[Samba] samba cluster on multi tiered storage / hierarchial storage management

[Olivier Sessink]

Hi all,

we're looking at future storage technologies and possibilities to use
open source software. One thing that looks very promising already is
samba clustering with ctdb.

However, if we replace all file servers with a single samba cluster,
that cluster needs a lot of storage space. A large SAN would do, but
using fast disks for all of the storage is quite expensive. Using a mix
of cheap (slow) storage and fast (expensive) storage would satisfy the
needs much better.

Some of the data is used frequently, and some of the data is not used
frequently. A policy driven hierarchial storage management solution for
the samba ctdb cluster would be great. Keeping often-used blocks on a
SAN with fast storage, and using cheaper storage for data that hasn't
been used recently.

What are good solutions in combination with samba, or should we look at
something completely different ?

regards,
	Olivier