[OpenAFS] Volume backup in distinct server

[Joao Pedro Barreto]

Hi,

I administer an AFS domain which has two servers storing file volumes.
I wanted to configure volume backup, so that each volume stored in one 
server's disk would be replicated (or backed up) in the other server's disk.
My first approach was to create read-only replicas of each volume. For 
instance, if a volume was stored in server A, I would create a read-only 
volume for it on server B. However, I soon discovered that the release 
of volumes (which I'd perform daily in order to update the read-only 
volumes) NEEDS TO LOCK the original volume, which can be a serious 
drawback if we consider that most volumes are sufficiently big to take 
some hours to be released.
I then found about the backup functionality which, according to AFS 
documentation, should be the best choice for my problem. Mainly, this 
solution doesn't require locking of the original volumes to update the 
backup volumes. However, this option only allows creation of backup 
volumes in the SAME PARTITION (AND SERVER) as the original volume. 
Which, of course, is insuficient to my requirements of having backup 
volumes in distinct computers from their original volumes (so that, if a 
computer fails and its data are lost, the volume can still be obtainable 
from the other computer).

Does anyone can help me on this? how should I solve my problem?

Thank you in advance.

Joao
jpbarreto _AT_ gsd _DOT_ inesc-id _DOT_ id