AMASS Overview

The following figure illustrates the concept of how the File System Database maps the file system data to the volumes in the library.

Volumes contain “real” data.

The File System Database contains metadata, which includes the directory structure, file attributes, media information, and storage information.

AMASS

 

Inodes

 

 

File

 

Inodes

System

 

Database

 

 

 

 

Inodes map the metadata to “real”

 

 

data found on the media.

UNIX Server

 

Faster Performance

Because the File System Database is resident on the server’s

 

hard disk, utilities and system calls operate quickly because

 

they access the Database instead of the actual files on the

 

library.

 

Basic commands such as directory listings (ls), changing the

 

working directory (cd), and even searching through part or all

 

of the file system for files of given attributes (find), operate on

 

the File System Database—not the volumes in the library.

Less Media

A secondary benefit of the disk-resident File System Database

Contention

is less media contention in the library when multiple users are

 

accessing the AMASS file system. Because only the actual read

 

and write system calls need to access the library, more

 

operations can be completed without waiting for media

 

changes.

6-00026-01 Rev A

Online Archiving with AMASS

1-7