[OpenAFS] Looking for sites running AFS across one or more WANs

[Jimmy Engelbrecht]

Jim Barbour <jbarbour@qualcomm.com> writes:

> We are needing to provide AFS file services across a WAN link.  We
> have offices in San Diego, and on the east coast.
> 
> Currently, we have all the servers in San Diego, with clients
> scattered over the east coast.  However, there are performance issues
> with this model.
> 
> We'd like to begin deploying AFS file and database servers on both
> sides of the WAN, forming one large cell.  We want to use CellServDB
> files and file server prefs to manage which servers clients should
> talk to.  We expect the links to have slow latencies, and to go down
> from time to time.

You mean in the case of RO-data access ?
RW-volumes are located where they are, nothing you can do about it.

> We're wondering if others are running a cell in this environment.
> We're curious how releases are handled

Works fine but slow on slow links.

>, how clients handles slow
> network links, etc.
> 
> If you're running an AFS cell in this state, I'd love to hear from
> you.  If you could email me and let me know how its going for you, I'd
> really appreciate it.

openafs.org run's on 2 fileservers/DB-Servers.
One in Pittsburgh USA one in Stockholm Sweden.
We have never seen any problems related to the long distance.

However, i dont consider the linkquality bad.
And we do not have any users homedirectorys like you will have.

If you just just put a fileserver on the east coast and put the east
coast's people's homedir's there i think everything will be fine.

Also replicate the RO-Data among your servers for better performace.  If
you do this at least all RO-Data will be accessible from both sites in the
case of link failure for both sites.

/Jimmy