PowerStore supports the following naming and directory services:

• DNS—A service that is used to provide translations between hostnames and IP addresses
• UDS (LDAP/NIS)—Services that provide a centralized user directory for username and ID resolution
• Local files—Individual files used to provide username and ID resolution

DNS is a commonly used service that relieves the need to remember IP addresses of individual components within the data center. Instead, human-friendly names can be used instead for connectivity and access.

A UDS should be configured if the environment is large and requires consistent UID and GID mappings across multiple NAS servers. The mappings can be managed from the centralized UDS server and propagated outward.

Local passwd and group files can be used in smaller environments since mappings are configured by uploading them to the NAS server. These local passwd and group files share the same syntax as UNIX environments. Therefore, the same files that are configured on hosts can be leveraged to provide mappings to the NAS server.

Once the UDS or local files are configured, you must specify the service in the UNIX Directory Service Search Order for it to be used. By default, this setting is set to None which means that no directory services are searched. It is possible to enable local files in addition to a UDS. If both are configured, there is an option to choose whether the local files, UDS, or both are used. This option can be configured either during NAS server creation or by modifying the NAS server afterwards, as shown in Figure 27.

Figure 27.    UNIX Directory Service Search Order