Frangipani: A Scalable Distributed File System
đź“ś Abstract
Frangipani is a scalable distributed file system that is designed to perform well under high client loads. It achieves this by using a client-server architecture with a simple client interface and a sophisticated, cluster-based service protocol. Frangipani extends and is built on top of a block storage system called the Petal. This paper describes the design and implementation of Frangipani, focusing on scalability and performance in managing shared files, consistency mechanisms, and system recovery.
✨ Summary
Frangipani is a pioneering effort in the design of scalable distributed file systems. Its architecture builds on a block storage system known as Petal, providing a robust framework for efficient file sharing and data management under high client loads. The innovative use of a client-server model with cluster-based services ensures both performance and scalability in distributed environments. Since its publication, Frangipani’s concepts have influenced various facets of distributed systems. For instance, it has served as a reference in the field of clustered file systems and has informed research on improving consistency and scalability in distributed file systems. The work by Mazzeo et al. in “Efficient, scalable consistency for highly collaborative cloud development” (ACM, 2015) and the more recent advancements in systems such as Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) and Google File System (GFS) draw conceptual similarities to Frangipani’s architecture.* Mazzeo et al., ACM, 2015. In summary, Frangipani represents a significant contribution to file system design, providing foundational insights into handling large-scale file operations efficiently.