Learn how to address Nutanix cluster space issues when hosting a Files instance for PACS medical imaging archives. Explore solutions like Erasure Coding.
Table of Contents
Question
A 5-node Replication Factor 3 Nutanix cluster is hosting a Files instance, which archive images generated by a Picture archiving and communication system.
The cluster is running out of space and the administrator needs to find a viable solution to address the issue.
Which option could solve the problem?
A. Revert storage container to RF2.
B. Enable compression at share level.
C. Enable Erasure Coding at storage container level.
D. Delete any Dead and Zombie VMs.
Answer
C. Enable Erasure Coding at storage container level.
Explanation
The best option to solve the space issues on the 5-node RF3 Nutanix cluster hosting the Files instance for PACS image archiving is C: Enable Erasure Coding at the storage container level.
Erasure Coding (EC) is a data protection method that splits data into fragments, expands it, and encodes it with redundant data pieces. It then stores these fragments across different nodes or drives in the cluster. EC provides significant space savings compared to Replication Factor 2 or 3 while still maintaining data resiliency.
When EC is enabled on a storage container, Nutanix will automatically convert the data in that container from RF2 or RF3 to EC. This process is seamless and does not require any downtime. Once enabled, the PACS archive images will consume much less space since they will be stored in the more efficient EC format rather than full copies with RF3.
The other options would not be as effective:
A) Reverting to RF2 could lead to potential data loss if a node or disk fails, since there are fewer data copies compared to RF3.
B) Enabling compression on the Files share may provide some space savings but will still store the data in RF3 format, consuming more space than EC and requiring compression/decompression overhead.
D) While it’s a best practice to delete Dead and Zombie VMs, this alone likely won’t free up enough space if the PACS archive is growing substantially.
Therefore, converting the Files storage container to Erasure Coding is the recommended solution to efficiently address the cluster space issues while still maintaining data integrity and resiliency. The administrator can monitor space utilization after enabling EC to ensure it is having the desired effect.
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