Actually that's almost exactly the same steps as for GlusterFS.

  > gluster peer probe ...
  > gluster volume create ...
  > gluster volume start ...

But that's not even the point. You're right that the interface to a distributed storage system doesn't need to be complicated, but the implementation inevitably must be to handle the myriad error conditions that will be thrown at it. Correctness is even more important for storage than for other areas in computing, and something that only implements the "happy path" for the simplest data model or semantics is barely even a beginning. The distance between "seems to work" and "can be counted on to work" is far greater for this type of system than for most others. I think it's important to understand and communicate that, so that people don't develop unrealistic expectations. That way lies nothing but heartbreak, not least for the developers themselves. It's far better for everyone to set and meet modest goals than to make extravagant promises that can't be kept.