In this chapter, we learned how to create a highly available distributed file server using the Debian GNU/Linux distribution, Samba 4, and other very important components, such as CTDB, XFS, and GlusterFS. We have learned step-by-step procedures from the preparation of the operating system environment, installation of the needed software and dependencies (for example, libraries), to a custom compilation of the Samba 4 application itself.

We have presented the relationship between the different components and how to integrate and implement a proper solution that is robust, highly available, and scalable—all very important characteristics for the highly demanding IT environment. Finally, we executed tests and validations on the high availability and distributed nature of our file server. We even simulated an issue on a node to actually see the behavior of our environment and testify to the resilience of our network file services.

In the next chapter, we will take a look at the Samba...