Department of Computer Science I MSc CS Even Semester

2023 - 2024

Course: Advanced Operating System

Sub Code:

Google Classroom: 532q26w Programme: MSc CS

Unit: II Hour : 4

Distributed File System

Faculty: Dr. S.THILAGAVATHI

Advanced Operating System Unit II – Session 1 1

 Department of Computer Science I MSc CS Even Semester
2023 - 2024
Lecture - Agenda
• Distributed File System
✔ Introduction

✔ Points to Ponder
✔Multiple Choice Questions

Advanced Operating System Unit II – Session 1 2

 Department of Computer Science I MSc CS Even Semester
2023 - 2024

Distributed file system

A Distributed File System (DFS) as the name
suggests, is a file system that is distributed on
multiple file servers or multiple locations.
It allows programs to access or store isolated files as
they do with the local ones, allowing programmers to
access files from any network or computer.
A DFS makes it convenient to share information and
files among users on a network in a controlled and
authorized way.

Advanced Operating System Unit II – Session 1 3

 Department of Computer Science I MSc CS Even Semester
2023 - 2024

Why Is a Distributed File System Important?

The main reason enterprises choose a
DFS is to provide access to the same
data from multiple locations.
For example, you might have a team
distributed all over the world, but they
have to be able to access the same files
to collaborate.
Or in today’s increasingly hybrid cloud
world, whenever you need access to the
same data from the data center, to the
edge, to the cloud, you would want to
Advanced Operating System Unit II – Session 1 4
 Department of Computer Science I MSc CS Even Semester
2023 - 2024

Distributed File System

A DFS is critical in situations where you need:
Transparent local access — Data to be accessed as
if it’s local to the user for high performance.
Location independence — No need for users to
know where file data physically resides.
Scale-out capabilities — The ability to scale out
massively by adding more machines. DFS systems
can scale to exceedingly large clusters with thousands
of servers.
Fault tolerance — A need for your system to
continue operating properly even if some of its
servers or disks fail. A fault-tolerant DFS is able to
handle such failures by spreading data across multiple
machines.
Advanced Operating System Unit II – Session 1 5
 Department of Computer Science I MSc CS Even Semester
2023 - 2024

What are the Benefits of a

DFS?
A distributed file system (DFS) is a file
system that is distributed to and stored
in multiple locations, such as file servers
that are located in different locales.
Files are accessible just as if they were
locally stored, from any device at any
location.
A DFS makes it convenient to share
information and files among authorized
users on a network in a controlled way.
Advanced Operating System Unit II – Session 1 6
 Department of Computer Science I MSc CS Even Semester
2023 - 2024

What Are the Benefits of a

Flexibility in storage DFS?
management − In DFS, storage
management is very flexible and we can easily modify it
according to our need.
Load sharing advantage − Load sharing can be done with
optimal results using the DFS. Load sharing is one of the best
benefits of DFS.
Security Integration − If we want to implement security then
it can be easily done in the DFS.
Graphical way of Administration − Graphical view of
administration window is available here, which reduces cost in
administration training.
High Availability − High availability is also one of the best
benefits of DFS. It keeps all the important data available all
the time.
Advanced Operating System Unit II – Session 1 7
 Department of Computer Science I MSc CS Even Semester

Features of a DFS
2023 - 2024

Organizations use a DFS for features such as scalability, security and remote
access to data. :
Location independence. Users do not need to be aware of where data is
stored. The DFS manages the location and presents files as if they are stored
locally.
Transparency. Transparency keeps the details of one file system away from
other file systems and users. There are multiple types of transparency in
distributed file systems, including the following:
• Structural transparency. Data appears as if it's on a user's device.
Users are unable to see how the DFS is configured, such as the number
of file servers or storage devices.
• Access transparency. Users can access files that are located locally or
remotely. Files can be accessed no matter where the user is, as long as
they are logged in to the system. If data is not stored on the same server,
users should not be able to tell, and applications for local files should
also be able to run on remote files.

Advanced Operating System Unit II – Session 1 8

 Department of Computer Science I MSc CS Even Semester
2023 - 2024

Features of a DFS
• Replication transparency. Replicated files that are
located on different nodes of the file system, such as on
another storage system, are hidden from other nodes in
the system. This enables the system to create multiple
copies without affecting performance.
• Naming transparency. Files should not change when
moving among storage nodes.
High availability. The DFS should continue to work in the
event of a partial failure in the system, such as a node failure
or drive crash. A DFS should also create backup copies if
there are any failures in the system.
Security. Data should be encrypted at rest and in transit to
prevent unauthorized access or data deletion.

Advanced Operating System Unit II – Session 1 9

 Department of Computer Science I MSc CS Even Semester
2023 - 2024

Different Types of Distributed

File Systems
These are the most common DFS implementations:

• Windows Distributed File System

• Network File System (NFS)
• Server Message Block (SMB)
• Google File System (GFS)
• Lustre
• Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS)
• GlusterFS
• Ceph
• MapR File System

Advanced Operating System Unit II – Session 1 10

 Department of Computer Science I MSc CS Even Semester
2023 - 2024

Different Types of Distributed

Hadoop File Systems
Hadoop is a collection of open-source software services. It is a software
framework that uses the MapReduce programming style to allow
distributed storage and management of large amounts of data. Hadoop is
made up of a storage component known as Hadoop Distributed File
System (HDFS). It is an operational component based on the MapReduce
programming model.
NFS (Network File System)
A client-server architecture enables a computer user to store, update, and
view files remotely. It is one of various DFS standards for Network-
Attached Storage.
SMB (Server Message Block)
IBM developed an SMB protocol to file sharing. It was developed to permit
systems to read and write files to a remote host across a LAN. The remote
host's directories may be accessed through SMB and are known
as "shares".

Advanced Operating System Unit II – Session 1 11

 Department of Computer Science I MSc CS Even Semester
2023 - 2024

Different Types of Distributed

NetWare
File Systems
It is an abandon computer network operating system
that is developed by Novell, Inc. The IPX network
protocol mainly used combined multitasking to
execute many services on a computer system.
CIFS (Common Internet File System)
CIFS is an accent of SMB. The CIFS protocol is a
Microsoft-designed implementation of the SIMB
protocol.

Advanced Operating System Unit II – Session 1 12

 Department of Computer Science I MSc CS Even Semester
2023 - 2024

Where Is a Distributed File

System Located?
The goal of using a distributed file
system is to allow users of
physically distributed systems to
share their data and resources.
As such, the DFS is located on any
collection of workstations, servers,
mainframes, or a cloud connected
by a local area network (LAN
Advanced Operating System Unit II – Session 1 13
 Department of Computer Science I MSc CS Even Semester
2023 - 2024
How a DFS works
A DFS clusters together multiple storage nodes and
logically distributes data sets across multiple nodes that
each have their own computing power and storage.
The data on a DFS can reside on various types of
storage devices, such as solid-state drives and hard disk
drives.
Data sets are replicated onto multiple servers, which
enables redundancy to keep data highly available.
The DFS is located on a collection of servers,
mainframes or a cloud environment over a local area
network (LAN) so multiple users can access and store
unstructured data. If organizations need to scale up their
infrastructure, they can add more storage nodes to the
DFS.
Advanced Operating System Unit II – Session 1 14
 Department of Computer Science I MSc CS Even Semester
2023 - 2024
DFS Structure

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 Department of Computer Science I MSc CS Even Semester
2023 - 2024

Distributed File System Replication

Initial versions of DFS used Microsoft's File
Replication Service (FRS), enabling basic file
replication among servers.
FRS detects new or altered files and distributes the
most recent versions of the full file to all servers.
Windows Server 2003 R2 developed the "DFS
Replication" (DFSR). It helps to enhance FRS by
only copying the parts of files that have changed and
reducing network traffic with data compression.
It also gives users the ability to control network traffic
on a configurable schedule using flexible
configuration options.
Advanced Operating System Unit II – Session 1 16
 Department of Computer Science I MSc CS Even Semester
2023 - 2024

History of Distributed File System

The DFS's server component was firstly introduced as an
additional feature. When it was incorporated into Windows
NT 4.0 Server, it was called "DFS 4.1".
Later, it was declared a standard component of all Windows
2000 Server editions. Windows NT 4.0 and later versions of
Windows have client-side support.

Advanced Operating System Unit II – Session 1 17

 Department of Computer Science I MSc CS Even Semester
2023 - 2024

Advantages of Distributed File

System
1.It allows the users to access and store the data.
2.It helps to improve the access time, network
efficiency, and availability of files.
3.It provides the transparency of data even if the
server of disk files.
4.It permits the data to be shared remotely.
5.It helps to enhance the ability to change the
amount of data and exchange data.

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 Department of Computer Science I MSc CS Even Semester
2023 - 2024

Disadvantages of Distributed File

System
1.In a DFS, the database connection is complicated.
2.In a DFS, database handling is also more complex
than in a single-user system.
3.If all nodes try to transfer data simultaneously,
there is a chance that overloading will happen.
4.There is a possibility that messages and data
would be missed in the network while moving from
one node to another.

Advanced Operating System Unit II – Session 1 19