An Analysis of iSCSI for Use in Distributed File System Design
Michael Brim and George Kola
Abstract:
We evaluate the performance of iSCSI for use in design of a distributed file
system. We perform a detailed full system characterization of a client using
iSCSI. Using the analysis, we identify the overheads associated with iSCSI
and compare and contrast it with local disk access and NFS file access.
Understanding the overheads associated with iSCSI, we attempt to tune the
system to optimize iSCSI performance and show the impact of various
parameters. Using insights gleaned from the analysis, we design a
distributed file system optimized for use with iSCSI. We point out
the class of applications which would benefit from such a distributed file
system. We also report the status of our implementation.
Paper available as: PDF
Project presentation available as: Postscript