Cluster File System
- About cluster file systems
- A cluster file system is a system that clusters multiple independent nodes (servers) over the network and delivers them as a single storage unit. RAID groups employ multiple disks to multiply capacity, speed and stability. A cluster file system groups the multiple storage servers to enable high capacity (up to hundreds of TB), high bandwidth (up to hundreds of Gbps), and high availability (24/365 service), which is difficult to accomplish with a RAID group.
- Potential problems applying a cluster system in the Internet service environment
- Typical cluster file systems emphasize high capacity and stability, since they are designed with the application as the main use. When applied in an Internet service environment, in which traffic (delivery) is the key issue, problems can arise when handling the natural increase in traffic, while maintaining high availability (24/365 service), as the number of users increases.
- CDNetworks’ cluster file system for digital content
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The cluster file system used by CDNetworks is optimized for digital content services and offers high traffic volume handling capability, and high availability, while ensuring large capacity and stability.
The following table shows the characteristics of digital content. For UGC video, a typical example of digital content, content uploaded (written) by a relatively small number of users is viewed (read simultaneously) by a large number of users. CDNetworks’ cluster file system manages this by allocating more resource cost to technically process the write, and emphasizing the simultaneously content read, in order to make the Internet service environment run more efficiently.
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- Improved efficiency of digital content delivery
- Storage node grouping and traffic distribution / balancing between the groups
- Expandable storage nodes and increased linear traffic processing capability
- Automatic recovery from node problems
- Automatic/semi-automatic balancing between nodes
- Node direct type, which eliminates the relay node
- CDN cache extension function (Hot-Spot, Event traffic and CDN interface)
- Support for standard interface protocols (WebDAV and HTTP)
- Interface-able with various systems (Program API, mount and network drive connections)
- User friendly, powerful administration tools (CLI Administration Tool and Web Administration support)
- Various statistical functions (Hot-Content, traffic trend and node specific trace data)
