An Introduction to AFS and it's Best Practices

Instructor: Alf Wachsmann, SLAC

Location: Second Floor of Campus Center at NJIT

Monday, May 19, 2008 from 9a to 5pm

Slides are available: "afskbpw" and "bestpractices".

Now that AFS has become available through an open source license, it is available to sites and IT groups of all sizes. Although the use of AFS is simple, setting up your own AFS servers can be a rather daunting task.

Our goal is to give you the knowledge and tools you need to be able to get going with your own AFS cell, or to improve upon the cell you've already started working with. We will provide as many examples as possible, but this is NOT a hands on class.

Topics include:

• Overview of AFS concepts and semantics
• Setting up and managing the AFS client (even without your own servers)
• A working outline of the AFS server processes and how they play together
• How to set up a new AFS cell: design decisions, initial setup, planning for the future
• Authentication issues: Native KAS vs. Kerberos5
• Backups: How and what to choose to use
• AFS tools to make everything from maintenance to monitoring easier

The day will be four 90 minute sessions with breaks in the morning and afternoon, plus a mid-day break for lunch.