MetaSAN
Encyclopedia
metaSAN is Tiger Technology's cross-platform Storage Area Network
(SAN) management software.
metaSAN enables one to share one (or more) high-speed RAID devices with multiple computers using Fibre Channel
, iSCSI
, Ethernet
, or InfiniBand
interconnect. Every computer participating in the SAN can read and write to the same storage volume (and folder) at the same time.
metaSAN is not a file system
but manages existing NTFS
or HFS+ file systems. It is hardware agnostic and works with off-the-shelf storage and networking components. metaSAN offers per-node bandwidth control to enable fair distribution of the available storage bandwidth. In a cross-platform setup, metaSAN provides the file-system translation services that allows Mac, Windows and Linux workstations to transparently access non-native volumes.
To arbitrate accesses to the shared storage device(s), one computer is elected master of the SAN. This computer becomes the metadata controller
(MDC). Other computers are clients of the SAN. They communicate and send metadata requests to the MDC over LAN. Once request have been acknowledged, clients can access the storage device directly. In a metaSAN setup, any member of the SAN can act as MDC. By default, the first computer to boot becomes the MDC but it is possible to define priorities or assign a dedicated computer for this task.
Storage area network
A storage area network is a dedicated network that provides access to consolidated, block level data storage. SANs are primarily used to make storage devices, such as disk arrays, tape libraries, and optical jukeboxes, accessible to servers so that the devices appear like locally attached devices...
(SAN) management software.
metaSAN enables one to share one (or more) high-speed RAID devices with multiple computers using Fibre Channel
Fibre Channel
Fibre Channel, or FC, is a gigabit-speed network technology primarily used for storage networking. Fibre Channel is standardized in the T11 Technical Committee of the InterNational Committee for Information Technology Standards , an American National Standards Institute –accredited standards...
, iSCSI
ISCSI
In computing, iSCSI , is an abbreviation of Internet Small Computer System Interface, an Internet Protocol -based storage networking standard for linking data storage facilities. By carrying SCSI commands over IP networks, iSCSI is used to facilitate data transfers over intranets and to manage...
, Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
, or InfiniBand
InfiniBand
InfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
interconnect. Every computer participating in the SAN can read and write to the same storage volume (and folder) at the same time.
metaSAN is not a file system
File system
A file system is a means to organize data expected to be retained after a program terminates by providing procedures to store, retrieve and update data, as well as manage the available space on the device which contain it. A file system organizes data in an efficient manner and is tuned to the...
but manages existing NTFS
NTFS
NTFS is the standard file system of Windows NT, including its later versions Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, and Windows 7....
or HFS+ file systems. It is hardware agnostic and works with off-the-shelf storage and networking components. metaSAN offers per-node bandwidth control to enable fair distribution of the available storage bandwidth. In a cross-platform setup, metaSAN provides the file-system translation services that allows Mac, Windows and Linux workstations to transparently access non-native volumes.
To arbitrate accesses to the shared storage device(s), one computer is elected master of the SAN. This computer becomes the metadata controller
Metadata controller
Metadata controller is a storage area network technology for managing file locking, space allocation and data access authorization.This is needed when several clients are given block level access to the same disk volume....
(MDC). Other computers are clients of the SAN. They communicate and send metadata requests to the MDC over LAN. Once request have been acknowledged, clients can access the storage device directly. In a metaSAN setup, any member of the SAN can act as MDC. By default, the first computer to boot becomes the MDC but it is possible to define priorities or assign a dedicated computer for this task.