Loris: A reliable, modular, file-based storage stack

All modern operating systems use a multi-layered collection of protocols, often referred to as the Storage Stack, to manage persistent storage of user data. Similar to the network stack, layers in the storage stack (application libraries, file systems, RAID, volume managers) communicate using standardized interfaces that offer well-defined abstraction boundaries. However, unlike the design-based, planned evolution of protocol layering in the network stack, layering in the storage stack was driven by one factor—compatibility with existing storage installations.

In this talk, I will show how this compatibility-driven protocol layering in the traditional storage stack causes various problems that render it ineffective in managing modern-day storage installations and incapable of accommodating future changes in the storage hardware landscape. I will then present a new layering of storage protocols that sacrifices backwards compatibility in favour of modularity, and show how the resulting stack, called Loris, solves all the issues that plague the traditional layering by design. In doing so, I will talk about my experience designing and implementing Loris for the MINIX 3 multiserver, microkernel operating system.

Speaker Details

After getting a Master’s degree from the University of Florida and working with the Windows Performance Team in Redmond for a year, I shifted to Amsterdam for pursuing a PhD under the able guidance of Prof. Andy Tanenbaum. During my five year PhD tenure (which ended in December), I worked on architecting a new storage subsystem for the MINIX 3 Multiserver operating system. In particular, I designed and implement Loris, a reliable, modular, file-based storage stack and investigated its applicability in a range of personal and enterprise storage settings. Presently, I am employed as a Visiting Researcher at Microsoft Research, Cambridge, where I am working on investigating new system architectures for large-scale virtualized cloud platforms.

Date:
Speakers:
Raja Appuswamy
Affiliation:
Microsoft Research

    • Portrait of Jeff Running

      Jeff Running