What Is a Distributed File System?

Distributed file system (Distributed File System) refers to the physical storage resources managed by the file system are not necessarily directly connected to the local node, but connected to the node (can be simply understood as a computer) through a computer network. The design of the distributed file system is based on the client / server model. A typical network may include multiple servers accessible by multiple users. In addition, the peer-to-peer feature allows some systems to play the dual role of client and server. For example, a user can "publish" a directory that other clients can access. Once accessed, this directory appears to the client as if it were a local drive. Here are three basic distributed file systems. ^[1]

Computers manage and store data through the file system, and in the information explosion era, the data that people can access has grown exponentially. By simply increasing the number of hard disks, the storage capacity of a computer file system is expanded. The performance of data backup, data security, etc. were all unsatisfactory. The distributed file system can effectively solve the problem of data storage and management: a certain file system fixed at a certain location can be extended to any number of locations / multiple file systems, and many nodes form a file system network. Each node can be distributed in different locations, and communication and data transmission between nodes are performed through the network. When people use a distributed file system, they don't need to care about which node the data is stored on or from which node they get it. They only need to manage and store the data in the file system just like using a local file system. ^[2]

The file system was originally designed to serve local data in the local area network. The distributed file system extends the scope of services to the entire network. Not only has changed the way of data storage and management, but also has the advantages of data backup and data security that the local file system cannot. Judging whether a distributed file system is excellent depends on the following three factors: ^[2]

AFS is designed to provide reliable file services in large distributed environments. It generates a manageable distributed environment through a cell-based structure. A unit is in a separate area

Related entries:

Distributed Computing

Distributed Computing Environment, the distributed computing environment of the OSF Open Software Foundation (OSF);

Distributed Database

File Systems in the Network Environment.