Cloud File System and Cloud Data Management Interface (CDMI)

Cloud File System Gateway
&
Cloud Data Management Interface (CDMI)

Author: Imran Khan, Solutions Architect, Calsoft Inc.
Presenter: Parag Kulkarni, VP Engineering, Calsoft Inc.

2012 Storage Developer Conference. © Calsoft Inc.. All Rights Reserved.

Agenda

 Cloud Storage Industry Challenges
 Brief about CDMI
 Cloud File System(FS)
 Cloud FS Architecture
 Cloud FS Modules
 Cloud FS Solution
 Conclusion
 Q&A Session

2

Abstract
Seamless extension of NAS to Cloud Storage using Cloud File System
Today NAS stores data on local disks and/or SAN disks. Most enterprises have sufficient file
storage capacity to run their day-to-day operations provided some older data is moved to
secondary storage. But since most data resides on primary storage (or secondary storage
within enterprise boundaries) it becomes necessary to extend storage capacity for NAS.

With Cloud storage becoming more secure, accessible, easy to use and cost effective, it can
be a considered as secondary storage for enterprise NAS – Hierarchical Storage
Management. We can even use cloud storage as primary storage by using enterprise storage
devices for caching to improve cloud data access throughput.

Adding CDMI based interfaces to cloud file system enables us to integrate with any cloud
storage provider and store file based data to cloud storage easily. Cloud File System
presented and implemented by Calsoft integrates with many cloud storage providers using
CDMI. This helps enterprises store file based data to cloud storage and provides throughput
similar to local NAS by using efficient caching techniques.
3

Learning Objectives
Challenges
 To store ever growing data and optimally manage
storage capacity
 Hierarchal Storage Management across enterprise
storage and cloud storage
 Measure/monitor user guarantees and SLAs and map
them over multiple clouds
 Optimizing storage capacity between on-premise and
cloud storage pools
 To migrate between cloud storage platforms

Solution
 Adoption of Cloud Storage
 CDMI – move to build an open standards for storing data
in the Cloud
 No impact on existing users/apps using NAS
 Abstract policy engine to monitor and map the SLAs

4

Cloud Storage Industry Challenges

Access Bandwidth, Delay And
Disruption Of Service

Common Interface To Multiple Clouds

Data Security

Data Transfer Policy

Auxiliary Features

5

Cloud Data Management Interface

CDMI
 A protocol for self-provisioning,
administering and accessing cloud storage.
 It defines RESTful HTTP operations for
assessing capabilities of cloud storage
system and exporting data via other
protocols such as CIFS and NFS

CDMI Benefits
 To manage containers, domains, security
access
 Easy of monitoring / billing
 For storage that is functionally accessible by
legacy or proprietary protocols

6

Calsoft’s Cloud File System
Leveraging CDMI to provide a common interface to interact with multiple clouds

Cloud Access Cloud Request Multiple Cloud
Framework
• File system • Convert the • Enables
interface to the filesystem interaction with
cloud access. demand into multiple clouds,
cloud requests while abstracting
• Filesystem cache out many
the data from the • Convert the data operations
cloud to provide a objects back to
quicker access common file • Dynamically
model changes support
• Filesystem for various cloud
interface vendors
provided to the
clients using NFS, • Provides a set of
CIFS etc policies to control
access patterns

7

Cloud File System Architecture
User 1
C CDMI
I CDMI Compliant
User 2 F CLOUD DATA 3rd party Cloud Cloud 1
Cloud
ACCESSS Storage Plug-in Storage
S Cloud 2
/
LAYER
SOAP / REST
User 3 N / WebDAV
F USER MANAGEMENT Cloud 1 - CDMI
S POLICY MANAGEMENT Non Compliant
Cloud Storage
User 4 Etc.
S
E
……

R LVM, Disk Driver, RAID, etc.
V Cloud 2 - CDMI
User n E Non Compliant
R Cloud Storage

CLOUD FILE SYSTEM
Local / SAN Disks
8

Cloud File System Modules

Cloud S3
Plugins
Cloud interface Other

and the policy CFS User Space Cloud
engine Interface
Other

CFS user space NIFS/
& Policy

and Local FS CIFS Command
translation
Local FS
wrapper
Engine Other

wrapper User User

Cloud kernel
NIFS/ FS
Command CIFS ( CFS)
Layer 1 Functionality
Translation Kernnel
Layer 2 Functionality

Local Cache FS (LCFS)
Cloud FS – from
cache or not? Ext 3 reiser other

NFS /
CIFS

9

User Space Vs. Kernel Space
• Most of the file systems in user
space (using FUSE) are designed so
for the ease of developing and
maintaining them. Example - s3fs for
Amazon S3 cloud.

• Doesn’t mean that performance is
guaranteed.

• User space FS makes one or
sometimes more than one data
copies.

• When using a cache, in case of a hit,
FUSE will still need a context switch
and data copy.

• Linus Trovalds – ‘I think that arguing
that something _can_ be done with
fuse, and thus _should_ be done
with fuse is just ridiculous.’

• Polpulating the local cache can be
done by just a command, why pass a
buffer like fuse does.

• Layered functionality inside the FS
(for ex: splitting) is easy to
implement and could prove useful.
10

Policy Engine

• Pricing models that most clouds use –
• Storage based - $/GB
• Request based - $/1000 requests.
• Data transfer based - $/GB
• Other QoS parameters that determine choice of cloud
• Easy provisioning
• Multi-tenancy
• Security
• Reliability
• These parameters especially pricing is tracked by the service provider. There is no easy way for
user to track these parameters.
• Also, there is no standard or specification that defines these parameters.
• The policy engine module, proves to be an efficient solution
• To try and define these parameters across multiple clouds
• To monitor, keep track of these parameters
• Allows a rule based framework to control the access to these clouds based on the QoS
they provide.
• In future maybe these QoS parameters can be standardized
• And made accessible via APIs, enabling users to program against these parameters

11

Cloud File System Solution

Industry Challenges Calsoft Solution
The policy engine in cloud interface module can be used to
Access bandwidth, delay
distribute or replicate data across multiple clouds. Loss of service
and disruption of service
from one cloud will not hamper access to any data.

The plugins to interface with different clouds supporting different
Common interface to
communication protocols can be written independently and
multiple cloud
loaded at run time
The policy engine can also select different security algorithms
based on different clouds, which can be applied to the data while
Security
sending out over the wire. It is more efficient since it is out of band
for a cache hit scenario

The Policy engine is user controlled and xml based. The rules can
Data transfer policy
be as simple and as comprehensive as needed

The cloud interface and plugins can do book keeping that can be
Auxiliary features used to verify amount of data transferred and compare the cost of
that data transfer against the billed amount
12

Conclusion

Cloud File System is an idea that has taken into consideration
current events in Cloud world related to Data storage as a Service
(DaaS)

It is a prediction of how infrastructure around cloud services and
management has changed. This model that will improve
performance, will enable seamless transitions across CDMI
compliant and non-compliant clouds for large enterprises with
very less hassle.

13

Presenter Biography

Parag Kulkarni – VP Engineering, Calsoft Inc.
 A veteran of storage industry

 More than 19 years of experience in architecting and developing products
 Key strength lies in quickly understanding product requirements and translating them into

architectural and engineering specs for implementation.
 Led the engineering team at Calsoft.

 Led the development of Database Editions product at Veritas (Symantec)
 A key contributing member at leading storage companies like Informix (IBM).
 Masters of Technology in Computer Science from IIT Roorkee

 Degree in Industrial Management from University of Indore, India.


Author Biography

Imran Khan – Solutions Architect, Calsoft Inc.
 A veteran of storage industry

 More than 8 years of experience in architecting and developing products

 Has dealt with products ranging from backup and replication, SAN simulators, multipathing,

SMI-S, filesystems, journaling, link aggregation protocols.
 Key strength is the ability to have holistic view across stacks of different functionality and

their interaction.
 Bachelors in Computers Engineering from University of Pune, India.


Thank You

Questions & Answers

Contact info
Parag Kulkarni
VP Engineering, Calsoft Inc.
Email: parag.kulkarni@calsoftinc.com
Phone: +1 (408) 834 7086

16

Cloud File System and Cloud Data Management Interface (CDMI)

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