Overcoming Unix kernel deficiencies in a portable, distributed storage system

Abstract

The implementation of the LINCS storage system, a fast, scalable, distributed storage system implemented on top of the Unix operating system, is discussed. The focus is on satisfying the performance requirements of a large-scale storage system. A number of kernel modifications and additions were made to overcome a number of Unix kernel deficiencies. These deficiencies included the lack of a lightweight tasking facility in the kernel, process-blocked I/O (input/output), inefficient data copies between user and system space, and the lack of optimized drivers for leading-edge storage devices. >