Document Type

Conference Paper

Publication Date

9-1996

Publication Title

Proceedings of the Third International Conference of the Austrian Center for Parallel Computation (ACPC)

Department

Department of Computer Science

Abstract

As we gain experience with parallel file systems, it becomes increasingly clear that a single solution does not suit all applications. For example, it appears to be impossible to find a single appropriate interface, caching policy, file structure, or disk-management strategy. Furthermore, the proliferation of file-system interfaces and abstractions make applications difficult to port. \par We propose that the traditional functionality of parallel file systems be separated into two components: a fixed core that is standard on all platforms, encapsulating only primitive abstractions and interfaces, and a set of high-level libraries to provide a variety of abstractions and application-programmer interfaces (APIs). \par We present our current and next-generation file systems as examples of this structure. Their features, such as a three-dimensional file structure, strided read and write interfaces, and I/O-node programs, re specifically designed with the flexibility and performance necessary to support a wide range of applications.

DOI

10.1007/3-540-61695-0_1

Original Citation

David Kotz and Nils Nieuwejaar. Flexibility and Performance of Parallel File Systems. In Proceedings of the Third International Conference of the Austrian Center for Parallel Computation (ACPC), September 1996. 10.1007/3-540-61695-0_1

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