Lustre 1.6 Operations Manual

25.3.1 Changing Striping for a Subdirectory
In a directory, the lfs setstripe command sets a default striping configuration
for files created in the directory. The usage is the same as lfs setstripe for a
regular file, except that the directory must exist prior to setting the default striping
configuration. If a file is created in a directory with a default stripe configuration
(without otherwise specifying striping), Lustre uses those striping parameters
instead of the filesystem default for the new file.
To change the striping pattern (file layout) for a sub-directory, create a directory with
desired file layout as described above. Sub-directories inherit the file layout of the
root/parent directory.
Note – Striping of new files and sub-directories is done per the striping parameter
settings of the root directory. Once you set striping on the root directory, then, by
default, it applies to any new child directories created in that root directory (unless
they have their own striping settings).
25.3.2 Using a Specific Striping Pattern/File Layout for a
Single File
To use a specific striping pattern (file layout) for a specific file:
lfs setstripe creates a file with a given stripe pattern (file layout)
lfs setstripe fails if the file already exists
Chapter 25 Striping and I/O Options 25-7