LizardFS Storage Servers

Advantages of LizardFS

There are a number of advantages that come with using LizardFS as your software defined storage.

LizardFS makes use of distributes all data across many chunk servers. Drives can be very easily added or removed, as can the entire storage nodes. The simple process is essentially “plug and scale”.

Installation and Administration are straightforward and simple. If you have knowledge about Linux/Unix, then you are able to get your cluster up and running within less than two hours. Alternatively, you can have one of our talented Broadberry engineers complete the full set up and installation for you.

Scaling is simple, you are able to scale up and down, vertically and horizontally by a single node or a single drive. You can have thousands of chunk servers and up to an exabyte of data.

Erasure Coding has been added, which allows you to save disc space and enables parallel writes and reads to a many chunkservers for enhanced performance.

Architecture

The design of LizardFS delivers separation of the metadata (for example file names, locations and checksums) from the data. This avoids inconsistencies materialising and supports atomic actions at the file system level. All operations are locked by the system through a master. This master stores all of the metadata and is the central contact for server components and clients.

In the event of the master failing, a second master can acquire a shadow role. For this to be set up, you just install a master on an additional server that remains passive. The shadow master permanently picks up all the alterations to the metadata and reflects the state of the file system in its own RAM. If the master was to fail, the second system with the shadow master takes over the active and provides all participants with information.

Possible Applications of LizardFS

Once you configure LizardFS on your Broadberry storage server, there are a variety of potential applications that you can use it for.

These include storage for backups, virtual machines, CCTV and/or media files. As well as archive, HPC and as a DRC (Disaster Recovery Centre).

Additional Features

A mature enterprise solution, LizardFS possesses extra features developed on the basis of constantly an ever-improving core. It can transform possibly the best distributed file system on the plane into Hierarchical Storage Management (HSM), reduce the disk space needed for replication, aid in building Disaster Recovery Centre with asynchronous replication between sites, efficiently manage storage pools (Quotas, QoS) and a lot more.

CyberStore Storage Appliance

The Broadberry range of CyberStore Storage Appliances offer a wide range of advantages. When you configure your CyberStore Storage Appliance with LizardFS, you are guaranteed to be free from vendor lock-in.  

Being free from vendor lock-in means you will retain the freedom to make the decisions that will improve your data centre and move your business forward. The majority of brands in this field employ vendor locking on their servers in an attempt to keep you locked into their ecosystem. If you wish to make any additions to your server you will have to go through the original vendor. This allows for the vendor to take advantage of your lack of options and potentially have you pay more than you would if you had bought from a third-party.

With Broadberry, you will never have to worry about this issue. Our CyberStore Storage Appliances are free from vendor lock-in, and you will always have the option of utilising third party hardware however you see fit.

In addition to being free of vendor lock-in, our CyberStore Storage Appliances features full range compatibility to all major storage server software. This rare level of near universal compatibility gives you the ability to switch to another operating system at any time. Enabling you to stay flexible and able to react to market changes as soon as they occur.

Broadberry

Through almost three decades of service in this industry, Broadberry has provided enterprise-grade server and storage solutions to some of the largest organisations on Earth. This includes the likes of Virgin, Disney, CERN, NASA, the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, ITV, the BBC, Toyota, Toshiba and a lot more.