Network Attached Storage (NAS)
The DXi6900 system has the ability to serve as a NAS backup system (see Figure 1) where the following protocols are supported:
CIFS/SMB Protocol
The CIFS (Common Internet File System) / SMB (Server Message Block) protocol defines a standard for remote file access from many computers at a time in Windows environments.
Active Directory Support
The DXi6900 supports ADS (Active Directory Services) as well as ACLs (Access Control Lists). This provides the following benefits:
- Compatibility with CIFS/SMB domains - NAS shares are able to join CIFS/SMB domains and use domain authentication.
- Precise control of file system permissions - Administrators can specify which users and groups can perform what actions.
- Robust administrative support - Administrators have the same implicit permissions as they do in Windows operating systems.
Additional Information
- Windows 2003, Windows 2003 R2, Windows 2008, Windows 2008 R2, and Windows 2012 R2 are supported for Active Directory domain membership.
- When you create a CIFS/SMB share, the initial permissions are the same as the default permissions for a Windows 2003 share with the addition of an ACE (Access Control Entry) that permits full access to the share for all authenticated users. Administrators can choose to remove this full access ACE, set up custom permissions, or leave the ACL (Access Control List) as is if the server is set up in a fully trusted environment.
NFS Protocol
The NFS (Network File System) protocol was originally designed by Sun™ Microsystems and allows all network users to access shared files stored on computers of different types. NFS provides access to shared files through an interface called the Virtual File System (VFS) that runs on top of TCP/IP. Users can manipulate shared files as if they were stored locally on the user's own hard disk. With NFS, computers connected to a network operate as clients while accessing remote files, and as servers while providing remote users access to local shared files. This protocol is used with UNIX and Linux networks. It can also be used with Windows networks.
Figure 1: NAS Backup using CIFS/SMB and NFS
Application Specific Protocol
The Application Specific Protocol allows users to create Oracle Recovery Manager (RMAN) shares on a DXi6900 system. RMAN provides the foundation for efficiently backing up and recovering an Oracle 11 database.
