MaSSIVE: the Mass Storage System IV Enterprise

The Mass Storage System IV Enterprise (MaSSIVE) a fourth-generation mass storage system that provides a file system service to teraflops computing systems, is described. A bitfile managed by MaSSIVE can be a complete, self-contained Unix file system specific to a particular MaSSIVE client. MaSSIVE will stage whole file systems from archival storage onto online storage devices and then provide its clients with raw block access to the staged file systems. It will comply with the IEEE Mass Storage System Reference Model, and will consist of cooperating processes distributed across a network of supermicrocomputers. The client interface to a file system will be implemented through a custom device driver that will permit I/O to MaSSIVE online storage drives. The device interface through a high-bandwidth data fabric to the storage device will use common device-controller-specific protocols. As file systems are unmounted by clients or clients disconnect from the data fabric, file systems can be migrated back to archive storage and removed from online storage.< >