3.6.0 Matrix Server 3.6.0 Administration Guide (5697-7081, December 2007)

Chapter 9: Configure PSFS Filesystems 97

The Windows operating system and Windows Disk Management utilities

are not fully aware of PSFS filesystems or Matrix Server dynamic

volumes. Although these Microsoft utilities can be useful for

troubleshooting issues, they cannot display status from the perspective of

a Matrix Server volume or filesystem.

Dynamic Volumes

Dynamic volumes created with the Matrix Server Volume Manager are

not the same as Microsoft dynamic volumes. Matrix Server cannot use

Microsoft dynamic volumes, and vice versa. (Although it is possible to

format a Matrix Server dynamic volume with FAT or NTFS, it is not

recommended because FAT and NTFS are not cluster filesystems; data

corruption will result if more than one server at a time has local access to

the same FAT or NTFS filesystem, a problem that the PSFS filesystem was

specifically designed to solve).

The PolyServe Management Console includes a Volume Properties

window (select Storage > Dynamic Volume > Volume Properties) that

displays status information for dynamic volumes and the filesystems

created on those volumes. You can also view this information with the mx

dynvolume command.

The Windows Disk Manager utilities cannot display a Matrix Server

dynamic volume with its associated psv name and volume information.

Instead, the Disk Manager displays the local disk information for each

subdevice included in the dynamic volume, with drive letter and/or

mount point assignments shown on the first subdevice of the dynamic

volume.

Reserved Mount Point Assignments

The Microsoft utilities also show the reserved mount point assignments

that Matrix Server uses internally for both psd and psv devices. (The

PolyServe Management Console and mx commands hide these mount

points.) We recommend that you do not use the reserved mount points

and instead define your own drive letters and/or mount points for access

to your PSFS filesystems.