A comparative study of ad-hoc file systems for extreme scale computing

High-performance computing (HPC) systems often suffer from interference caused by multiple applications accessing a shared parallel file system, which can negatively impact compute performance. One solution to this problem is to add new tiers to the HPC storage hierarchy that can absorb I/O bursts and support moving data between tiers based on its hotness. Ad-hoc file systems serve as an intermediate storage layer that leverages new storage technologies, such as non-volatile random access memory devices and flash-based solid state drives, to provide temporary storage based on application behavior in the HPC environment. A variety of ad-hoc file systems have been proposed recently. In this survey, we will explore the integration of fast storage layers into HPC storage hierarchies. We will examine various ad-hoc file systems highlighting their features and functionalities to categorize the proposed solutions into different groups.