How do I configure the Fog server to use WIndows Server for image repository?

[mstumpo]

I have set up a Fog server and made an image and want to have subsequent images reside on a spare Windows Server R2 server that has 5TB of space. How can I do this?

[george1421]

The tutorials will work at least for 2008 and 2012 servers. I was able to do it as a proof of concept. I could try with Windows 2016 server but I’ve traveled down that path before so there isn’t the motivation at the moment to do it again. When you get it setup, you will want to set the Windows storage node as the master node in your configuration. Because of changes in the FOG Project code, you can’t use a non-fog server as a storage node because image replication will happen over and over again because there is missing programs on the windows server.

Just be aware; if you set the windows server as the master node then you can capture and deploy directly from the windows storage server. Replication to other storage node servers will not work.

Also be aware; that while this configuration might work it is not a supported configuration by the FOG developers. So getting code tweaks to the programming to make a windows storage node configuration more robust will probably not happen.

[Wayne Workman]

@mstumpo said in How do I configure the Fog server to use WIndows Server for image repository?:

That’s my only option? I can’t mount a Windows share in Linux and point to that?

There has been limited success in using an NFS share in Windows. @george1421 has a walkthrough here and here. Another guy posted a powershell script that does all of it but I can’t seem to find it. This is definitely not something most fog users do, it’s not a regular practice. If it breaks, you’d be hard-pressed to get help with it.

Another option is ISCSI. If you had an ISCSI target, you could mount that on the fog server, no problems as the OS treats it as a local disk.

But, as far as just making a regular CIFS/SMB share on windows and then mounting that on the fog server - it won’t work for imaging because the Linux does not allow exporting a directory that is already remote.

Also, there is the Hyper-V option, where you can just setup a storage node, or just a whole new fog server - you can move everything over to the new server by following this tutorial: https://wiki.fogproject.org/wiki/index.php?title=Migrate_FOG Having FOG virtualized provides beneficial features like snapshots & easy migration to new hardware.

[mstumpo]

That’s my only option? I can’t mount a Windows share in Linux and point to that?

[Wayne Workman]

@mstumpo Run your FOG Server in Hyper-V on that windows server, and give it lots of space, make it thin-provisioned.