Appendix E: Using NFS Shares

WebDocs iSeries uses an IFS path to reference documents, but this IFS path does not need to reference a local file system. For many WebDocs iSeries implementations, it is advantageous to store some or all of the documents on remote file systems that use NFS shares that are mounted to the IFS. This appendix describes the available options and how to integrate NFS shares into a new or existing set-up.

This appendix assumes you have already:

  • Configured an NFS server.
  • Mounted an NFS share to the iSeries.

    Best Practice: The folder you mount the share to needs to have public *RWX authority. If this folder is directly under ROOT, users will have access to the entire system. Instead, create a parent folder to mount the share, so you can restrict user access to items within the share.
  • Configured user security so that the iSeries can read and write to the NFS share.

If you have questions about configuring and mounting NFS shares, contact RJS Software technical support.

There are two ways to use an NFS share with WebDocs iSeries:

Note: The following examples assume the NFS share is /RJSIMAGEDOC/NFS and that all sub-folders mentioned in the examples have already been set up on the NFS server.

Option Description Pros Cons

Staging

First checks in all documents to the local disk. Then, a process - such as a scheduled job that runs at a regular interval - moves old documents to remote storage. This job:

  1. Performs a query against DOCS00 in RJSIMAGE.

  2. Sets the DARCHSEL field to Y for all documents to be moved.

  3. Calls the DOCMOVLOC command with the new path.

    For example: If you are moving documents from the local disk quarterly, the DOCMOVLOC command moves documents to /RJSIMAGEDOC/NFS/2013/Q1.

  • Uses iSeries authority for check-in. Setting up NFS share authority can be complex.

  • Recent documents are local, which is faster if the network share's connection is slow.

  • You do not need to edit WebDocs folders.

  • More complex to set up initially.

Direct

Checks in documents directly to the network share location. You then need to edit all WebDocs folders to use the IFS path to the share location.

For example: /RJSIMAGEDOC/NFS/2013/Q1
  • Completely removes file storage from the WebDocs server.
  • More complex to set up read/write permissions, especially if multiple iSeries users check in documents.
  • If you are storing documents by quarter (for example), you need to update all WebDocs folders - either manually or with a program - every time the IFS path changes.

    For example: If you are storing documents by quarter, on April 1st, all WebDocs folders need to be edited from /RJSIMAGEDOC/NFS/2013/Q1 to /RJSIMAGEDOC/NFS/2013/Q2.

 

Best Practices:

  • To ensure a smooth implementation process, schedule a discussion with RJS Software technical support before implementing NFS with WebDocs iSeries.
  • RJS Software recommends the following platforms: Windows Server 2008 R2 or Linux (Red Hat, CentOS, Debian, Ubuntu, SuSE), with or without SAN attached storage. While other operating systems may work, RJS Software has not tested them.
  • RJS Software generally advises against NAS devices, since most NAS devices, even if they run Linux, do not provide root access and instead provide their own simpler, usually web, interface. Some NAS devices are not capable of being configured to work with an iSeries NFS client. If you decide to try an NAS device, test it with WebDocs iSeries prior to purchase.

 

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4.0 | 201802260747 | February, 2018