File System Space Usage Test

Data movers in EMC VNX are containers for file systems. These data movers provide remote users with access to the file systems using CIFS, NFS, MPFS, and pNFS protocols.  Upon receipt of an I/O request, a data mover reads from or writes into the meta volume where the file system being accessed is stored. In the process, storage space in the meta volume is used. If a file system runs out of storage space, no further reads/writes can be performed on that file system. It is hence imperative that space utilization by a file system is continuously monitored. For this purpose, you can use the File System Space Usage test. For every file system residing in each data mover in a DME, this test reports the total storage capacity of the file system and how this capacity is utilized. In the process, the test proactively alerts administrators to a potential space-crunch, accurately points them to the exact file system that is running out of storage space, and also leads them to the correct location of the file system – i.e., it indicates which data mover contains that file system. This way, the test ensures that the file system is adequately sized and is continuously available for reading and writing.

Target of the test : An EMC VNX Unified Storage system

Agent deploying the test : A remote agent

Outputs of the test : One set of results for each file system within each data mover in the DME of the EMC VNX Unified Storage system.

Configurable parameters for the test

Parameter	Description
Test Period	How often should the test be executed.
Host	The IP address of the storage device for which this test is to be configured.
Controller Station IP	The Control Station is the management station for the VNX for File system, and enables control and configuration of the system. The eG agent uses the CLI that runs on the Control Station to monitor and manage the performance of the VNX for File system. To enable the eG agent to use this CLI, specify the IP address of the Control Station in the Controller Station IP text box. By default, the IP address of the host will be displayed here.

Measurements made by the test

Measurement	Description	Measurement Unit	Interpretation
Total	Indicates the total storage capacity of the file system.	MB
Used	Indicates the amount of space that is currently used by this file system.	MB	Ideally, the value of this measure should be low.
Available	Indicates the amount of space that is currently available for use in this file system.	MB	Ideally, the value of this measure should be high.
Percentage used	Indicates the percentage of space that is already utilized in this file system.	Percent	Ideally, the value of this measure should be low. Compare the value of this measure across file systems to identify that file system which is utilizing too much space and may hence experience a space contention shortly. If that file system appears to run short of space frequently, you may want to consider allocating more storage space to that file system.
Percentage available	Indicates the percentage of space that is currently unused in this file system.	KB/Sec	Ideally, the value of this measure should be high. Compare the value of this measure across file systems to identify that file system which has very limited free space and may hence experience a space contention shortly. If that file system appears to run short of space frequently, you may want to consider allocating more storage space to that file system.