# Multi-storage configuration

The Shared File Systems service can provide access to one or more file storage back ends. In general, the workflow with multiple back ends looks similar to the Block Storage service one.

Using `manila.conf`, you can spawn multiple share services. To do it, you should set the enabled_share_backends flag in the `manila.conf` file. This flag defines the comma-separated names of the configuration stanzas for the different back ends. One name is associated to one configuration group for a back end.

The following example runs three configured share services:

    [DEFAULT]
    enabled_share_backends=backendEMC1,backendGeneric1,backendNetApp

    [backendGeneric1]
    share_driver=manila.share.drivers.generic.GenericShareDriver
    share_backend_name=one_name_for_two_backends
    service_instance_user=ubuntu_user
    service_instance_password=ubuntu_user_password
    service_image_name=ubuntu_image_name
    path_to_private_key=/home/foouser/.ssh/id_rsa
    path_to_public_key=/home/foouser/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

    [backendEMC1]
    share_driver=manila.share.drivers.emc.driver.EMCShareDriver
    share_backend_name=backendEMC2
    emc_share_backend=vnx
    emc_nas_server=1.1.1.1
    emc_nas_password=password
    emc_nas_login=user
    emc_nas_server_container=server_3
    emc_nas_pool_name="Pool 2"

    [backendNetApp]
    share_driver = manila.share.drivers.netapp.common.NetAppDriver
    driver_handles_share_servers = True
    share_backend_name=backendNetApp
    netapp_login=user
    netapp_password=password
    netapp_server_hostname=1.1.1.1
    netapp_root_volume_aggregate=aggr01

To spawn separate groups of share services, you can use separate configuration files. If it is necessary to control each back end in a separate way, you should provide a single configuration file per each back end.

- Scheduling
- Manage shares services

this page last updated: 2026-03-20 00:30:00

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