Network Data Stores
DDC supports two types of Network Storage types as data stores: Linux Network File Share (NFS) and Windows share (SMB/CIFS).
Note
SMB/CIFS is supported for Windows only. Currently, the SMB implementation on Linux (Samba) is not supported. Also, we cannot guarantee that NFS type data stores on MAC will work properly.
To create a Windows Network Storage data store:
Use a Windows Proxy Agent.
Ensure that the target storage is accessible from the Proxy agent host.
To create a Linux Network Storage data store:
Use a Linux Proxy Agent.
The target storage path must be mounted on the Proxy agent host.
Note
For both types of these data stores, the credentials to access the target storage must have the minimum permissions required to scan it. Bear in mind that data discovery or scanning of data requires read access.
Adding Network Data Stores
1. Select Store Type
In the Select Store Type screen of the wizard select Network Storage in the Select Data Store Category.
From the Select Network Storage Type drop-down list select:
SMB/CIFS Share - for a Linux Data Store.
NFS Share - for a Windows Data Store.
Click Next to go on to the Configure Connection screen.
2. Configure Connection
In the Configure Connection screen of the wizard, provide the following configuration details for your data store:
LINUX DATA STORE
Hostname/IP - a valid hostname, IP address, or URI of the data store.
Share Path - a valid NFS path, it must begin with a slash (“/”). The path must be set to the mount path on the Proxy host.
Agent Hostname/IP - a valid hostname, IP address, or URI of the host where the DDC agent resides.
Mount Point (On Proxy Agent) - the mount path on the Proxy host (for the Share Path above). See also "Mounting an NFS Share".
WINDOWS DATA STORE
Hostname/IP - a valid hostname, IP address, or URI of the data store.
Share Name - a valid Windows share name. These characters are not allowed in the Share Name:
=*?,<>|;:+[]"/\
Caution
Do not confuse the Share Name with the Network Path. In Windows, the Share Name is typically set in the Advanced Sharing settings in the folder sharing properties.
Credentials - provide a valid username and password. Use the appropriate user name format for the target Windows hosts credentials:
<domain\username>- target host resides in the same Active Directory domain as the Windows proxy agent.<target_hostname\username>- target host does not reside in the same Active Directory domain as the Windows proxy agent.
Tip
DNS / DNS reverse resolution may increase the time to scan. Make sure that you optimize your DNS resolution or modify the agent's hosts file to skip the external DNS resolution as indicated in this technical note.
The Agent Selection section allows you to specify the minimum and maximum number of proxy agents when adding a datastore. Employing a group of agents instead of a single agent to run the scan should improve the scan execution time.
Note
The multiple agent functionality is not supported for the Linux Data Store.
In the Select Number of Agents menu set the number of agents for the datastore:
Minimum: - Set the minimun number of agents to use to scan the datastore. At least that number of proxy agents must be able to connect to the datastore.
Maximum: - Set the maximum number agents to use to scan the datastore.
Warning
• As there is no limit on the number of minimum and maximum agents that you can set, you should exercise caution so that you do not impact the system performance by using too many resouces for a single scan.
• You will not be able to add a datastore if the minimum number of agents cannot be assigned.
• A scan will fail if the assigned agent is unavailable after adding the datastore.
• The minimum number of agents must be less than or equal to the maximum number of agents.In the Add Label: field, add an agent label, by entering a label or removing and existing label. Agent labels represent the agent capabilities.
Click Next to go to the General Info screen.
3. General Info
Configure the General Info part per the information in General Info.
Click Next to go to the Add Tags & Access Control screen.
4. Add Tags & Access Control
Configure the Tags & Access Control par per the information in Tags & Access Control.
Click Save. The newly created data store appears on the Data Stores page. By default, data stores are displayed in alphabetic order by name. Depending on the number of entries per page, you might need to navigate to other pages to view the newly created data store.
