Apple\'s Xsan 1.3 updates

Apple today released its Xsan 1.3 for Tiger and Panther, an update to the software for its enterprise-class storage area network (SAN) solution. The free update delivers overall improved reliability for Xsan and is recommended for all systems running Mac OS X 10.3 Panther or 10.4 Tiger, according to Apple. The update includes labeling and initializing LUNs greater than 2TB in size on Mac OS X 10.4 only, while also preventing labeled LUNs from becoming unlabeled, improving AFP performance when re-sharing Xsan volumes, offering more accurate file permissions when sharing Xsan volumes via AFP, adding support for accessing Xsan volumes larger than 16 terabytes in size, delivering better server stability when re-sharing Xsan volumes via NFS, bringing support for handling quotas with no associated user or group name, and running Postgres SQL on SAN volumes.

Verson 1.3 also adds the ability to access to Xsan volumes when metadata controller fail-overs occur and offers support metadata controller services to 10.3.9 and 10.4 systems running Xsan 1.2. The update also also users to operate Xsan in environments with a mix of 10.3.9 and 10.4 systems.

Apple also warned that volumes containing initialized LUNs greater than 2TB can only be used with Xsan 1.3 systems running Mac OS X v10.4.5 or later and that Xsan does not support LUNs larger than 2TB on Mac OS X v10.3.9 or systems running StorNext version 2.6. The company also said that users should not use Disk Utility in Mac OS X 10.4.5 to edit Xsan volumes and that if any system in the SAN is running Xsan 1.3 on Mac OS X v10.4, then the metadata controllers must also run the same.

Apple also released Xsan 1.3 update delivers overall improved reliability for remotely administering, configuring and maintaining Xsan deployments and the Xsan 1.3 Uninstaller, which will remove Xsan from your computer as well as the Xsan Admin application and documentation files.

by MacNN Staff