Installing the Rapid CIFS plug-in
The Rapid CIFS plug-in must be installed on to the media server type you choose (for supported operating systems and DMAs, see the QoreStor Interoperability Guide). The plug-in software enables integration between QoreStor data storage operations and the supported data management applications (DMAs). Before you install, make sure you adhere to the Best Practices covered in another topic in this chapter.
Downloading the Rapid CIFS Plug-in
You can download the plug-in installer from the Quest website as follows
- Go to support.quest.com/qorestor, select your specific QoreStor version, and then navigate to Software Downloads.
- Locate the Rapid CIFS plug-in and download it to your system.
After it is downloaded, follow the steps below to run the plug-in installer to install the plug-in on your designated media server.
Enabling Secure Connect
Secure Connect is comprised of a set of client and server components that create a resilient and secure communication channel for use by WAN-connected clients. The server components are installed and enabled by default during the installation of the QoreStor server. Starting with the Rapid CIFS plug-in version 4.0.3.2, the plug-in installer includes the option to install and enable Secure Connect.
Installing the plug-in
To install the Rapid CIFS plug-in, follow the steps below.
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NOTE: The plug-in needs to be installed on client systems to support client-side deduplication. |
- On the media server, map a network share to your CIFS-enabled container.
- Download the plug-in installer from the website, as detailed previously.
- Open a command prompt with the “Run as Administrator” option selected. To do this using the Windows Start menu, click Start → All Programs → Accessories. Right-click Command Prompt and selectRun as Administrator.
This gives all the required privileges to install/copy the driver files to the Windows drivers folder.
- Run
QuestRapidCIFS-4.0.3318.0.exe.
- When prompted, select Install a Secure Connection to install Secure Connect.
Secure Connect ensures backups to QoreStor are completed in spite of slow or unreliable WAN connections. When selecting this option, you will be prompted for additional configuration information required to make Secure Connect function correctly.
- At the Configure Secure Connect page, complete the dialog using the IP or fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the QoreStor server and appropriate credentials.
The user account used must have the CIFS role assigned.
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NOTE: The Configure Secure Connect operation is not supported for CIFS containers on DR Series appliances. DR Series appliances do not contain the required Secure Connect server component . This operation is available only for QoreStor instances. For CIFS containers on DR Series appliances, connect using the Rapid CIFS plug-in and the DR Series host name. |
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NOTE: The value entered in the Display Name field must not match the hostname of the QoreStor server. |
To ensure that the plug-in is running successfully, check the Windows Event log file.
Monitoring performance
This procedure describes how to monitor performance by viewing Rapid NFS and Rapid CIFS usage graphs.
Before you view usage graphs, make sure that the appropriate accelerator is active by viewing the Container Statistics in the QoreStor GUI.
To monitor Rapid NFS and Rapid CIFS performance:
- In the QoreStor GUI, click Dashboard.
- In the Actions menu in the upper right corner of the page, click Detailed Graphs.
- Select a time range (if needed) and click Apply.
- Click the Protocols tab.
Under NFS Usage and CIFS Usage, there is an XWrite checkbox. This checkbox represents the accelerator activity.
- In the desired usage graph pane, select the XWrite checkbox to view the accelerator performance over time.
If you have Rapid NFS enabled, you can use the command line to view statistics, throughput, and the plug-in version by running the ru utility on the client, as follows:
ru --mpt=[rdnfs mount point] | --pid=[process ID of rdnfs] --show=[name|version|parameters|stats|performance]
If you have Rapid CIFS enabled, you can use the command line to view aggregate statistics (even while a backup job is running) using the following command:
\Program Files\Quest\Rapid CIFS\rdcifsctl.exe stats -s
Uninstalling the Rapid NFS plug-in
Use the following procedure to remove the Rapid NFS plug-in from a Linux-based media server. After you uninstall the plug-in, Rapid NFS will be disabled and “inactive” will be shown next to NFS Write Accelerator on the NFS Connection Configuration pane on the Container Statisticspage.
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NOTE: You should retain the Rapid NFS plug-in installer on the media server in case you need to use it to reinstall the plug-in. It is usually located in /opt/quest/QoreStor/RDNFS/scripts. |
To uninstall the Rapid NFS plug-in on Linux:
- Stop the Data Management Application (DMA) backup service before using the -uninstall option.
The Rapid NFS plug-in installer returns an error if the DMA service is running when attempting to uninstall the plug-in.
- Run the Rapid NFS plug-in installer (usually located in /opt/Quest/QoreStor/RDNFS/scripts) with the -uninstall option, which uninstalls the plug-in, using the following command:
$> ./QuestRapidNFS-xxxxx-x86_64.bin -uninstall
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NOTE: You must stop the DMA service before uninstalling the Rapid NFS plug-in (you are also required to use the Rapid NFS plug-in installer to uninstall the plug-in). |
- Check that the plug-in is uninstalled by viewing the usage graph in the GUI; it should not indicate any XWriteactivity.
Uninstalling the Rapid CIFS plug-in
Use the following standard Microsoft Windows uninstall process to remove the Rapid CIFS plug-in from a Windows-based media server. After you uninstall the plug-in, Rapid CIFS will be disabled and “inactive” will be shown next to CIFS Write Accelerator on the CIFS Connection Configuration pane on the Container Statisticspage.
Alternatively, if you want to disable (but not uninstall) the plug-in, you can run the following Rapid CIFS utility command. The utility is located in
C:\Program Files\Quest\Rapid CIFS.
rdcifsctl.exe driver -d
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NOTE: Replace this text with a description of a feature that is noteworthy. |
To uninstall the Rapid CIFS plug-in on Windows:
- Click Start, and click Control Panel.
- Under Programs and Features, click Uninstall a program.
- Locate the Rapid CIFS plug-in in the listed of installed programs, right-click,and select Uninstall.
- Click Yes to uninstall the Rapid CIFS plug-in.
