HUSTserver: Implementation for reliable and high-performance network attached storage system

Abstract

Network-attached storage (NAS) with the properties of improved scalability, simplified management, low cost and balanced price-performance, is desirable for high performance storage systems applied to extensive areas. Unfortunately, it also has some disadvantages such as increased network workload, and inconvenience in disaster recovery. To overcome these disadvantages, we propose a channel-bonding technique and provide hot-backup functions in the designed NAS system, named HUSTserver. Channel bonding means merging multiple Ethernet channels into integrated one, and that the data packets can be transferred through any available network channels in a parallel mode. The hot-backup function provides automatic data mirroring among servers. In this paper, we first describe the whole system prototype from a software and hardware architecture view. Then, multiple Ethernet and hot-backup technologies that distinguish HUSTserver from others are discussed in detail. The findings presented demonstrate that network bandwidth can be scaled by the use of multiple commodity networks. Dual parallel channels of commodity 100 Mbps Ethernet are both necessary and sufficient to support the data rates of multiple concurrent file transfers. And the hot-backup function introduced in our system provides high data accessibility.