Need help setting up a interesting application.

DJ_Datte · Mon Jul 18, 2005 6:27 pm

Hello !

I've been playing with StarWind for a while now, and I think I am getting the feel for it. I have during that time been building a mental image of what I need to do with it, as part of my infrastructure. Now I wonder if you can help me achive my goal ?

The goal is to create a high performance application server, that does not need to have copies of all applications for all the clients, but spawns a copy of the application when a client requests it.

My optimal way of doing it is to have "pre-made" images of the applications I need to share, in "clean" form, ie, just after their install. (dont worry about registry and such for my applications, thats all handled on a different end). If I was doing it this way, I would have a repository of images, like App1.img, App2.img, App3.img, App4.img, App5.img. If a client wants to use App1, I would want to make a copy off App1.img as a "work copy" and then Share the App1_work_copy.img in StarWind, and have a initiator connect to this working copy.

The scenario above would be optimal, becouse that would be the quickest way to spawn a working copy, by using a standard file operation, which on a raid drive, can be done quite quickly (without the performance loss incurred with iScsi over raid). I have a raid array for this standing by that can easily push 400 Mb / sec. This scenario would require a way to dynamically make images appear as targets, ie, a command line interface to StarWind, does such exist ?

The other way, which I belive can be done now, but would have not-so-good performance, is to have all the target files premounted in shared fashion both on the ISCSI server and on the client. Then I could have the client drives mounted on the ISCSI server as D:\ E:\ F:\ which would correspond to Client1, Client2, Client3, and I would have the apps in normal folders (not as img files). So when a Client would request a App, I would do a copy from c:\App1 to D:\App1, which would make it appear on the Client1 ISCSI drive. The problem here is that then the raid would act much slower, becouse of the small command-size of iscsi and in my testing, CPU usage goes through the roof, is it becouse it is running the traffic over the localhost interface in a unoptimized fashion?

I would greatly appriciate assistance in this project of mine!

/Damir,
Sweden

Mon Jul 18, 2005 8:15 pm

Would you please give us some time to analyze your ideas so we could come with more or less ready solution. ASAP. Thanks!

DJ_Datte · Mon Jul 18, 2005 11:33 pm

Thankyou Kindly !

/Damir

Val (staff) · Tue Jul 19, 2005 8:50 pm

Hi Damir,

I'm not sure what do you need to implement?
1) Create a set of iages that are auto rolled back each time an ininiator logs in?
2) Or you need to provide each initiator with a persistent copy of a pre-made image where all changes done by the client are saved?

In the recent StarWind it's possible to create an ImageFile target, install all the needed apps into it, then export the target in read-only mode to protect the installation and share them to several initiators.

We developed an additional plug-in for StarWind called IBVolume. One of the modes provided by the plug-in is to use an ImageFile as a readonly base and store all changes to an additional journal. Also the changes could be discarded on disconnect of the initiator, so the next mount of the volume exports the same disk content without any changes.

So please specify your needs in more details.

DJ_Datte · Wed Jul 20, 2005 1:40 pm

Ok, I am thinking here.

What I wanted was that I wanted a unique "clean" copy for each client, that is writable. But I can not have copies for all the clients for all the apps, so I wanted to spawn a copy for a client on demand (when a client requests it from my app service, it would make a copy of the correct image file, and then dynamically share it through StarWind, so the initiator could connect to the newly spawned copy.)

And my biggest problem was that It would take time to spawn a new copy of the image file and that as of right now, I dont know how I could make a new image file available on the target list, through a command-line (so it can be scripted).

But, if, I can setup, with your new plugin, so that when someone connects to a app image file, that they can have read/write ability, and when he disconnects, all the changes are discarded, that would probably solve most of it.

My only question then is, where can I get a copy of the plugin to test my ideas, and, is there a way to control starport (or ms initiator 2.0) with a command line interface, so that I can script when someone clicks on a app, the initiator connects to the correct target for that app?

Thankyou so far,
Damir

Val (staff) · Wed Jul 20, 2005 2:34 pm

Hi Damir,

And my biggest problem was that It would take time to spawn a new copy of the image file and that as of right now, I dont know how I could make a new image file available on the target list, through a command-line (so it can be scripted).

But, if, I can setup, with your new plugin, so that when someone connects to a app image file, that they can have read/write ability, and when he disconnects, all the changes are discarded, that would probably solve most of it.
My only question then is, where can I get a copy of the plugin to test my ideas

The IBVolume plug-in is being tested in our test-labs. I think we'll be able to send a pre-release copy to you in about a week.

is there a way to control starport (or ms initiator 2.0) with a command line interface, so that I can script when someone clicks on a app, the initiator connects to the correct target for that app?

We have a command line tool called StarPortCtl.exe that is used for test purposes. It can do almoust all the things implemented in StarPort GUI.
If you need it, I could send you a copy.

IIRC the MS initiator can be controlled via its own API. Please read the MS initiator's manuals for more details.

DJ_Datte · Wed Jul 20, 2005 2:39 pm

I would be very interested in that command line utility. You can see my forum-email ? Or I can send you a mail to address you specify.

And I am looking very much forward to trying out the plugin.

One question. Is there a way to secure, so that when I connect with a initiator, I know the drive will appear as a D: for example ?

/Damir

Val (staff) · Wed Jul 20, 2005 3:09 pm

DJ_Datte wrote:I would be very interested in that command line utility. You can see my forum-email ? Or I can send you a mail to address you specify.

I've just sent you the application.

And I am looking very much forward to trying out the plugin.

I'll notify you when it will be ready.

One question. Is there a way to secure, so that when I connect with a initiator, I know the drive will appear as a D: for example ?
/Damir

StarPort does not supports binding drive letters to iSCSI devices. So the Windows system will assign the first free drive letter(s) to a new device.
Maybe the MS initiator is able to do this, but I have no information about it.

DJ_Datte · Mon Jul 25, 2005 9:56 pm

Hey

I have structured my ideas how I want my clients to access the ISCSI server images now. Now all I am waiting for is the plugin, so I can continue trials... The CLI has worked wonders for me, thankyou for that Valery =)

Do I need to plan to have the journals on a separate raid just to prevent performance degradation ?

/Damir

Mon Jul 25, 2005 10:18 pm

I'm not sure... Are you preparing own installation or do you want to have OEM version of the software or something like that?

DJ_Datte wrote:Hey

I have structured my ideas how I want my clients to access the ISCSI server images now. Now all I am waiting for is the plugin, so I can continue trials... The CLI has worked wonders for me, thankyou for that Valery =)

Do I need to plan to have the journals on a separate raid just to prevent performance degradation ?

/Damir

DJ_Datte · Mon Jul 25, 2005 10:38 pm

It is for our inhouse needs, atleast for the time being. I have currently two offices that I need to make this project work for. But I am still on the planning stages, as you may understand, with getting things that we have designed outselves, and finding softwares that plug the holes for what we can not do ourselves.

And your solution seems to be a very interesting way to solve a few of my problems, I've been quite excited the last week or so, waiting to try out the plugin

Now that you have mentioned it tho, how do the OEM plans look ? Any chance you could email me with details on how one becomes a OEM, etc. Its maybe something we may be (and its a big maybe) interested in, down the road.

/Damir

Val (staff) · Wed Jul 27, 2005 10:30 am

DJ_Datte wrote:And your solution seems to be a very interesting way to solve a few of my problems, I've been quite excited the last week or so, waiting to try out the plugin :)
/Damir

Hi Damir,

We've just found an issue with the plugin's mode you are waiting for.
I think it'll take us a day or two to fix the issue and build a new preview version of StarWind.

DJ_Datte · Wed Jul 27, 2005 11:33 am

Okay, thanks for keeping me updated !

I will try and find something to busy myself with

/Damir

Wed Jul 27, 2005 9:04 pm

If you want to become and OEM you need to write to us at info@rocketdivision.com and we'd continue discussion in private.

Thanks!

DJ_Datte · Thu Jul 28, 2005 1:07 am

Okay Anton! I will do that when the time is right

/Damir