About this Document
This document contains procedures for a new customer to configure a Ceph System.  
Before You Begin
Before you begin configuring your system for Ceph, use the following checklist to decide what type of system you need.
1.	Identify the amount of storage that you need based on your current data, network traffic, workload, and other parameters
2.	Identify the growth potential for your business so that you can project ahead for future storage needs.
3.	Plan ahead for redundancy and replacement options.
4.	Study market forecasts and how they affect your business. 
Preparing a Ceph Cluster
A Ceph cluster consists of the following core components:
1.	Monitors – These must be an odd number, such as one, three, or five.  Three is the preferred configuration.
2.	Object Storage Devices (OSD) – used as storage nodes
3.	Metadata Servers (MDS)
Although Ceph is extremely scalable, and nodes can be added any time on an as-needed basis, it is important to first determine the base needs of your configuration prior to setting up your system.  This will save time and money in the long run. The following table offers a guideline on how many components your business should obtain prior to configuring your Ceph Cluster.  
Size/Workload	Monitors	OSD	MDS	Bandwidth
Small/low	1	10	0-1	???
Small/average	3	23	1-3	???
Small/high	3 or more	30	3-5	???
Medium/low	3	20	1	???
Medium/average	3	30	1-3	???
Medium/high	3 or more	1000	3-5	???
Large/low	3	30	1	???
Large/average	3 or more	50	1-3	???
Large/high	3 or more	2000	3-10	???
 Warning:  If you are using a low bandwidth system, and are connecting to the cluster over the internet, you must use the librados object level interface, and your OSDs must be located in the same data center.
Sample Configuration
The figure below shows a sample Ceph Configuration.  
img cephconfig.jpg
 
Related Documentation
Once you have determined your configuration needs, make sure you have access to the following documents:
•	Ceph Installation and Configuration Guide
•	Ceph System Administration Guide
•	Ceph Troubleshooting Manual


