UNIT 3

Distributed File system

Introduction
• A distributed file system (DFS) is a file system that is distributed on
various file servers and locations.
• It permits programs to access and store isolated data in the same method as
in the local files.
• It also permits the user to access files from any system. It allows network
users to share information and files in a regulated and permitted manner.
• Although, the servers have complete control over the data and provide users
access control.
• DFS's primary goal is to enable users of physically distributed systems to
share resources and information through the Common File System (CFS).
It is a file system that runs as a part of the operating systems. Its
configuration is a set of workstations and mainframes that a LAN connects.
 DFS has two components in its services, and these are as follows:
1. Local Transparency
2. Redundancy
1. Local Transparency
• It is achieved via the namespace component i.e. users can access files
without knowing where they are physically stored on the network.
2.Redundancy
• It is achieved via a file replication component.
• In the case of failure or heavy load, these components work together to
increase data availability by allowing data from multiple places to be
logically combined under a single folder known as the "DFS root".
It is not required to use both DFS components simultaneously; the namespace
component can be used without the file replication component, and the file
replication component can be used between servers without the namespace
component.
Features of DFS
1. Transparency
There are mainly four types of transparency. These are as follows:
• 1. Structure Transparency
The client does not need to be aware of the number or location of file servers and
storage devices. In structure transparency, multiple file servers must be given to
adaptability, dependability, and performance.
• 2. Naming Transparency
There should be no hint of the file's location in the file's name. When the file is
transferred form one node to other, the file name should not be changed.
• 3. Access Transparency
Local and remote files must be accessible in the same method. The file system must
automatically locate the accessed file and deliver it to the client.
• 4. Replication Transparency
When a file is copied across various nodes, the copies files and their locations must
be hidden from one node to the next.
Contd….
2. Scalability
The distributed system will certainly increase over time when more
machines are added to the network, or two networks are linked together.
A good DFS must be designed to scale rapidly as the system's number
of nodes and users increases.
3. Data Integrity
Many users usually share a file system. The file system needs to secure
the integrity of data saved in a transferred file. A concurrency control
method must correctly synchronize concurrent access requests from
several users who are competing for access to the same file.
3.High Reliability
• The risk of data loss must be limited as much as feasible in an
effective DFS. Users must not feel compelled to make backups of their
files due to the system's unreliability. Instead, a file system should
back up key files so that they may be restored if the originals are lost.
4.High Availability
• A DFS should be able to function in the case of a partial failure, like a
node failure, a storage device crash, and a link failure.
 DFS Architecture
• A DFS clusters together multiple storage
nodes and logically distributes data sets
across multiple nodes that each have their
own computing power and storage. The data
on a DFS can reside on various types of
storage devices, such as solid-state drives
and hard disk drives.
• Data sets are replicated onto multiple
servers, which enables redundancy to keep
data highly available.
• The DFS is located on a collection of servers,
mainframes or a cloud environment over a
local area network (LAN) so multiple users
can access and store unstructured data.
• If organizations need to scale up their
infrastructure, they can add more storage
nodes to the DFS.
 • Clients access data on a DFS using namespaces.
Organizations can group shared folders into logical
namespaces.
• A namespace is the shared group of networked storage on a
DFS root. These present files to users as one shared folder with
multiple subfolders. When a user requests a file, the DFS brings
up the first available copy of the file.
• There are two types of namespaces:
1. Standalone DFS namespaces.
2. Domain-based DFS namespaces.
1. Standalone DFS namespaces. A standalone or independent
DFS namespace has just one host server.
Standalone namespaces do not use Active Directory (AD). In a
standalone namespace, the configuration data for the DFS is
stored on the host server's registry. A standalone namespace is
often used in environments that only need one server.
2. Domain-based DFS namespaces. Domain-based DFS
namespaces integrate and store the DFS configuration in AD.
Domain-based namespaces have multiple host servers, and the
DFS topology data is stored in AD. Domain-based namespaces
are commonly used in environments that require higher
availability.
 Implementations of a DFS
• A DFS uses file sharing protocols. Protocols enable users to access
file servers over the DFS as if it was local storage.
The Protocols that DFS use include the following:
• Server Message Block (SMB). SMB is a file sharing protocol
designed to allow read and write operations on files over a LAN. It is
used primarily in Windows environments.
• Network File System (NFS). NFS is a client-server protocol for
distributed file sharing commonly used for network-attached storage
systems. It is also more commonly used with Linux and Unix
operating systems.
• Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS). HDFS helps deploy a
DFS designed for Hadoop applications.
Advantages and disadvantages of a DFS

• A DFS provides organizations with a scalable system to

manage unstructured data remotely. It can enable organizations
to use legacy storage to save costs of storage devices and
hardware. A DFS also improves availability of data through
replication.
• However, security measures need to be in place to protect
storage nodes. In addition, there is a risk for data loss when
data is replicated across storage nodes. It can also be
complicated to reconfigure a DFS should an organization
replace storage hardware on any of the DFS nodes.
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