Complete DDN EXAScaler (Lustre) keyboard shortcuts and commands reference — 13 shortcuts across 3 categories. Quick reference cheat sheet for Windows & Mac.
EXAScaler is DDN's Lustre appliance, and day-to-day work on it is done with the standard Lustre client tools, lfs and lctl. This page lists the commands a user or administrator runs to see capacity, control striping and check the fabric. Striping is the concept the notes spend most time on, because it is what makes Lustre fast or slow for a given workload.
| Shortcut | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| lfs df -h | Filesystem usage | Show disk space usage across all OSTs and MDTs, human-readable. |
| lfs df -i | Inode usage | Show inode consumption per OST and MDT. |
| lfs osts | List OSTs | List all Object Storage Targets in the filesystem. |
| lfs mdts | List MDTs | List all Metadata Targets in the filesystem. |
| lfs check servers | Check server status | Check the status of all MDT and OST servers. |
| Shortcut | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| lfs getstripe file | Show striping | Show the striping pattern (which OSTs are used) for a file or directory. |
| lfs setstripe -c n dir | Set striping | Set the default stripe count for new files created in a directory. |
| lfs find path -type f | Find files | Find files matching criteria without the heavy metadata load of a regular find. |
| lfs quota -u user path | Show user quota | Display block and inode quota usage for a user. |
| Shortcut | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| lctl dl | List devices | List local Lustre devices (OSC/MDC connections) on this node. |
| lctl ping nid | Ping Lustre node | Test LNet connectivity to a target node ID. |
| lctl get_param param | Get parameter | Read a live Lustre tunable parameter, e.g. a target's recovery_status. |
| lctl list_nids | List network IDs | Show which LNet network (tcp, o2ib) this node is using. |
The most essential DDN EXAScaler (Lustre) shortcuts are: lfs df -h (Filesystem usage), lfs df -i (Inode usage), lfs osts (List OSTs).
These are command-line commands — type them in your terminal or console. Combine them with shell history search (Ctrl + R) and aliases to work even faster.
The DDN EXAScaler (Lustre) shortcut for filesystem usage is lfs df -h. Show disk space usage across all OSTs and MDTs, human-readable.
Yes — use My Stack to combine DDN EXAScaler (Lustre) shortcuts with any other platform on this site into one printable reference, which is useful if your daily workflow spans several tools.
lfs df -h shows space per OST and MDT and the filesystem total, and lfs df -i the inode picture, which on Lustre can fill before space does when millions of small files land in one filesystem. lfs osts and lfs mdts list object and metadata targets with their indices, and lfs check servers confirms every server is reachable from the client — the first command when a mount hangs. lfs quota -u user path shows a user's usage and limits.
A Lustre file is spread across OSTs in a stripe pattern set at creation and inherited from its directory. lfs getstripe file shows a file's stripe count, size and which OSTs hold it, and lfs setstripe -c n dir sets the default for new files in a directory: -c 1 for directories full of small files (one OST each, less overhead), -c -1 for a checkpoint directory where each large file should use every OST. Existing files keep their layout until copied. lfs find path -type f is a Lustre-aware find that can filter by stripe, OST or size without stat-ing every file, which matters on a filesystem with a billion entries.
lctl list_nids shows this node's Lustre network IDs (NIDs) and lctl ping nid checks LNet reachability to a server — a failing ping while IP works points at the LNet configuration. lctl dl lists the Lustre devices the client has set up, and lctl get_param param reads tunables and statistics such as osc.*.max_rpcs_in_flight or llite.*.stats, which is where client-side performance tuning and diagnosis happen.
Open your assistant with this page preloaded as the source — great for follow-up questions like "which of these work in other apps?"