Implementation Checklist

Here is a top-level view of typical issues to resolve before launching a production implementation of a Swarm cluster. These topics are covered in the sections that follow.

Hardware	Swarm nodes meet minimum requirements: CPU: Intel or AMD, 64-bit, 2+ cores RAM: Sufficient memory available for anticipated object count Drives: SATA, SAS, or SCSI – enterprise-class with 24x7 duty cycle Network: 1000 Mbps or faster (100 Mbps minimum) – multiple interfaces if redundancy required Number of nodes is greater than the number of configured replicas and EC `k+p` Sufficient free space in the cluster to recover content if a node fails?
Booting Type	Platform Server, or Self-boot options: USB booting? Verify configuration files are the same. PXE/network booting? Centralized configuration files?
Network Management	DHCP or static IP addressing? NTP server is configured and available. Syslog server is configured and available; configured local6* and log rotation policy. Network filters are configured to ensure only authorized users can reach the cluster. DNS names for nodes are set up. Network switch redundancy is sufficient for your deployment. Monitoring procedures are in place: SNMP or assigned administrator watching console. Verified bandwidth to cluster nodes. Defined Swarm bonding mode (active-backup, balance-alb, or 802.3ad).
Storage Config	The `administrator` and `operator` default passwords have been updated to a new, secure value. The node and/or cluster configuration file is updated and validated.
Data Protection	Does the default number of replicas (`policy.replicas default`) meet your protection requirements? Does the default EC ratio (`policy.ecEncoding`) meet your protection requirements? Set lifepoints 'reps' for necessary file types? File retention period and deleteability (yes or no) defined in lifepoints? Any non-deletable files or automatic delete lifepoints? UUID management mechanism protected (database or other means) if not using metadata search?
Default Domain	Set `cluster.name` to your desired default domain name, a valid IANA FQDN host name (`cluster1.cloud.example.com)` Create a domain that matches the value of `cluster.name`. This is the default domain for this cluster. Set `cluster.enforceTenancy = True` to ensure that unnamed content is homed in a default domain if no domain is specified
Application Setup	What storage protocols do your client applications use? If using HTTPS (SSL/TLS), create appropriate X.509 certificates and install on encryption off-load hardware/software. SCSP clients: Make sure relevant custom metadata is defined in natively integrated client. How does your application access the primary access node (PAN)? Create user accounts and, optionally, authentication tokens. S3 clients: Create S3 authentication tokens for applications Method for directing SCSP and S3 requests to appropriate Gateway port?
Testing	Conduct end-to-end testing of the exact hardware, network setup, and software version to be used in production to ensure there are no compatibility issues. Test functionality using all client protocols.
Maintenance	What is your disk drive replacement strategy? What are your maintenance windows for software updates? Do you use staging or testing environments to pre-qualify updates?