Close
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Menu
eWEEK.com
Search
eWEEK.com
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Servers

    Sun Unveils Its Next-Generation File System

    By
    PETER GALLI
    -
    June 1, 2004
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Sun Microsystems Inc. this week is planning to give users of its Solaris operating system a sneak peek at the next version and its new file system.

      Among the many new features of Solaris 10, due by years end, is the DFS (Dynamic File System)—a 128-bit system that will automate many common tasks for system administrators.

      While the DFS, which will be previewed during Suns Network Computing 04Q2 Webcast, will complement Solaris, some say its development is even more strategic and will buttress Solaris as software partners such as Veritas Software Corp. continue to expand their support for rival operating systems.

      As for streamlining development tasks, the DFS reduces the number of separate tasks it takes to create a file system from 28 to five. The time it takes to add mirrored file systems for three users and then add more disk space has been reduced from 40 minutes to 10 seconds, said John Loiacono, executive vice president of software at Sun, in Santa Clara, Calif.

      “Solaris 10, with Dynamic File System, will be the only known operating system to provide end-to-end check summing for all data and is the only self-healing, self-managing operating file system technology that provides 16 billion billion times more capacity than current file systems for virtually unlimited scalability,” Loiacono said.

      The new file system also eliminates many complicated storage administration tasks, as space within the storage pool is dynamically allocated to file systems, Loiacono said. As such, there is no need to statically partition storage into slices, volumes and file systems, he said.

      /zimages/6/28571.gifClick here to read how Sun is lowering storage costs.

      Data consistency is also maintained at all times. If the system is shut down in an unclean manner, upon reboot no recovery is needed to make new file service consistent, he said.

      Loiacono said the transition to the new file system will take time. “You dont just transfer all your data overnight and go grab a new file format,” he said.

      While Sun does not plan to make DFS backward-compatible with previous versions of Solaris, those versions will be able to read and write to the new file system using NFS (Network File System) remote mounts.

      NFS is implemented and embedded in most operating systems, including Solaris, and allows users to mount remotely any file system visible on the network. Unix has only one file system, and users can mount another file system on top of it.

      “Systems running Solaris releases prior to Solaris 10 will be able to read and write to the Dynamic File System using NFS remote mounts,” Loiacono said. “The only way Solaris 8 and Solaris 9 users can take advantage of the Dynamic File System is via NFS.”

      Next page: Compatibility crucial for customers.

      Page Two

      Compatibility is a crucial element for Sun customers such as Boyd Fletcher, a systems engineer at management and technical services provider EG&G Inc., in Norfolk, Va. “Compatibility with Solaris 9 and 8 is also very important—as in the U.S. government, the only accredited version of Solaris is Version 8. Many Department of Defense applications are also just now being ported from Solaris 2.5.1 to Solaris 8,” he said.

      From a strategic standpoint, the DFS could be a blow to software partners such as Veritas, whose VxFS (Veritas File System) and VxVM (Veritas Volume Manager) are used in many enterprises to enhance performance and capabilities of the Unix File System and Solaris Volume Manager in previous versions of Solaris.

      Loiacono downplayed the immediate effect of the new file system on Sun partners businesses, saying these transitions “are not made overnight. Is this going to supplant all of our major partners? By no means.”

      Veritas, of Mountain View, Calif., has itself downplayed the potential effect of Suns move on its business, saying that while a small number of Solaris users might find the Sun solution adequate, companies that continue to scale their data centers will still need Veritas solutions.

      /zimages/6/28571.gifTo read eWEEKs interview with Veritas CEO Gary Bloom, click here.

      “I think Sun is a bit nervous about Veritas increasing support for Linux and Windows and probably feels that it would be a good idea to have critical functionality built into the core operating system, especially if Veritas Solaris support starts to diminish,” said EG&Gs Fletcher.

      The DFS will be made available to customers in September through Suns Software Express mechanism, which delivers code for Solaris 10 to users. Express delivery lets developers receive code earlier in the development process and offers monthly snapshots of future software features under development.

      About 80,000 users will preview Solaris 10 through Software Express in September, and 30 developer partners have begun preparing and testing their applications to support Solaris 10.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      CHRIS PREIMESBERGER - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      CHRIS PREIMESBERGER - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      EWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      ZEUS KERRAVALA - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Apple

      Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

      WAYNE RASH - November 26, 2020 0
      If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
      Read more
      eWeek


      Contact Us | About | Sitemap

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      Terms of Service | Privacy Notice | Advertise | California - Do Not Sell My Info

      © 2020 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×