Home Folder Serving Single point of failure?

[pucky@theloucks.]

Hi all,

I just got off the phone with apple techsupport regarding a configuration I’m trying to do and the result of the phone call was both of use agreeing that Home Folder File Serving is currently a single point of failure. I’m a bit shocked and don’t fully believe it.

Here’s what I’ve got

2 XServes connected to a Fiber Switch which is connected to an XRaid.

Both Servers are running XSan to connect to the shared storage

Server1 is the OD Master
Server2 is the replica OD

Server1 has an ip of 192.168.1.1 (server1.example.com)
Server2 has an ip of 192.168.1.2 (server2.example.com)

Server1 and Server2 are also configured with IP Failover (works great) which is 192.168.1.254 (let’s say failover.example.com)

What I’m trying to figure out is a way for Server1 to fail and still be able to access the User home directories. You would think that I could use the failover IP with a FQDN that would allow access to the Users Directories that are stored on the XRAID even if server1 fails.

I called them because the Workgroup Manager asks for the FULL PATH in the home directory (i.e. when you add it) and it is wanting /Network/Servers/server1.example.com/Users/pucky

But I’d like it to be /Network/Servers/failover.example.com/Users/pucky

That way it would always work. But this isn’t so.

Does anyone have any creative ideas to solve this? I’ll enable the mobile directories, but that’s not really the right answer in my mind.

Cheers,
Pucky

[pucky@theloucks.]

Thanks for the reply,

The ip the fails over is not the primary ip, i.e. the primary is 192.168.1.1 which is the ip of the master OD. The failover IP is only for the home folders.

you say “You’ll have to also manually create a home folder mount record for that URL,but that’s pretty easy to do.” how so? Can you give me an example?

I’ve got the failover.example.com entered into the home “FULL PATH” but I think I’m missing the part your talking about.

I’ve gone into the Server Admin of each server and Shared the Users directory which is located at /Volumes/XRaid1/Users, is that what your talking about? or do you mean a manually created home folder mount from the desktop mac point of view.

Cheers and thanks again for your response.

Pucky

[Author]

Posts