Hiding mass storage under Unix: NASA's MSS-II architecture

Abstract

A second-generation mass storage system, MSS-II, is described. It achieves a 10-MB transfer rate into and out of the central-network mass-storage node, while preserving the illusion to users that it is simply an ordinary Unix system with an infinite supply of very fast disk space. It does so by implementing a Berkeley RAID-style file system in kernel software, by instituting striping network access, by implementing a transparent hierarchical storage manager, and by extending the concepts of file ownership and permission to removable volumes. The major software components (i.e. the high-performance file system, rapid-access storage hierarchy, volume manager, and striping network access) and file integrity are discussed. >