A. Melio FS is a cluster file system created by Sanbolic that allows multiple active connections from Windows failover cluster member nodes, as the following diagram shows. Melio FS runs on Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, and Windows 2000, and I’ve run it successfully on Windows Server 2008.
Melio FS isn’t built on NTFS; rather it’s a complete 64-bit file system that’s independent of Windows and allows concurrent read/write to the same volume from multiple nodes. Melio FS takes care of locking, which can be either file-level or, if the application supports it, bit-level, such that different parts of a file can be locked by different applications on different nodes.
Melio FS is completely symmetrical, which means that no host in the cluster controls the file system, and any node can fail and the remaining nodes will maintain uninterrupted connectivity. Melio uses the underlying Windows access control capabilities, so that the same security permissions are available on Melio as on NTFS. You can find more information about Melio FS at http://www.sanbolic.com/melioFS.htm.
Installing Melio FS is simple and consists of a wizard-based install over a few dialog boxes, with no reboot required. After Melio FS is installed on all nodes, you can format a shared LUN with Melio FS using the Melio Format context-menu option in Windows Explorer, as the following screenshot shows.
Make sure the Melio formatted volume has the same drive letter on all nodes in the cluster and that shared storage isn’t a storage resource in a cluster group, since the storage won’t move between nodes because the storage is always available to all cluster nodes.
Check out the following screencast to see how Melio FS works.
Microsoft on Tuesday announced the availability of the Beta 2 version of Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. Since both operating systems were developed from the same code base, they have a common servicing structure and thus ...
Late Tuesday, Microsoft began rolling out the services portion of its Windows Live Wave 3 launch. The company is shipping an unprecedented number of new and improved services that build off the success of Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger and attempt ...
Order Your Fundamentals CD Today! Register today for your in-depth copy of one of three Fundamental CDs on the following topics – Exchange, SQL, and SharePoint.
Implement a Successful Archiving Solution View this web seminar to learn the best practices for creating an email archive that is secure, compliant, and searchable.
Protect Your Company’s Digital Assets Do you know the risks of sending important files over email or FTP? Read this white paper to learn what you can do to safeguard your company’s data.
Prepare Yourself for Exchange Catastrophe Read this white paper to learn how you can keep Exchange server healthy, as well as predict and respond to server failure.
Boost Customer Confidence and Satisfaction Read this eBook to learn how faxing can ease communication with less computer-savvy customers while reducing your security, compliance and support woes.
Register
