Dell EMC Unity NAS Server is probably one of the easiest option to enable and configure. It allows to run multiple shares and of different types including CIFS over SMB (Server Message Block) primarily for Windows clients and NFS (Network File System) for Unix, Linux and Windows clients. Not only that. The Dell EMC Unity can also run multiple NAS Servers concurrently and associate different settings.
Dell EMC Unity provides 3 types of storage: File, Block and VMware.
In this case this article covers the File type of storage. And in particular with the setup of Dell EMC Unity Server to provide access to different file shares over the network. The actual location of the File Shares is on the Storage Pool as created previously in the Unity VSA initial setup. Or eventually use a different storage based on a larger capacity with a lower cost sitting in a different storage pool.
Also in this case the Unity NAS Server settings can be easily controlled from the Unisphere web interface.
Enable Dell EMC Unity NAS Server
In the Storage > File section there is the main section for enabling and configuring the Dell EMC Unity NAS Servers. Hit on “+” sign to start wizard.
In the General section the main settings includes:
- Server Name
- Tenant (disabled with Community Edition license)
- Storage Pool
- Storage Processor (Only 1 available with Community Edition)
The Interface settings declare how the clients will be able to connect to the Unity NAS Server. Optionally, the ability to also isolate the network by using VLANs.
In the Sharing Protocols the wizard offers the opportunity to enable both protocols or single ones. This allows to create multiple NAS Servers with specific network protocols as well. Depending on the selected network protocol the wizard will show the pertinent options. In the case of CIFS Shares over SMB there is the ability to leave the NAS Server in a Workgroup or be part of an Active Directory Domain. In this case DNS and NTP configuration are required.
If choosing a SMB type and then part of an Active Directory the next step is to setup details for the domain suffix along with available DNS Servers.
As an advanced feature for each share is possible to add storage replication to another Dell EMC Unity VSA. Very useful for local and remote configurations. More on this in a dedicated article.
And finally a summary with the main details for the Dell EMC Unity NAS Server configuration. A final review before committing changes.
A few moments later the first Dell EMC Unity NAS Server is configured and running.
Next steps include the setup of Unity VSA File System and Shares.
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