[Gluster-users] Gluster 3.1: Newbie First Steps Questions

[Jens Mueller]

Hello,

first of all. Gluster seems to be an absolutely great product. Easy to use
and very very helpfull in what it does.

But I am a newbie starting with version 3.1. I read the whole documentation
in the wiki but still do not know what to do:

1.) Where are the concepts of Gluster explained? I did not find anything:
What exaclty are "bricks", what exactly are "volumes", what are "exports"
and so on. It would be kind of someone can explain them to me. => This would
be a great aswer for the wiki, too!!

2.) I installed gluster as described on the wiki... What are the files in
/etc/glusterfs  for: Namely glusterd.vol  glusterfsd.vol.sample
glusterfs.vol.sample.
Are they sample samples for glusterd.vol or are they dedicated files (they
are named other with the "fs" in the name) that get loaded by another
process?
What do the sections

volume management
end-volume
volume brick
end-volume
volume server
end-volume
stand for? Interestingly the default install will only create the first
section "volumen management". Are the latter ones created by some CLI
management programs or can they only be edited manually?

3.) Where is a list of Parameters that describes all the settings in these
config files? (I want and need to install it on the command line, not the
GUI you provide)

4.) What do I need to do to install the "server", when NOT using the GUI
installer. Is it sufficient only editing the forementioned glusterd.vol
config file? Or do I need to install any other programs? I only installed :
http://download.gluster.com/pub/gluster/glusterfs/3.1/LATEST/Debian/glusterfs_3.1.0-1_amd64.deb
But
its nowhere explained what the so called "Storage Plattform" (the other
download provided) does: Is the "Storate Plattform Downlaod" only the GUI to
administer a "Server"? Or does the respective download also include the
"command line server /daemon"? As decribed above,  I downloaded and
installed the debian package but I do not know if this package also
contained the server AND the client or only the client.

Help would be very much appreciated. All my questions will help newbies to
get up started quickly.

Thanks
Jens