Peer Global File Service Help > Advanced Topics

Overview

PeerSoftware's multi-protocol functionality allows both NFS and SMB clients to interact with the same set of data within PeerGFS, eliminating the need for separate jobs for different protocols. This enables seamless data sharing and access between Linux and Windows systems.

What Do We Mean by Multi-Protocol?

Multi-protocol in PeerGFS refers to the capability of a job to detect real-time events from both NFS (NFSv3 and NFSv4) clients and CIFS (SMB) clients simultaneously. This allows the same data to be accessed via different protocols (NFS for Linux clients and SMB for Windows clients) without the need to create separate jobs for each protocol.

How Does It Work?

To enable multi-protocol functionality, both a share and an export must point to the same directory to be monitored by PeerGFS. These configurations allow both NFS and SMB clients to access the same data set. The primary security style configured on the NAS system determines the metadata settings for the PeerGFS job.

•Share: A network share that provides access to the data for SMB clients.

•Export: A directory export that provides access to the data for NFS clients.

These elements work together to provide unified access to the data set, whether the client is Linux-based (NFS) or Windows-based (SMB).

What Type of Jobs Does Multi-Protocol Apply To?

Multi-protocol functionality can be applied to the following job types in PeerGFS:

•File Synchronization

•File Replication

What Are the Requirements to Use Multi-Protocol?

•Supoprted Client: PeerGFS Multi-Protocol support is available for Linux clients only.

•Supported NAS Platforms:

oNetApp ONTAP (cDOT)

oAmazon FSXN

oNutanix Files

oDell PowerScale (Syslog only)

Ensure your system meets these prerequisites before configuring multi-protocol support.

What Limitations or Restrictions Exist?

While multi-protocol functionality offers flexibility, there are some limitations to keep in mind:

•Transfer Method: NFS will perform file transfers, maintaining name capitalization during the process.

•File Collaboration Jobs: File Collaboration job types are not supported with multi-protocol functionality.

•Job Overlapping: Job relay for File Replication jobs (overlapping jobs) is not supported.

•File Permissions: The user determines which file permissions (metadata) will be transferred. This ensures predictable scans.

•Security Style Limitation: A multi-protocol job can only support one security style at a time—either Linux security (NFSv4, NFSv3, Posix) or Windows ACLs, but not both simultaneously.

•Mixed File Permissions: Mixed file permissions (SMB & NFS) will be supported on verified platforms, but with the limitation of not supporting both security styles simultaneously.

Who Will Want to Use Multi-Protocol?

PeerGFS's Multi-Protocol (MKP) functionality is designed for organizations that require seamless cross-platform data access and collaboration between Linux (NFS) and Windows (SMB) systems. Typical users who would benefit from this feature include:

•Enterprises with Mixed Environments: Organizations that have a combination of Linux and Windows workloads needing concurrent access to shared data.

•Data Centers with Diverse Workloads: Enterprises running applications like electronic design automation (EDA), media and entertainment workflows, or other data-intensive tasks that involve both Linux-based compute instances and Windows-based applications.

•IT Administrators: IT teams managing mixed environments that need to ensure both Linux and Windows systems can efficiently access and work with the same data set, without the complexity of managing separate data sets or jobs for each protocol.

•Collaborative Teams: Teams that require file synchronization and collaboration across platforms (NFS for Linux and SMB for Windows), ensuring that all users—regardless of OS—can access the same data in real-time.

•Data Replication and Backup: Organizations with multi-protocol environments that need to replicate or back up data to multiple platforms simultaneously, such as cloud backup services supporting both Linux and Windows-based systems.

This functionality simplifies data access management and enhances workflow efficiency in heterogeneous IT environments, especially for organizations with both Linux and Windows clients that need to share the same data.