Administration Reference

vlserver

Purpose

Initializes the Volume Location Server

Synopsis

vlserver [-p <lwp processes>]  [-nojumbo]  
         [-enable_peer_stats]  [-enable_process_stats]  [-help]

This command does not use the syntax conventions of the AFS command suites. Provide the command name and all option names in full.

Description

The vlserver command initializes the Volume Location (VL) Server, which runs on every database server machine. In the conventional configuration, its binary file is located in the /usr/afs/bin directory on a file server machine.

The vlserver command is not normally issued at the command shell prompt but rather placed into a file server machine's /usr/afs/local/BosConfig file with the bos create command. If it is ever issued at the command shell prompt, the issuer must be logged onto a database server machine as the local superuser root.

As it initializes, the VL Server process creates the two files that constitute the Volume Location Database (VLDB), vldb.DB0 and vldb.DBSYS1, in the /usr/afs/db directory if they do not already exist. Use the commands in the vos suite to administer the database.

The VL Server maintains the record of volume locations in the Volume Location Database (VLDB). When the Cache Manager fills a file request from an application program, it first contacts the VL Server to learn which file server machine currently houses the volume that contains the file. The Cache Manager then requests the file from the File Server process running on that file server machine.

The VL Server records a trace of its activity in the /usr/afs/logs/VLLog file. Use the bos getlog command to display the contents of the file. By default, it records on a minimal number of messages. For instructions on increasing the amount of logging, see the VLLog reference page.

By default, the VL Server runs nine lightweight processes (LWPs). To change the number, use the -p argument.

Options

-p

Sets the number of server lightweight processes (LWPs) to run. Provide an integer between 4 and 16. The default is 9.

-nojumbo

Prohibits the server from sending or receiving jumbograms. A jumbogram is a large-size packet composed of 2 to 4 normal Rx data packets that share the same header. The VL Server uses jumbograms by default, but some routers are not capable of properly breaking the jumbogram into smaller packets and reassembling them.

-enable_peer_stats

Activates the collection of Rx statistics and allocates memory for their storage. For each connection with a specific UDP port on another machine, a separate record is kept for each type of RPC (FetchFile, GetStatus, and so on) sent or received. To display or otherwise access the records, use the Rx Monitoring API.

-enable_process_stats

Activates the collection of Rx statistics and allocates memory for their storage. A separate record is kept for each type of RPC (FetchFile, GetStatus, and so on) sent or received, aggregated over all connections to other machines. To display or otherwise access the records, use the Rx Monitoring API.

-help

Prints the online help for this command. All other valid options are ignored.

Examples

The following bos create command creates a vlserver process on the machine fs2.abc.com that uses six lightweight processes. Type the command on a single line:

   % bos create -server fs2.abc.com -instance vlserver -type simple  \
                -cmd "/usr/afs/bin/vlserver -p 6"

Privilege Required

The issuer must be logged in as the superuser root on a file server machine to issue the command at a command shell prompt. It is conventional instead to create and start the process by issuing the bos create command.

Related Information

BosConfig

VLLog

vldb.DB0 and vldb.DBSYS1

bos create

bos getlog