Openafs: Version 1.7.1 Client for Windows

In september 2011 openafs.org released a new windows version (1.7.1). In this version the following features were changed:

• OpenAFS is a native Microsoft Windows file system.
• Significantly faster than the OpenAFS 1.6 release (up to 800MB/second
  read throughput from Solid State Disk backed cache)
• Does not require the installation of the Microsoft Windows Loopback
  Adapter
• Provides support for kernel enforced Process and Thread Authentication
  Groups
• New Explorer Shell integration including AFS specific property sheets
• Immediate access to \\AFS namespace after
  system resume
• AFS Mount Points and Symlinks are File System Reparse Points

These features simplify the usage of AFS! First you do not have to fear windows updates, because of weird changes in some samba routines. Second: AFS really works after standby/suspend to disk. Even working in networks with no access does not require a restart of your afs client...
If you are still working on pre 1.7 releases: UPGRADE!!!
But do not forget to install MIT Kerberos for Windows. This is for 1.7 recommended...

Openafs: disconnected network drive?!

You are using the Andrew File System?
You like local caching of files and using YOUR filesystem everywhere you go?
On Linux/Unix everything is quite ok?
But on Windows there are many users complaining about the label "disconnected network drive" for every AFS network drive although the drive is connected and working well?

But there are some solutions to get rid of this label:

1. Read the mail at openafs-info:
   But this does not work on every windows machine. One thing you should take care of is:
   

   However, if 
   you are using global drives, the explorer shell will not ever remove those 
   newly created GUIDs and it will begin to fill up over time with registry 
   entries.  This is BAD.

2. Do not use global drives, if possible.
   But how to get your drives mounted? With openafs clients > 1.5.6 you can not manage local drives within the openafs control panel....
   This is not a problem: Just add a network drive and type "\\afs\yourcell\..." and this will be mounted without this ugly "disconnected network drive"-label....

By the way: Openafs plans to add IPv6 support...

Installating Openafs on Windows fails... (64Bit)

If you have to install a msi-installer on a windows 64Bit machine, it is possible that this installer just fail silently. After you enable logging (look at this posting) this is a possible error message:

MSI (s) (60:CC) [20:34:54:265]: Product: OpenAFS for Windows (64-bit) -- Error 1719. The Windows Installer Service could not be accessed. This can occur if you are running Windows in safe mode, or if the Windows Installer is not correctly installed. Contact your support personnel for assistance.

This is an indication, that your msi-installer is configured in 32-bit mode and not in 64-bit mode but the installable needs 64-bit mode.
How can you change this? Here one answer found on Aaron Stebner's WebLog:

1. Click on the Start menu, choose Run, type cmd and click OK
2. Run %windir%\system32\msiexec.exe /unregister
3. Run %windir%\syswow64\msiexec.exe /unregister
4. Run %windir%\system32\msiexec.exe /regserver
5. Run %windir%\syswow64\msiexec.exe /regserver
6. Restart the computer

After that the installation will finish (hopefully) without an error ;-)

Review at amazon: Distributed Services with OpenAFS: For Enterprise and Education

After my blog about OPENAFS i searched amazon for books covering this topic. I found this book:

After reading it, i wrote a review, which is now online. It is in german, so here a short summary:

• excellent introduction in OpenAFS including Kerberos & LDAP
• many command line examples to create a AFS cell or duplicating volumes or backup data
• an explanation for AFS to Samba bridge
• information about NTP (because Kerberos and AFS are time sensitive)
• basics about Postgresql, Mail, Mosix, ....
  

On amazon.com there is a review in english.
So i say: If you want to start with AFS or if you are working with AFS, read it!

Openafs on Debian (Configuration)

A few days ago a friend asked me, how to install openafs on a Debian Linux. I told him, that he just has to follow my article on www.debianplanet.org...
But on www.debianplanet.org he only got the following information:
Temporarily removed due to spammers, read-only archive version will be back after reconfiguration.


So i searched in my files and finally i found my article:
Submitted by dschroff on Friday, November 01, 2002 - 23:59

Here the content:

This is a quick and dirty rundown of how to install OpenAFS and Kerberos 5 and get it all working. OpenAFS is a pretty advanced and rockin' distributed filesyste; for more information, check out openafs.org.
As an absolute minimum, you'll need to install the following packages:

libpam-openafs-session
openafs-client
openafs-krb5
openafs-modules-source
libkrb53
krb5-clients
krb5-config
krb5-doc
krb5-user
libpam-krb5
openafs-krb5

If you're running a server, you'll also need to install the following packages.

openafs-dbserver
openafs-fileserver
krb5-admin-server
krb5-kdc

Secondly, you'll need to set Kerberos up. Read and follow the instructions in /usr/share/doc/krb5-doc/install-guide.ps.gz and create a user called admin.
After this, you'll need to build the OpenAFS module. Extract the /usr/src/openafs.tar.gz file and
read /usr/src/modules/openafs/debian/README.modules; this will create the package and tell you how to install it.
After you're built OpenAFS, you'll need to configure this. First, edit /etc/openafs/ThisCell to set your domain name, then edit /etc/openafs/CellServDB, and add your server and domain. Copy these files to /etc/openafs/server and create a partition /vicepa for the data with a filesystem of your choice.
On the server, type:

#>kadmin.local -q "ank -randkey afs"
#>kadmin.local -q "ktadd -e des-cbc-crc:afs3 -k /etc/krb5.keytab.afs afs"
#>asetkey add foo /etc/krb5.keytab.afs afs
#>bosserver -noauth &
#>bos listhosts servername -noauth
#>bos create -server servername -instance ptserver -type simple -cmd /usr/lib/openafs/ptserver -cell domainname -noauth
#>bos adduser servername admin -cell domainname -noauth
#>bos listkeys servername -cell domainname -noauth
#>pts createuser -name admin -cell domainname -noauth
#>pts adduser admin system:administrators -cell domainname -noauth
#>pts membership admin -cell domainname -noauth
#>bos restart servername -all -cell domainname -noauth
#>bos create -server servername -instance fs -type fs -cmd /usr/lib/openafs/fileserver -cmd /usr/lib/openafs/volserver -cmd /usr/lib/openafs/salvager -cmd /usr/lib/openafs/vlserver -cell domainname -noauth
#>bos status servername fs -long -noauth
#>vos create -server servername -partition /vicepa -name root.afs -cell domainname -noauth
#>bos shutdown servername -wait
#>pkill bosserver
#>/etc/init.d/openafs-fileserver start
#>/etc/init.d/openafs-client start
#>kinit admin && klist
#>aklog && tokens
#>fs checkvolumes
#>fs setacl /afs system:anyuser rl
#>vos create servername /vicepa root.cell
#>fs mkmount /afs/domainname root.cell
#>fs setacl /afs/domainname system:anyuser rl
#>fs mkmount /afs/.domainname root.cell -rw
#>pts creategroup groupname -id -groupname
#>mkdir /afs/domainname/home

foo is the number of the key.
When you've done all this, it's time to add a user; you need a working NSS system for this. To add users, type:

#>adduser --disabled-password

To tell Kerberos and OpenAFS about your new user, type:

#>kadmin.local -q "ank -maxlife 30days username"
#>vos create servername /vicepa username
#>fs mkmount /afs/domainname/home/username username
#>vos release root.cell
#>fs checkvolumes
#>pts createuser username -id userid
#>pts adduser username groupname
#>fs sa /afs/domainname/home/username username all
#>fs setquota /afs/domainname/home/username -max 500000

Now you'll need to set up the /etc/pam.d files. Just play with the configuration files or send me an e-mail; even better, check out the debian-security archives.
Good luck!


Yes, i know there are better installation tutorials like this one, which is really excellent, but look at the references: [1] Installing OpenAFS, http://www.debianplanet.org/node.php?id=816 !!!!
I hope debianplanet will be back soon...