Q: What products does BlueWhale File System include?
A: Its products include BWStor CSA5000, BWStor BW1000, BWStor BW2000 and BWStor BW3200.

 

Q: What are product shapes of above products?

A:-BWStor CSA5000

BWStor CSA (BWStor Clustered Storage Appliance) 5000 is SAN file system gateway product which is invented by BlueWhale aiming at FC SAN/IP SAN environment. It can switch multiple FC/iSCSI disk arrays into storage cluster which supports multiple servers simultaneous processing and offer high-performance and scalable file sharing service. It will also support many applications of multi servers work streaming or clustered environment.

-BWStor BW1000
BWStor BW1000 is cost-effective digital media storage system which is invented by BlueWhale based on IP network. Its design is based on open storage system and integrates file storage technology which is facing digital media and optimized. It supports large file concurrent I/O bandwidth. Its product shape is storage cluster that comprises one master cabinet and three scale-out slave cabinets, which offers high-performance and scalable file sharing service. It will also support many applications of multi servers work streaming or clustered environment.

 

 -BWStor BW2000
BWStor BW2000 is cost-effective digital media storage system which is invented by BlueWhale based on IP network. Its design is based on open storage system and integrates file storage technology which is facing digital media and optimized. It supports large file simultaneous I/O bandwidth. Its product shape is storage cluster that comprises one master cabinet and three scale-out slave cabinets, which offers high-performance and scalable file sharing service. It will also support many applications of multi servers work streaming or clustered environment.

 

-BWStor BW3200
BWStor BW3200 clustered unified storage system is SAN+NAS product that is invented by BlueWhale aiming at high-end unified storage platforms. It has built-in BWFS and offers FC/IP SAN access, high-performance private NAS access (BWFS) and standard NAS access interface (Samba, NFS and FTP)

Q: What are differences among the above products?
A: When offering sharing service to clients, form of BWStor CSA5000, BW1000, BW2000 and BW3200 is the same. On Windows, it is a local drive (such as, E) and on Linux, it mounts a local directory (such as, /root/bwfs).

 

Q: What are differences in the deployment among the above products?
A: BWStor CSA5000 is a metadata controller, which BWFS file system is built in and used with disk arrays (IP, IB and FC array).

BW1000 is a 3 U server architecture disk array, it has 16 SATA disk slots and 4x1Gb IP ports. It can work with BW1000 or other ISCSI disk arrays.

 

BW2000 is a 2 U dual-controller disk array, the controller unit supports 12 SATA disks or 12 SAS disks. It can be expanded with extension units via SAS TO SAS. Configuring 6x1Gb IP ports, it can work with BW2000 slave cabinets and other iSCSI disk arrays.

BW3200 is FC storage system. It can offer file sharing service via Fibre Channel and support NAS cluster.

Q: What does BWFS do?
A: BWFS can consolidate back-end storage into united storage space and share files for front-end clients.

 

Q: What is a metadata controller (MDC)?

A: A metadata controller, namely MDC, is mainly responsible for metadata management. When clients write data, the metadata controller allocates the position where data is written and records data size and R/W limits, creator and other information. Data is written into storage devices according to the metadata controller’s allocating position.

 

Q: Does a metadata controller require separate configuration?

A: It depends on the products and requirements of customers. If BW1000, BW2000 and BW3200 are chosen, a metadata controller is built in. However, if customers have already owned storage devices and required high bandwidth sharing service, a dedicated metadata controller is recommended.

 

Q: What is the advantage of separate metadata controller?

A: BWFS adopts out-of-band transmission mode. When clients write data, it will send application to the metadata controller first. After allocating storage position for data, the metadata controller returns the information to clients. Then data is written into back-end storage from clients via switch. There is no intermediate process during data transmission process and performance bottle neck. What’s more, with the increasing of number of storage devices, aggregate bandwidth is improved.

 

Q: How to deal with a metadata controller, if it breaks down?

A: MDC can be configured as HA mode, one is active and another is standby. When the active metadata controller breaks down, the standby one will take over to work automatically and rapidly.

 

Q: Can customers themselves configure MDC ?

A: Customers can prepare the metadata controller hardware by themselves. However, built-in software shall is installed by BlueWhale.

 

 

Q: Does the back-end storage need specified brand?

A: BWFS supports all kinds of standard iSCSI and FC storage devices. It doesn’t need specified storage.

 

Q: What is form of BWFS on clients?

A: On Windows clients, it performs a local drive (like C: D:) and on Linux clients, a local directory (like/mmt /temp).

Q: How to do if storage capacity is not enough?
A: If storage capacity is not enough, new storage arrays can be added. Via BWFS the new added capacity can be integrated into the original.

Q: Does expansion lead to application interruption?

A: No, the expansion can be processed without interruption.

 

Q: Does BWFS support multiple client operating systems?

A: It supports Windows (except 2000), Linux, RHEL 4(U1-U7) 32/x86_64, RHEL 5(U1-U3) 32/x86_64, SUSE 10(SP1/SP2) 32/x86_64 and Mac OS X 10.5/10.6

 

Q: Does BWFS support snapshot and data migration?

A: BWFS itself does not support snapshot and data migration. But it can be realized by cooperating with the third party software such as IPStor.

 

Q: Does BWFS support quota and permission management?

A: BWFS supports Quota in Linux platform. Rights management for Windows can be realized by using domain control and Linux uses itself rights management mechanism.

 

Q: What are differences between BWFS and available SAN and NAS?

A: BWFS combines the advantage of SAN and NAS. It not only plays performance of SAN, but also offers file sharing like NAS.

 

Q: What products are BWFS similar with?

A: Technology architecture of BWFS is similar with that of StorNext.

 

Q: What are advantages of BWFS compared with other like products?
A:1. It owns independent intellectual property rights and powerful technology back-up protection.
   2. It owns advanced system structure, which is able to play 90% of storage bandwidth. 
   3. It owns file-level disaster recovery mechanism.
   4. It provides better cost-performance ratio.

 

Q: What are differences between BWFS and Hadoop?

A: BWFS stores data intensively. However, Hadoop stores data in distribute nodes. In terms of application, Hadoop is more suitable for website businesses, such as, data analysis of data searching engine. However, BWFS is more suitable for large-scale data frequent write and read application mode and its data consistency protection is better than that of Hadoop. In terms of performance, BWFS supports direct channel from clients to storage FC. It fully plays FC performance, which is better than Hadoop. In terms of security, it is better than Hadoop, because all nodes of Hadoop are ordinary servers or PC, however, BWFS back-end storage is controller frame and it owns file-level disaster recovery measure.

 

Q: What industry is BWFS applied for?

A: It is applied for high-performance computing and wider information processing field, such as, non-linear editing, exploration data analysis, remote sensing information processing, streaming media, scientific computing and analog simulation.