nxtStore Storage

nxtStore manages the distributed storage cluster that provides block storage (virtual machine disks), object storage (S3-compatible), and file storage (shared filesystems). Data is replicated across multiple nodes for reliability and high availability. This tool handles bootstrapping the initial storage cluster, configuring storage tiers by media type, editing the cluster configuration file, and viewing deployment logs.

Prerequisites

Hosts configured with nxtStore-Bootstrap and nxtStore roles in Hosts
Dedicated storage disks available on at least one node (separate from the root filesystem)
Network connectivity between all storage nodes on the storage network plane

nxtStore Tabs

The nxtStore module is organized into four tabs, each covering a distinct aspect of storage cluster management.

Bootstrap Configuration
Storage Tiers
Config File
Logs

The Bootstrap Configuration tab handles the initial cluster creation on the first designated node. This is a one-time operation that creates the monitor daemon, manager daemon, and cluster identity. All subsequent nodes join this cluster.

Container Image

Field	Description
nxtStore Container Image	Select the storage daemon container image version from the dropdown. The available images are loaded from the local Docker registry.

Bootstrap Settings

Setting	Description
Monitor IP Address	IP address of the first monitor node (auto-detected from inventory)
Bootstrap Hostname	Hostname of the initial node (auto-detected from inventory)
Public Network CIDR	CIDR for client-to-storage communication (e.g., `10.0.0.0/24`)
Cluster Network CIDR	CIDR for storage-to-storage replication traffic (e.g., `172.16.1.0/24`)

Keeping replication traffic on a separate cluster network prevents it from competing with client I/O. This separation is critical for production performance --- without it, heavy replication during recovery events can saturate the client-facing network and degrade VM disk performance.

Custom Bootstrap Attributes

Additional flags that modify bootstrap behavior for non-standard environments. Expand this section to configure advanced options:

Flag	Purpose
`--allow-overwrite`	Permit re-bootstrapping on a node that was previously initialized
`--skip-pull`	Skip container image download if the image is already present locally
`--skip-firewalld`	Do not attempt to configure firewall rules (use when firewall is managed externally)
`--single-host-defaults`	Apply defaults suitable for single-node development deployments

Bootstrap Command

The tab displays a preview of the full bootstrap command that will be executed based on your configuration. Review the command before proceeding.Click Run Bootstrap Command to execute the bootstrap operation. Progress streams live to the Logs tab.

Bootstrap is a destructive operation on the target node. Running it on a node that already has a storage cluster without --allow-overwrite will fail. Running it with --allow-overwrite will destroy the existing cluster data on that node.

The Storage Tiers tab manages storage tiers by grouping disks by media type (NVMe, SSD, HDD) and creating separate CRUSH rules, pools, and volume types for each tier. This enables offering multiple volume types within the same cluster.

Actions

Button	Description
Detect Tiers	Query the storage cluster for all available device classes. The system inspects every OSD and reports its underlying media type.
Apply Configuration	Creates the CRUSH rules, storage pools, and registers corresponding volume types based on detected tiers.

Click Detect Tiers to scan the cluster. After reviewing the results, click Apply Configuration to create the tier infrastructure.

Information Cards

The right side of the tab displays reference information:

Storage Tiering

Explains what storage tiering does --- grouping disks by media type and creating separate pools so tenants can select performance tiers when creating volumes.

What Gets Configured

Details the resources created when applying tiers: CRUSH rules pinned to device classes, dedicated storage pools per tier, volume types registered in the block storage service, and Prometheus metrics for tier monitoring.

Requirements

Lists prerequisites for tier configuration: a running storage cluster with at least one OSD, and mixed media types (NVMe, SSD, HDD) for multiple tiers.

Without tiers, all data lands on whatever disks are available. With tiers, you can offer Fast SSD Storage and Standard HDD Storage as distinct volume types --- giving tenants control over performance and cost trade-offs.

The Config File tab provides a direct editor for the initial storage cluster configuration file (ceph.conf). Use this to review and modify low-level cluster settings before or after bootstrap.

Configuration Editor

Element	Description
Initial Ceph Configuration	Header indicating this is the base cluster configuration
Reload	Button to reload the configuration from the server, discarding unsaved changes
Save Configuration	Button to write the edited configuration back to the server
Configuration Content	Text area displaying the full `ceph.conf` file

The configuration content is organized into standard sections:

Section	Contents
`[global]`	Cluster identity, FSID, authentication mode, placement group settings
Networking	Public and cluster network CIDRs, bind addresses
Container Images	Storage daemon container image references
Security	Authentication settings, keyring paths
Pool Defaults	Default replication size, minimum replication, placement group auto-tuning

Modifying the cluster configuration directly can impact cluster stability. Only edit settings you understand. Incorrect values for replication size, network CIDRs, or authentication can make the cluster inaccessible.

Use the Reload button before making changes to ensure you are editing the latest version of the configuration. After saving, verify the cluster remains healthy by checking the cluster status.

The Logs tab displays deployment and operation logs for all nxtStore activities --- bootstrap commands, tier detection, configuration changes, and error output.

Column	Description
Timestamp	Date and time of each log entry
Operation	The nxtStore operation that generated the log (bootstrap, tier detection, configuration save)
Output	Command output, status messages, and any error details

Review the Logs tab after every nxtStore operation to confirm success. Bootstrap operations stream output in real time. If an operation fails, the error details displayed here are the primary diagnostic resource.

Validation

After configuring nxtStore, verify that the storage cluster is operational:

Verify Bootstrap Completion

Check the Logs tab for a successful bootstrap message. The bootstrap command should complete without errors, confirming that the monitor and manager daemons are running.

Verify Storage Tiers

Switch to the Storage Tiers tab and click Detect Tiers. Confirm that the detected device classes match your physical hardware inventory. If tiers have been applied, verify that the corresponding volume types are registered.

Review Configuration

Open the Config File tab and verify that the cluster configuration reflects your network CIDRs, replication settings, and container image versions.

Test Volume Creation

Create a test volume using each configured volume type to confirm that data placement follows the tier rules. Verify the volume is accessible and writable from a compute instance.

Storage cluster bootstrapped, tiers configured, and test volumes created successfully.

Core Services

Other Services

nxtStore Storage

nxtStore Tabs

Container Image

Bootstrap Settings

Custom Bootstrap Attributes

Bootstrap Command

Actions

Information Cards

Storage Tiering

What Gets Configured

Requirements

Configuration Editor

Validation

Verify Bootstrap Completion

Verify Storage Tiers

Review Configuration

Test Volume Creation

Next Steps

Storage Tiers

Cloud Fleet

​nxtStore Tabs

​Container Image

​Bootstrap Settings

​Custom Bootstrap Attributes

​Bootstrap Command

​Actions

​Information Cards

Storage Tiering

What Gets Configured

Requirements

​Configuration Editor

​Validation

Verify Bootstrap Completion

Verify Storage Tiers

Review Configuration

Test Volume Creation

​Next Steps

Storage Tiers

Cloud Fleet

nxtStore Tabs

Container Image

Bootstrap Settings

Custom Bootstrap Attributes

Bootstrap Command

Actions

Information Cards

Configuration Editor

Validation

Next Steps