A file system can be divided into discrete areas of storage called virtual volumes. From a client's perspective, a virtual volume appears to be a normal file system. A virtual volume provides a simple method for allocating and controlling directories for projects, users, or groups. Capacity and number of files within a virtual volume can be controlled using quotas.
The terms user and group are used to indicate NFS or SMB users and groups.
Virtual volumes have the following characteristics:
- Name: A name or label by which the virtual volume is identified. This will often be the same as a SMB share or NFS export rooted at the volume's root directory.
- File System: The file system in which the virtual volume is created.
- Path: The directory at the root of the virtual volume.
- Email Contacts: A list of email addresses, to which information and alerts about virtual volume activity are sent. The list can also be used to send emails to individual users.
- Moving Files: You can move files in or out of a virtual volume.
- Moving Directories: Moving a directory in or out of a virtual volume will return a cross volume link error. However, most SMB or NFS clients will suppress this error and, instead, will copy the directory to the target location and then delete the original directory.
- Linking Files (hard links): You cannot link files across different virtual volumes.