VOLSERVER(8)

📦
version 1.8.16.1 · 11 versions
, in ubuntu stonking

okay bestie, pull up a chair 🫶 because volserver(8) from the AFS Command Reference is here and she's kind of a big deal — she's the thing that makes volume stuff happen on your file servers. let's get into it 💅

✨ NAME ✨

volserver — like, literally initializes the Volume Server component of the fs process. that's the whole job description, no cap 💖

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

volserver
    [-log] [-p <number of processes>]
    [-auditlog <log path>]
    [-audit-interface (file | sysvmq)]
    [-logfile <log file] [-config <configuration path>]
    [-udpsize <size of socket buffer in bytes>]
    [-d <debug level>]
    [-nojumbo] [-jumbo]
    [-enable_peer_stats] [-enable_process_stats]
    [-allow-dotted-principals] [-clear-vol-stats]
    [-sync <sync behavior>]
    [-rxmaxmtu <bytes>]
    [-rxbind]
    [-syslog[=<FACILITY>]]
    [-transarc-logs]
    [-sleep <sleep time/run time>]
    [-restricted_query (anyuser | admin)]
    [-s2scrypt (never | always | inherit)]
    [-help]

💜 DESCRIPTION 💜

so the volserver command boots up the Volume Server component of the fs process. in the conventional setup, its binary file lives in the /usr/lib/openafs directory on a file server machine. iconic placement, honestly 👑

here's the tea though: you do not normally just type volserver at your shell prompt like some kind of wild child. instead it gets dropped into a file server machine's /etc/openafs/BosConfig file with the bos create command. and if you do ever run it straight at the command shell prompt? the person issuing it must be logged onto a database server machine as the local superuser root. no exceptions, fr fr 😭

the Volume Server keeps a trace of its whole activity in the /var/log/openafs/VolserLog file. want to peek? use the bos getlog command to display what's inside. 🫶

and what does she actually do? she processes the vos commands that administrators use to create, delete, move, and replicate volumes — plus getting them ready for archiving to tape or other media. multi-talented, we stan a versatile queen ✨

by default, the VL Server runs nine lightweight processes (LWPs). want a different number? use the -p argument. 🎀

one lil heads-up: this command does not use the syntax conventions of the AFS command suites. provide the command name and all option names in full. no shortcuts, bestie — she wants the whole word 💅

✨ OPTIONS ✨

  • -d <debug level> — sets how detailed the debugging trace written to the /var/log/openafs/VolserLog file gets. hand her one of these values, and each one produces an increasingly detailed trace: 0, 1, 5, 25, and 125. 📈
  • -log — records in the /var/log/openafs/VolserLog file the names of all users who successfully initiate a vos command. the Volume Server also records any file removals that result from issuing the vos release command with the -f flag. receipts, but make it permanent 🧾
  • -transarc-logs — use Transarc style logging features. this renames the log file /var/log/openafs/VolserLog to /var/log/openafs/VolserLog.old when the volume server is restarted. this option is provided for compatibility with older versions (so, a little vintage, a little retro 🕰️).
  • -p <number of processes> — sets the number of server lightweight processes (LWPs) to run. give her an integer between 4 and 16. the default is 9. ✨
  • -auditlog <log path> — turns on audit logging and sets the path for the audit log. the audit log records info about RPC calls, including the name of the RPC call, the host that submitted the call, the authenticated entity (user) that issued the call, the parameters for the call, and whether the call succeeded or failed. full detective mode 🔍
  • -audit-interface (file | sysvmq) — specifies what audit interface to use. defaults to file. see fileserver(8) for an explanation of each interface. 👀
  • -udpsize <size of socket buffer> — sets the size of the UDP buffer in bytes, which is 64 KB by default. provide a positive integer, preferably larger than the default. go big or go home 🫶
  • -jumbo — allows the server to send and receive jumbograms. a jumbogram is a large-size packet composed of 2 to 4 normal Rx data packets that share the same header. the volserver does not use jumbograms by default, because some routers are not capable of properly breaking the jumbogram into smaller packets and reassembling them. (so, like, highkey a risk if your routers aren't built for it 💀)
  • -nojumbo — deprecated; jumbograms are disabled by default. she's just here for the memories, bestie 🙈
  • -enable_peer_stats — activates the collection of Rx statistics and allocates memory for their storage. for each connection with a specific UDP port on another machine, a separate record is kept for each type of RPC (FetchFile, GetStatus, and so on) sent or received. to display or otherwise access the records, use the Rx Monitoring API. 📊
  • -enable_process_stats — activates the collection of Rx statistics and allocates memory for their storage. a separate record is kept for each type of RPC (FetchFile, GetStatus, and so on) sent or received, aggregated over all connections to other machines. to display or otherwise access the records, use the Rx Monitoring API. 📈
  • -allow-dotted-principals — by default, the RXKAD security layer will disallow access by Kerberos principals with a dot in the first component of their name. this is to avoid the confusion where principals user/admin and user.admin are both mapped to the user.admin PTS entry. sites whose Kerberos realms don't have these collisions between principal names may disable this check by starting the server with this option. 🎀
  • -clear-vol-stats — clear volume access statistics during volume restore and reclone operations. this includes clearing the volume access statistics of read-only volumes during a volume release. by default, volume access statistics are preserved during volume restore and reclone operations. volume access statistics were cleared by default in versions prior to OpenAFS 1.8.0. this flag is intended to provide compatible behaviour. (yes this is the "make it act like the old days" button ⏪)
  • -sync <sync behavior> — this is the same as the -sync option in fileserver(8). see fileserver(8). ✨
  • -logfile <log file> — sets the file to use for server logging. if logfile is not specified and no other logging options are supplied, this will be /var/log/openafs/VolserLog. note that this option is intended for debugging and testing purposes. changing the location of the log file from the command line may result in undesirable interactions with tools such as bos. 😬
careful bestie — moving the log file around from the command line can get messy with bos. she said what she said.
  • -config <configuration directory> — set the location of the configuration directory used to configure this service. in a typical configuration this will be /etc/openafs/server — this option allows the use of alternative configuration locations for testing purposes. 🧪
  • -rxmaxmtu <bytes> — defines the maximum size of an MTU. the value must be between the minimum and maximum packet data sizes for Rx. 📏
  • -rxbind — bind the Rx socket to the primary interface only. (if not specified, the Rx socket will listen on all interfaces.) 🦋
  • -syslog[=<syslog facility>] — specifies that logging output should go to syslog instead of the normal log file. -syslog=FACILITY can be used to specify to which facility the log message should be sent. 💫
  • -sleep <sleep_time/run_time> — this option is obsolete, and is now only accepted for compatibility with older releases. all it does now is log a warning message about how the option is obsolete. that's it. that's the whole job 💀
  • -restricted_query (anyuser | admin) — restrict RPCs that query information about volumes to a specific group of users. you can use admin to restrict to AFS administrators. the anyuser option doesn't restrict the RPCs and leaves it open for all users, including unauthenticated users — this is the default. 👑
  • -s2scrypt (never | always | inherit) — set the cryptographic disposition of inter-volserver traffic.
    • never — all inter-volserver traffic is unencrypted. this is the default behavior. 🙈
    • always — all inter-volserver traffic is encrypted (using rxkad). 🔒
    • inherit — inter-volserver traffic will be encrypted if the client connection triggering the server-to-server traffic is encrypted. this has the effect of encrypting inter-server traffic if the -encrypt option is provided to vos release, for example. 🧚
  • -help — prints the online help for this command. all other valid options are ignored. (she's laser-focused on helping, nothing else 💅)

🌈 EXAMPLES 🌈

this bos create command creates a volserver process on the machine fs2.example.com as part of the fs process:

% bos create -server fs2.example.com -instance fs -type fs \
             -cmd "/usr/lib/openafs/fileserver" \
             /usr/lib/openafs/volserver /usr/lib/openafs/salvager

slay. that's the whole vibe 🌸

🔥 PRIVILEGE REQUIRED 🔥

the issuer must be logged in as the superuser root on a file server machine to issue the command at a command shell prompt. it is conventional instead to create and start the process by issuing the bos create command. so like... don't be out here raw-dogging a volserver at the shell when bos create is right there, bestie 🫶

🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

IBM Corporation 2000. <http://www.ibm.com/> All Rights Reserved.

This documentation is covered by the IBM Public License Version 1.0. It was converted from HTML to POD by software written by Chas Williams and Russ Allbery, based on work by Alf Wachsmann and Elizabeth Cassell.

and that's the whole page, bestie! this was the OpenAFS volserver(8) manual page, dated 2026-07-27 — go forth and serve those volumes, you absolute main character 👑✨💅

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