3.1. Configuring a Metadata Server

After you install PVFS2 on your frontend, you need to specify a PVFS2 Metadata Server. A PVFS2 Metadata Server holds all the information about the files stored in a PVFS2 file system (for example, creation time, owner, group, size, etc.).

Note

By default, the frontend is configured to be the PVFS2 Metadata Server.

Therefore, if you don't want to specify a different node in your cluster to be the PVFS2 Metadata Server, then you can skip this step.

If you wish to make one of the nodes in your cluster the PVFS2 Metadata Server, then you'll need to run insert-ethers and select PVFS2 Metadata Node.

Then PXE boot the node you wish to be the PVFS2 Metadata Server (you can also boot the node with the Rocks Boot CD).