MooseFS Deployment Guide on RamNode VPS

Architecture Overview

MooseFS provides enterprise-grade distributed storage with these core components:

Master Server (mfsmaster)

Central metadata server managing file system structure and chunk locations

Chunkserver (mfschunkserver)

Storage nodes that store actual file data in fixed-size chunks

Client (mfsmount)

FUSE-based client providing POSIX filesystem interface

CGI Monitor

Web-based monitoring interface for cluster management

System Requirements & Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have the appropriate server specifications:

Component	Minimum Specs	Recommended
Master Server	2 vCPU, 2GB RAM, 20GB SSD	4 vCPU, 8GB RAM, 100GB NVMe
Chunkserver	2 vCPU, 4GB RAM, 100GB Storage	4 vCPU, 8GB RAM, 1TB+ Storage
Client	1 vCPU, 1GB RAM, 10GB Storage	2 vCPU, 4GB RAM, 20GB Storage

Operating System

• Ubuntu 20.04/22.04 LTS (Recommended)
• CentOS/Rocky Linux 8+
• Root access to all instances

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Development Tools

Install on all nodes:

• Build-essential / Development Tools
• FUSE3 support
• pkg-config and zlib

Ubuntu/Debian - Install Prerequisites

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y build-essential pkg-config zlib1g-dev
sudo apt install -y libfuse-dev fuse3

CentOS/Rocky Linux - Install Prerequisites

sudo yum update -y
sudo yum groupinstall -y 'Development Tools'
sudo yum install -y fuse-devel fuse3-devel zlib-devel

Create MooseFS User (All Nodes)

sudo useradd -r -s /bin/false mfs
sudo mkdir -p /var/lib/mfs
sudo chown mfs:mfs /var/lib/mfs

Network Configuration

Important: Ensure all MooseFS nodes can communicate on required ports before proceeding with installation.

Required Ports

• 9419 - Master server communication (TCP)
• 9420 - Chunkserver communication (TCP)
• 9425 - CGI monitoring interface (TCP)

Ubuntu UFW Configuration

sudo ufw allow 9419/tcp
sudo ufw allow 9420/tcp
sudo ufw allow 9425/tcp
sudo ufw reload

Installation Methods

Using official MooseFS repositories provides the most stable installation with automatic dependency resolution.

Ubuntu/Debian Repository Setup

Add MooseFS Repository (Ubuntu/Debian)

# Add MooseFS repository key
wget -O - https://ppa.moosefs.com/moosefs.key | sudo apt-key add -

# Add repository
echo 'deb http://ppa.moosefs.com/moosefs-3/apt/ubuntu/focal focal main' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/moosefs.list
sudo apt update

CentOS/Rocky Linux Repository Setup

Add MooseFS Repository (CentOS/Rocky)

# Create repository file
sudo tee /etc/yum.repos.d/MooseFS.repo << 'EOF'
[MooseFS]
name=MooseFS
baseurl=http://ppa.moosefs.com/moosefs-3/yum/el$releasever/$basearch/
gpgcheck=1
enabled=1
gpgkey=http://ppa.moosefs.com/moosefs.key
EOF

Master Server Installation

The master server is the central metadata coordinator for your MooseFS cluster. Install and configure it first before setting up chunkservers.

Install Master Server (Ubuntu/Debian)

sudo apt install -y moosefs-master moosefs-cgi moosefs-cgiserv moosefs-cli

Install Master Server (CentOS/Rocky)

sudo yum install -y moosefs-master moosefs-cgi moosefs-cgiserv moosefs-cli

Initial Configuration

Copy Default Configuration Files

# Copy default configuration files
sudo cp /etc/mfs/mfsmaster.cfg.sample /etc/mfs/mfsmaster.cfg
sudo cp /etc/mfs/mfsexports.cfg.sample /etc/mfs/mfsexports.cfg

# Create initial metadata file
sudo cp /var/lib/mfs/metadata.mfs.empty /var/lib/mfs/metadata.mfs

# Set proper ownership
sudo chown -R mfs:mfs /var/lib/mfs
sudo chown -R mfs:mfs /etc/mfs

Master Server Configuration

/etc/mfs/mfsmaster.cfg - Key Parameters

# Basic Settings
WORKING_USER = mfs
WORKING_GROUP = mfs
SYSLOG_IDENT = mfsmaster
LOCK_MEMORY = 0

# Network Settings
MATOCL_LISTEN_HOST = *
MATOCL_LISTEN_PORT = 9421
MATOSC_LISTEN_HOST = *
MATOSC_LISTEN_PORT = 9420

# Performance Settings
CHUNKS_LOOP_MAX_CPS = 100000
CHUNKS_LOOP_MIN_TIME = 300
ACCEPTABLE_DIFFERENCE = 0.1

Export Configuration

/etc/mfs/mfsexports.cfg - Client Access

# Allow all operations from any IP
* / rw,alldirs,maproot=0

# Restrict access to specific network
192.168.1.0/24 / rw,alldirs,maproot=0

Start Master Server

sudo systemctl enable mfsmaster
sudo systemctl start mfsmaster
sudo systemctl status mfsmaster

Chunkserver Installation

Chunkservers provide the actual storage capacity for your MooseFS cluster. Deploy multiple chunkservers for redundancy and increased storage capacity.

Install Chunkserver (Ubuntu/Debian)

sudo apt install -y moosefs-chunkserver moosefs-cli

Install Chunkserver (CentOS/Rocky)

sudo yum install -y moosefs-chunkserver moosefs-cli

Storage Preparation

Create Storage Directories

sudo mkdir -p /mnt/mfschunks
sudo chown mfs:mfs /mnt/mfschunks

Production Tip: Mount dedicated storage volumes to /mnt/mfschunks for optimal performance and data isolation.

Chunkserver Configuration

Copy and Configure

sudo cp /etc/mfs/mfschunkserver.cfg.sample /etc/mfs/mfschunkserver.cfg
sudo cp /etc/mfs/mfshdd.cfg.sample /etc/mfs/mfshdd.cfg

/etc/mfs/mfschunkserver.cfg - Key Parameters

# Basic Settings
WORKING_USER = mfs
WORKING_GROUP = mfs
SYSLOG_IDENT = mfschunkserver

# Master server connection
MASTER_HOST = MASTER_SERVER_IP
MASTER_PORT = 9420

# Network Settings
CSSERV_LISTEN_HOST = *
CSSERV_LISTEN_PORT = 9422

/etc/mfs/mfshdd.cfg - Storage Paths

# Add storage path
/mnt/mfschunks

Start Chunkserver

sudo systemctl enable mfschunkserver
sudo systemctl start mfschunkserver
sudo systemctl status mfschunkserver

Client Installation & Mounting

Install Client (Ubuntu/Debian)

sudo apt install -y moosefs-client

Install Client (CentOS/Rocky)

sudo yum install -y moosefs-client

Mount Configuration

Mount MooseFS Filesystem

# Create mount point
sudo mkdir /mnt/mfs

# Mount the filesystem
sudo mfsmount /mnt/mfs -H MASTER_SERVER_IP

# Configure automatic mounting (add to /etc/fstab)
# mfsmount /mnt/mfs fuse defaults,mfsmaster=MASTER_SERVER_IP 0 0

Monitoring & Management

CGI Web Interface

Enable the web-based monitoring interface on the master server:

Enable CGI Monitor

sudo systemctl enable moosefs-cgiserv
sudo systemctl start moosefs-cgiserv

🌐 Access the web interface at: http://MASTER_SERVER_IP:9425

Command Line Tools

Essential MooseFS CLI commands for management:

MooseFS Management Commands

# Check cluster status
mfsgetgoal /mnt/mfs

# Set replication goal
mfssetgoal 2 /mnt/mfs/important_data

# Check chunk information
mfsfileinfo /mnt/mfs/file.txt

# Directory statistics
mfsdirinfo /mnt/mfs

Performance Optimization

Network Optimization

• Use private networking between MooseFS nodes
• Enable jumbo frames (MTU 9000) for improved throughput
• Configure network bonding for redundancy

Storage Optimization

• Use SSD storage for master server metadata
• Distribute chunkservers across multiple zones
• Use dedicated storage volumes

Security Configuration

Network Security

• Restrict access to MooseFS ports using firewall rules
• Use VPN or private networks for cluster communication
• Configure SSL/TLS encryption for web interface

Access Control Example

/etc/mfs/mfsexports.cfg - Secure Configuration

# Secure export configuration
192.168.1.0/24 / rw,maproot=nobody:nogroup
192.168.1.100 /secure ro,maproot=root

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

• Connection Refused: Check firewall rules and master server status
• Mount Failed: Verify FUSE modules are loaded and user permissions
• Chunkserver Disconnected: Check network connectivity and storage availability

Log Analysis

View MooseFS Logs

# Master server logs
sudo journalctl -u mfsmaster -f

# Chunkserver logs
sudo journalctl -u mfschunkserver -f

# System logs
tail -f /var/log/syslog | grep mfs

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