analyzing multiple servers and storage systems

8/4/2019 Analyzing Multiple Servers and Storage Systems

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Flexense Ltd. http://www.flexense.com

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Analyzing Disk Space Usage in Multiple Servers and Storage Systems

The purpose of this tutorial is to provide a step-by-step guide explaining how to perform adisk space usage analysis in multiple servers and NAS storage systems through thenetwork using DiskBoss File and Disk Manager. Advanced disk space analysis capabilities

allowing one to analyze multiple servers and NAS storage systems are available inDiskBoss Ultimate, a single copy of which should be installed and registered on a dual-coreor quad-core server or desktop computer with at least 4GB of system memory.

As the first step, the user needs to connect DiskBoss to an SQL database, which will beused to store disk space analysis reports from servers and NAS storage systems thatshould be analyzed. A standard SQL database such as MS SQL or MySQL installed locally or

on the network with a properly configured ODBC data source will be good enough. In orderto connect DiskBoss to the database, start the DiskBoss GUI application, open the 'Options'dialog and specify the ODBC data source name, user name and password to use to connectto the SQL database.

The simplest and the fastest way to analyze disk space usage in multiple servers and NAS

storage systems is to use the DiskBoss command line utility to scan all the required disks

and directories through network shares, save all reports to the SQL database and then usethe DiskBoss GUI application to analyze results and generate various disk space usagecharts.


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The scanning process may be performed on the host computer where DiskBoss Ultimate isinstalled on assuming that the configured ODBC data source is accessible and the useraccount used to perform the operation is given enough permissions to access all networkshares that should be processed. Once everything is ready, open a command promptwindow, enter the DiskBoss 'bin' directory and type the following command:

diskboss -analyze -dir \\server-name\\share-name -host server-name -save_to_database

The command will analyze the specified network share, set the host name of the report tothe name of the server that was analyzed and save the report to the database. The hostname option is required for operations performed through the network and it may be

omitted for disk space analysis operation performed on local disks and directories. Thesame command may be performed for all servers and NAS storage devices that should beanalyzed while making sure to set the correct host name for each saved report.

Depending on the amount of files stored in a server or NAS storage system, saving largedisk space analysis reports containing millions of files and directories in an SQL database

may be time consuming. Moreover, saving full reports including millions files anddirectories may be not practical as no one will have the time to review such huge reports.There are two ways to reduce the size of disk space analysis reports, shorten the time

required to save such reports in an SQL database while keeping all the importantinformation.

The first way is to limit the number of files per directory to top X largest files and thesecond way is to limit the number of nested subdirectories saved in a disk space analysisreport. In both cases, DiskBoss will perform a full disk space analysis, but the resultingreport will include file lists limited to X largest files and the file system hierarchy will belimited to Y levels according to the user-specified parameters. For example, if there are1,000 files in a directory holding 100 MB of disk space, the directory will be reportedhaving 1,000 files and holding 100 MB of disk space, but the file list for the directory willinclude X largest files.

In order to limit a disk space analysis operation to X largest files, use the followingcommand line option: '-files_per_dir X'. In order to limit a disk space analysis operationto X nested levels, use the following command line option: '-levels X'.

Once all reports are in the SQL database, start the DiskBoss GUI application and press the'Database' button located on the main toolbar to open the database reports dialog. Thedatabase reports dialog shows all disk space analysis reports saved in the SQL databaseand allows one to perform a number of advanced disk space analysis operations. In orderto analyze disk space usage per host, press the 'Hosts' button.


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The 'Hosts Analysis' dialog, shows how much disk space and how many files are stored oneach server and NAS storage system and allows one to generate various types of piecharts and bars charts. On the bottom side of the dialog there are a number of filtersallowing one to select an appropriate set of reports to analyze. On the right side of thedialog there is a list of hosts and a number of controls providing the ability to customizethe displayed chart. Finally, the user is provided with the ability to copy the chart's image

to the clipboard making it very easy to integrate disk space analysis charts into user'scustom reports and presentations.

Now let's make it more useful by focusing on specific types of files or file categories.DiskBoss is capable of performing disk space analysis operations on specific categories offiles according to one or more user-specified file matching rules. In order to create acustom disk space analysis command, start the DiskBoss GUI application, add a new user-defined disk space analysis command, specify disks or directories that should beprocessed, select the 'Rules' tab and add one or more file matching rules specifying types

of files that should be processed.

For example, add the 'Files Categorized as Images and Pictures' file matching rule toanalyze the disk space used for all types of images and pictures files. Different types of filematching rules may be combined in a single disk space analysis operation allowing one toprecisely focus on a very specific category of files according to user-custom needs andrequirements. A user-defined disk space analysis command may de executed using theDiskBoss GUI application or the command line utility using the following command:

diskboss -execute 'Command Name' -save_to_database

In general, DiskBoss' disk space analysis capabilities combined with file matching rules,the command line utility and SQL database integration capabilities provide the user withthe ability to analyze disk space usage on multiple servers, desktops and NAS storagedevices through the network and generate various charts showing the total disk spaceusage per host or the disk space usage for a specific category of files according to user-

specified rules and policies.

analyzing multiple servers and storage systems

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