Overview of cloud Storage

The concept of cloud storage (cloud storage), once proposed, has been supported and concerned by many vendors. Amazon launched the elastic Compute Cloud (EC2: Flexible computing cloud) cloud storage two years ago, designed to provide more storage and computing capabilities while providing users with Internet services. Content distribution Network service provider CDNetworks and industry renowned cloud storage platform service provider Nirvanix also announced a strategic partnership to provide the industry's current only cloud storage and content delivery service integration platform. Six months ago, Microsoft had launched the Windows Live SkyDrive Beta test version of the network mobile hard drive service. In the near future, EMC has announced the inclusion of a trusted infrastructure project that focuses on global research collaboration on trust and reliability assurance in the cloud computing environment. IBM also has a cloud-computing standard as part of a 300 million-dollar expansion of global backup centers.

Application Patterns for cloud storage

What kind of services can cloud storage provide? What can users do through cloud storage? From a structural model, it can be seen that what services cloud storage provides depends on what type of application software and services are embedded in the application interface layer of the cloud storage architecture. Different types of cloud storage operators offer different services to the outside world. Cloud storage services can be divided into individual applications and enterprise-level applications, depending on the type of service and the user facing it.

Personal-level cloud storage applications

1. Network disk

I believe many people have used Tencent, MSN and other websites launched the "Network disk" service. Network disk is an online storage service, users can upload and download files through Web Access way, and realize the networked storage and backup of personal important data. Advanced network disks can provide two ways to access Web pages and client software.

The capacity space of a network disk generally depends on the service strategy of the provider or on how much the user pays to the service provider.

2. Online document editing

Through the rapid development in recent years, Google can provide services already from the original single search engine, extended to the Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Scholar, Google Picasa and other online application services. Google generally calls these online apps services cloud computing.

Compared with traditional document editing software, the appearance of Google Docs will make a great change in the way users use and use habits. In the future, we will no longer need to install Office software on personal PCs, just open Google Docs Web page, through Google Docs can be edited and modified (using the cloud computing system), and the edited documents saved in Google The personal storage space provided by the Docs service (using the cloud storage System). No matter where we go, we can log on to Google Docs again and open the documents stored in the cloud storage system. Through the management of the rights of the cloud storage system, the document can be shared, transferred and copyrighted easily.

3. Online games.

In recent years, online games are more and more popular with young people, a variety of different themes and styles of games emerge, online gaming companies have resorted to all the tricks to attract players. But many players will find a very important problem, that is because of bandwidth and the performance of a single server, to meet the tens of thousands of players online, online gaming companies need to build a number of game servers in different parts of the country, and these game server players are completely isolated from each other, It is impossible for players on different servers to meet in a game, let alone complete a game task.

Later, we can build a huge, super-capable game server group through cloud computing and cloud storage System, this server group system is like a server for gamers, all players compete together. Cloud computing and cloud storage applications can replace the existing multi-server architecture, enabling all players to focus on the management of a game server group. All players get together, which will make the game more exciting and the competition more intense. At the same time, cloud computing and the use of cloud storage systems can maximize game server performance and achieve more functionality.

Enterprise-Class cloud storage applications

In addition to personal-level cloud storage applications, enterprise-class cloud storage applications will soon be available, and may later become the mainstay of cloud storage applications. From the current situation of storage applications in different industries, the following types of systems may soon enter the cloud storage era.

1. Corporate Space Leasing Service

The continuous development of informatization makes the information data quantity of enterprise increase exponentially. The increase in data volume not only means more hardware equipment input, but also means more room environment equipment input and operation maintenance cost and human cost increase. Even now, there are still many small and medium-sized enterprises do not have the funds to buy stand-alone, private storage devices, and no storage technology engineers can effectively complete the storage equipment management and maintenance.

Through High-performance, large-capacity cloud storage systems, data service operators and IDC data centers can provide convenient and fast space leasing services to enterprises and institutions that cannot purchase large capacity storage equipment separately, to meet the increasing business data storage needs of enterprises and institutions.

2. Enterprise-Class remote data backup and disaster recovery

With the increasing amount of data in the enterprise, the security requirement of data has been increasing. The data in the enterprise should not only have enough capacity space to store, but also need to implement the data security backup and remote disaster tolerance, not only to ensure the security of local data, but also to ensure that when there is a major disaster, remote backup or remote disaster recovery system can be quickly restored. Through High-performance, high-capacity cloud storage systems and remote data backup software, data service operators and IDC data centers can provide space leasing and backup business leasing services for all enterprises that require remote data backup and disaster recovery. Ordinary enterprises and institutions, small and medium-sized enterprises can rent IDC data Center to provide space services and remote data backup service functions, establish their own remote backup and disaster recovery system.

3. Video Surveillance System

Over the past two years, telecom and Netcom in the country to build a lot of different sizes of "global eye", "Wide Vision" network video surveillance system. The ultimate goal of the "global Eye" or "wide vision" system is to build a video surveillance system across the country that is similar to voice and data service networks, providing remote (or offsite) real-time video surveillance and video playback for all users, and charging fees through services. However, due to the limitations of network conditions and the size of video surveillance system, the "Global Eye" or "wide horizon" can only be built within a city, or even within a city.

Assuming we have a cloud storage system all over the country and embedded video surveillance platform management software in this cloud storage system, building a "global eye" or "wide vision" system will become a very simple thing. System builders only need to consider the camera and encoder and other front-end equipment, for each encoder, IP camera allocated a sufficient bandwidth access network link, through the access network and cloud storage System connection, real-time video image can be easily saved to the cloud storage, and through the video monitoring platform management software to achieve image management and call.

The technical prerequisite of building cloud storage

From the cloud storage structure model, the cloud storage System is a collection of multi device, multi application and multi service collaborative work, and it needs many advanced technologies to realize the functions in different levels.

The development of broadband network

The real cloud storage system will be a multiple-region distribution, across the country, and even around the world's vast public system, users need to use ADSL, DDN and other broadband access devices to connect the cloud storage. Only if the broadband network is sufficiently developed, the user can obtain large enough data transmission bandwidth and realize the transmission of large capacity.

web2.0 Technology

The core of web2.0 technology is sharing. Only through web2.0 technology, the users of cloud storage can realize the centralized storage and data sharing of data, documents, pictures and audio and video through PCs, mobile phones, mobile multimedia and other devices. The development of web2.0 technology makes users more flexible and versatile in the way they are used and the services available to them.

Development of application Storage

Cloud storage is not only storage, but more applications. Application storage is a storage device that integrates the function of application software, which not only has the function of data storage, but also has the function of application software, which can be regarded as a collection of servers and storage devices. The development of application storage technology can greatly reduce the number of servers in cloud storage, reduce the cost of system construction, reduce the single point fault and performance bottleneck caused by server in the system, reduce the data transmission link, improve system performance and efficiency.

Cluster technology, grid technology and Distributed File system

The cloud storage System is a collection of multiple storage devices, multiple applications, and multiple services, and any single point of storage system is not cloud storage.

Since it is composed of multiple storage devices, among different storage devices, it is necessary to implement the cooperative work among multiple storage devices through cluster technology, distributed File system and grid computing, so that multiple storage devices can provide the same service and provide greater and stronger data access performance. Without the existence of these technologies, cloud storage could not be truly implemented.

CDN Content Distribution, Peer-to-peer technology, data compression technology, duplicate data deletion technology, data encryption technology

CDN Content Distribution System, Peer-to-peer data transmission technology and data compression technology can ensure that data in cloud storage is more efficiently stored, used, and consumes lower transmission bandwidth, thus providing more efficient service. Data encryption ensures that data in cloud storage is not accessed by unauthorized users. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure that the data in cloud storage can not be lost through various data backup and disaster-tolerant technology, so as to ensure the security and stability of the cloud storage.

Storage virtualization technology, storage networked management technology

The large number of storage devices in the cloud storage and distribution in different regions, how to achieve different vendors, different models and even different types of multiple devices in the logical volume management, storage virtualization management and Multilink redundancy management will be a huge problem. This problem is not resolved, storage devices will be the entire cloud storage system performance bottlenecks, the structure can not form a whole, but also for later capacity and performance expansion difficulties.

Another problem with the large number of storage devices in the cloud storage and the widespread geographical distribution is the operational management of storage devices. Although the users of cloud storage do not need to care about this problem, but for the operating unit, it must be through practical and effective means to solve the problem of centralized management, state monitoring is difficult, trouble maintenance, human cost high. Therefore, cloud storage must have an efficient centralized management platform similar to network management software to achieve centralized management and state monitoring of all storage devices, servers, and network devices in the cloud storage system.