Would creating standard operating procedures for newcomers be beneficial? 
Having procedures detailing how to administer Venti mirroring on a Plan 9 
system in a wiki seems reasonable. Here is a formatted example of an SOP. I am 
sure something better could be created.

 
Standard Operating Procedure for Setting Up and Managing Venti with Automatic 
Mirroring in Plan 9

Purpose
This document provides a step-by-step procedure for setting up and managing 
Venti, an archival storage system in Plan 9, with automatic mirroring.

Scope
This SOP covers the initial configuration, formatting of indexes and arenas, 
starting the Venti server, setting up automatic mirroring using `fs(3)` and 
`venti/mirrorarenas`, and performing backup and restoration.

Responsibilities
- System Administrator: Responsible for setting up, configuring, and 
maintaining the Venti system.
- Backup Administrator: Ensures regular backups and mirroring of Venti data.

Procedure

1. Initial Configuration of Venti

1.1 Prepare Configuration
- Use the `venti/conf` tool to define the configuration.

    venti/conf
    arena /dev/sdE0/arena
    arena /dev/sdN0/arena
    index /dev/sdE0/index
    addr tcp!*!17034
   

2. Formatting Indexes and Arenas

2.1 Format Index and Arenas
- Format the index and arenas to establish the necessary data structures.

    venti/fmtisect -b 8k index /dev/sdE0/index
    venti/fmtarenas -a 512M arena /dev/sdN0/arena
    venti/fmtarenas -a 512M arena /dev/sdE0/arena

2.2 Initialize the Index
- Initialize the index using `venti/fmtindex`.

    venti/fmtindex /path/to/venti.conf

3. Starting the Venti Server

3.1 Start the Server
- Launch the Venti server with the following command:

    venti/venti -c /path/to/venti.conf

4. Setting Up Automatic Mirroring

4.1 Mirroring with `fs(3)`
- Use `fs(3)` to mirror a block device, configuring it to sync the partitions 
containing the arenas and index.

    fs(3) -m /dev/sdE0/arena /dev/sdE1/arena
    fs(3) -m /dev/sdE0/index /dev/sdE1/index

4.2 Automate Mirroring with `cron`
- Automate the mirroring process using a cron job.

    cron '*/5 * * * * fs(3) -m /dev/sdE0/arena /dev/sdE1/arena'

4.3 Using `venti/mirrorarenas`
- Create a script to mirror the arenas using `venti/mirrorarenas`.

    #!/bin/rc
    venti/mirrorarenas -v /dev/sdE0/arena /dev/sdE1/arena
    venti/mirrorarenas -v /dev/sdE0/arena /dev/sdE2/arena

- Save the script as `mirror` and schedule it with `cron` for regular execution.

    cron '*/5 * * * * /path/to/mirror'

5. Backup and Restoration

5.1 Backing Up Arenas
- Use `venti/rdarena` to extract an arena to external media.

    venti/rdarena /dev/sdC0/arena arena.0 > /path/to/external/media

5.2 Restoring Arenas
- Use `venti/wrarena` to restore blocks from an arena file to a Venti server.

    venti/wrarena -h venti2 /path/to/external/media

Notes

- Data Integrity: Venti’s write-once nature ensures data integrity.
- Deduplication: Venti’s use of cryptographic hashes ensures efficient storage 
through deduplication.
- Scalability: Venti can scale by adding more storage arenas.

Documentation

- Configuration File: Keep a record of the Venti configuration file.
- Cron Jobs: Document and review cron job schedules regularly.

Review and Update

- Annual Review: This SOP should be reviewed annually to ensure it remains 
current and effective.
- Incident Review: Any incidents should trigger an immediate review and 
possible update of this SOP.


Copyright 2024 by Kalona Ayeliski. All rights reserved.


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