The Parallel Virtual File System is designed for use on computer clusters, providing users with access to powerful parallel file storage capabilities. It is optimized for use with shared storage and allows for efficient data access across multiple nodes in the cluster.
The Parallel Virtual File System (PVFS) Project is an innovative tool that explores the design, implementation, and utilization of parallel input/output (I/O). With the aim to be both a testing platform and a produce a file system for the cluster computing community, PVFS can run on clusters of workstations or Beowulfs. Clemson University's Parallel Architecture Research Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory's Mathematics and Computer Science Division lead the project, providing additional funding to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Code 930 and The National Computational Science Alliance through the National Science Foundation's Partnerships for Advanced Computational Infrastructure to continue its development.
Some of PVFS's most exciting features include compatibility with existing binaries, ease of installation, fast striping of files across nodes, available MPI-IO interface via ROMIO, and its affinity for utilizing commodity network and storage hardware. PVFS works supports UNIX I/O interface, enabling existing UNIX I/O programs to use PVFS files without recompiling. Even the classic UNIX file tools like ls, cp, and rm are functional with PVFS files and directories.
Installation of PVFS is a breeze. A simple set of instructions can guide you through the process of configuration, testing, and performance evaluation. Scripts and test applications come included with the software for this reason. PVFS has an innovative data striping feature in which file data is spread across various disks in multiple nodes on a cluster. By utilizing this method, PVFS can create larger files while increasing potential bandwidth and significantly minimizing network bottlenecks. Additionally, the software also features a 64-bit interface that allows for the manipulation of large files over 2GB.
This latest release of PVFS now includes additional support for the newest versions of the Linux kernel, improved performance, and optimized support for multi-threaded use of its system interfaces. PVFS's added security layer provides users with validation credentials, conditional compilation for RSA, DSA, and no encryption. It also boasts private key loading and capability signatures. Additionally, a once-existing deadlock bug now been fixed, and file_aio_write_iocec has been implemented. Finally, code cleanup and minor bugfixes make for a more efficient and user-friendly experience.
Some of PVFS's most exciting features include compatibility with existing binaries, ease of installation, fast striping of files across nodes, available MPI-IO interface via ROMIO, and its affinity for utilizing commodity network and storage hardware. PVFS works supports UNIX I/O interface, enabling existing UNIX I/O programs to use PVFS files without recompiling. Even the classic UNIX file tools like ls, cp, and rm are functional with PVFS files and directories.
Installation of PVFS is a breeze. A simple set of instructions can guide you through the process of configuration, testing, and performance evaluation. Scripts and test applications come included with the software for this reason. PVFS has an innovative data striping feature in which file data is spread across various disks in multiple nodes on a cluster. By utilizing this method, PVFS can create larger files while increasing potential bandwidth and significantly minimizing network bottlenecks. Additionally, the software also features a 64-bit interface that allows for the manipulation of large files over 2GB.
This latest release of PVFS now includes additional support for the newest versions of the Linux kernel, improved performance, and optimized support for multi-threaded use of its system interfaces. PVFS's added security layer provides users with validation credentials, conditional compilation for RSA, DSA, and no encryption. It also boasts private key loading and capability signatures. Additionally, a once-existing deadlock bug now been fixed, and file_aio_write_iocec has been implemented. Finally, code cleanup and minor bugfixes make for a more efficient and user-friendly experience.
What's New
Version 2.7.1: N/A