[OpenAFS] Large Data Storage

[Chris Wagner]

John:

Maybe a SAN via ATA over ethernet and logical volumes?  I've never used
this, but it might help you address your problem?  Again, I don't know
if this will actually solve your problem or not, but it's an idea.
=20
http://linuxdevices.com/news/NS3189760067.html
http://sourceforge.net/projects/aoetools/

-----Original Message-----
From: openafs-info-admin@openafs.org
[mailto:openafs-info-admin@openafs.org] On Behalf Of Horst Birthelmer
Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2006 3:32 AM
To: John Falk
Cc: openafs AFS
Subject: Re: [OpenAFS] Large Data Storage

On Mar 28, 2006, at 9:18 PM, John Falk wrote:
> I'm looking for a solution that would provide large amounts of data=20
> storage and would be able to grow exponentially. I am a network=20
> administrator for a school, like most schools right now budgets are=20
> tight and our data storage needs are growing. I am looking to make a=20
> giant raid5 out of retired machines. I was looking at the open-afs=20
> project to create a network data storage cloud.  As machines are=20
> retired they would be added to the data storage cloud and all data=20
> would be split across several machines like raid5.  Is this or can=20
> this easily be implemented using open-afs?

Short answer to a 'long' question ;-) "no".

AFS is a 'file system'. This means it _uses_ disks and it doesn't
provide some.
You can build your 'data cloud' by an AFS cell, but that's one layer
above that (what I think you had in mind).

AFS can provide a complete distributed filesystem, where clients and
users aren't aware of the whole organization of data and servers behind.
It comes with a complete set of management tools for the file system,
authentication (if you want some, but that's a little too old for some
people) authorization and some backup functionality and some nice
supplemental file system goodies.

It's not a networked RAID substitute nor a high availability data
cluster, etc. (I seem to run out of examples of misinterpretations of a
'distributed filesystem' :-) )

I didn't want to scare you off, and I sincerely hope I haven't, I just
tried to clarify things.

Horst

P.S.: There was another project providing networked software disc RAIDs,
but I don't remember the name.
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