21 June 2010

CDMI reference implementation available

CDMI is the SNIA Cloud Data Management Interface, an implementation of DaaS (Data as a Service). SNIA have today - at the OGF29 in Chicago - announced the availability of a reference implementation, open source (BSD licence), written in java. We just saw a version for a (virtual) iPad. Source code is available after a registration.

Not uncontroversial

Very lively session for the Grid Storage Management community group.

We covered the new charter, agreed with the provision that we replace "EGEE" with something appropriate. We had a quick introduction to the protocol, an introduction which caused a lot more discussion than such introductions normally do.

Much of the time was spent discussing the WLCG data management jamboree. Which in a sense is outside the scope of the group, because the jamboree focused on data analysis, and SRM was designed for transfers and pre-staging and suchlike, completely different use cases.

Normally we have presentations from users, particularly those outside HEP, but since we had run out of time, those discussions had to be relegated to lunch or coffee breaks.

Slightly tricky with both experts and newbies in the room, giving introductions to SRM and also discussing technical issues. But this is how OGF works, and it is a Good Thing™ - it ensures that the discussions are open and exposes our work to others and let others provide input.

20 June 2010

Too good to be true?

A grid filesystem with: transparent replication and partial replication, striping, POSIX interface and semantics, checksumming. Open source - GPL - and, unlike some grid "open source projects" we can mention, you can actually download the source. As fast as ext4 for linux kernel build. Planning NFSv4 and/or WebDAV interfaces.

This is the promise of XtreemFS, the filesystem part (but independent part) of XtreemOS, an EU funded project. More on this later in our weekly meetings.

17 June 2010

Have you heard this one before...

Sunny Amsterdam. Narrow streets, canals. Friendly locals, and a bicycle with your name on in it. Wonderful place for a WLCG data management jamboree.

The super brief summary of yesterday is that some people are pushing for a more network centric data model. They point to video streaming, although others point out that video streaming is very different from HEP analysis. (More in the next couple of GridPP storage meetings.)

Today is more on technology, some known, some less so. One particular piece I would like to highlight is NFS4.1 which is still progressing and is now said to be "wonderful." :-)

There are lots of discussions which sound oddly familiar. For example, use of P2P networks have been suggested before (by Owen, back in EDG) and it's now coming up again. But of course technology moves on and middleware matures, so revisiting the questions and the proposed solutions will hopefully be useful.

Oh, and Happy to J "birthday" T.