Bug 2108607

Summary: Configuring GFS2 filesystem documentation is incomplete
Product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 Reporter: Jeff Layton <jlayton>
Component: DocumentationAssignee: Steven J. Levine <slevine>
Documentation sub component: default QA Contact: RHEL DPM <rhel-docs>
Status: CLOSED CURRENTRELEASE Docs Contact:
Severity: medium    
Priority: medium CC: anprice, gfs2-maint, rhel-docs, slevine
Version: 9.1Keywords: Documentation
Target Milestone: rc   
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Last Closed: 2023-01-10 19:38:34 UTC Type: Bug
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Description Jeff Layton 2022-07-19 13:06:48 UTC
I needed to set up a GFS2 filesystem for a project, and tried to follow the RHEL9 document here:

https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/9/html/configuring_gfs2_file_systems/index

Unfortunately, this document seems to have regressed somewhat since earlier RHEL versions. It mentions how to create a GFS2 filesystem, but there is no reference to setting up the cluster itself or DLM to run within it. That might be part of the HA docs, but this document doesn't seem to reference them in any way.

It does say this in section 3.2:

"Before you can mount a GFS2 file system, the file system must exist, the volume where the file system exists must be activated, and the supporting clustering and locking systems must be started. After those requirements have been met, you can mount the GFS2 file system as you would any Linux file system."

...but there are no pointers to directions on how to set up the clustering and locking systems.

Comment 1 Andrew Price 2022-07-19 13:21:09 UTC
CCing Steven Levine. I think we should review how the GFS2 documentation is split into two parts:

1. https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/9/html/configuring_gfs2_file_systems/index
2. https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/9/html/configuring_and_managing_high_availability_clusters/assembly_configuring-gfs2-in-a-cluster-configuring-and-managing-high-availability-clusters

Really we want users to see and use the second one, as it describes how to set up our supported gfs2 configuration, but the first one is more prominent and that's the one that Jeff found and concluded was incomplete. Perhaps a link from (1) to (2) could be added in the near term and for a longer term goal we could discuss whether/how they could be restructured.

Comment 4 Steven J. Levine 2023-01-10 19:38:34 UTC
The GFS2 document on the Portal now includes the GFS2 cluster configuration procedures that are also in the HA title.  This is the same source text in both titles, so the information is identical.

RHEL 9, chapter 8:
https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/9/html-single/configuring_gfs2_file_systems/index

RHEL 8, also chapter 8.  The RHEL 8 chapter includes a section on migrating from RHEL 7 to RHEL 8.

https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/8/html-single/configuring_gfs2_file_systems/index