multiple servers, single netapp volume

twelshesgi — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 06:57:52 GMT

My customer has a configuration that requires two WIndows servers, operating in parallel both need to store data to a NetApp volume. I really need the NetApp volume "mounted" on both servers. If I mount on one, and map via Windows to the other, then I have a single point of failure. The two servers will be writing different files to the NetApp volume, but they all need to be in the same folder. For example, server1 will write files to a folder e:\xyz on the netapp volume, and server2 will write different files to the same folder on the same volume. Then server3 and server4 each need to be able to read from the folder.

I am not certain of the mix of Windows/Netapps products, etc that are needed to accomplish this.

Re: multiple servers, single netapp volume

nigelg1965 — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 18:03:39 GMT

I think you need to find out what the client is really trying to achieve and why there are multiple servers etc.

You could do two ways:

simplest way is to present the NetApp storage as a NAS volume using CIFS or NFS. The application / process(es) on the server(s) that needs to write the data will need to be running as a user with access to the filer. ie if using CIFS an AD user, or server could simply be left logged in as a user with these rights.

The other way could be try it the SAN way, run MS clustering software in Active / Active and present the storage as a LUN to both servers.

I guess the third way could be to use VFM or similar replication software.

All this is assuming both servers never try to access or modify the same file at the same time.

I think you've a bit of trail and error ahead of you!

Good luck

topic Re: multiple servers, single netapp volume in ONTAP Hardware

multiple servers, single netapp volume

Re: multiple servers, single netapp volume