block these ports. To ensure that GlusterFS works properly, you must disable both of these services before setting up your cluster.

To do this, simply run the following commands:

sudo setenforce 0
sudo systemctl stop firewalld
sudo systemctl disable firewalld

9. Configure TCP keepalive settings

GlusterFS is a distributed file system that relies on network connections between nodes. If one of these connections fails, the entire cluster can become unstable and data may be lost.

To prevent this from happening, it’s important to configure TCP keepalive settings so that any failed connections are detected quickly and automatically re-established. This will ensure that your GlusterFS cluster remains stable and reliable. To do this, you’ll need to edit the /etc/sysctl.conf file and add the following lines:
net.ipv4.tcp_keepalive_time = 600
net.ipv4.tcp_keepalive_intvl = 60
net.ipv4.tcp_keepalive_probes = 5
Once you’ve saved the changes, run the command “sysctl -p” to apply them.

10. Tune glusterd process

Glusterd is the process that manages all of the GlusterFS nodes in a cluster. It’s responsible for monitoring and managing the health of the cluster, as well as providing access to the data stored on the nodes.

To ensure optimal performance, it’s important to tune glusterd so that it can handle the load of your environment. This includes setting up proper logging levels, configuring timeouts, and adjusting memory limits. Additionally, you should monitor the glusterd process regularly to make sure it’s running smoothly.