Content Addressed Storage

1. Content Addressed Storage Module 2.5

2. Module Objectives Upon completion of this module, you will be able to: • Describe CAS, fixed content and archives, traditional storage solutions for archive • Describe the features and benefits of a CAS based storage strategy • List the physical and logical elements of CAS • Describe the storage and retrieval process for CAS data objects • Describe the best suited operational environments for CAS solutions Content Addressed Storage

3. Lesson: CAS Overview Upon completion of this lesson, you be able to: • Define Content Addressed Storage (CAS) • Describe traditional archival solutions and its shortcoming • List benefits of CAS Content Addressed Storage

4. What is Content Addressed Storage (CAS) • CAS is a solution for fixed content • Object-oriented, location-independent approach to data storage • Repository for the “Objects” • Access mechanism to interface with repository • Globally unique identifiers provide access to objects Content Addressed Storage

5. What are Fixed Content and Archives Generate New Revenues Improve Service Levels Leverage Historical Value Digital Assets Retained For Active Reference And Value Electronic Documents • Contracts, claims, etc. • E-mail and attachments • Financial spread sheets • CAD/CAM designs • Presentations Digital Records • Documents • Checks, securities trades • Historical preservation • Photographs • Personal / professional • Surveys • Seismic, astronomic,geographic Rich Media • Medical • X-rays, MRIs, CTI • Video • News / media, movies • Security surveillance • Audio • Voicemail • Radio Content Addressed Storage

6. Challenges of Storing Fixed Content • Fixed content is growing at more than 90% annually • Significant amount of newly created information falls into this category • New regulations require retention and data protection • Often, long-term preservation is required (years-decades) • Simultaneous multi-user online access is preferable to offline storage • Need faster access to fixed content • Need for location independent data, enabling technology refresh and migration • Traditional storage methods are inadequate Content Addressed Storage

7. Traditional storage solutions for Archive • Three categories of archival solution are: • Online, nearline, and offline based on the means of access • Traditional archival solution were offline • Traditional archival process used optical disks and tapes as media for archival • An archive is often stored on a Write Once Read Many (WORM) device, such as a CD-ROM Content Addressed Storage

8. Shortcomings of Traditional Archiving Solutions • Tape is slow, and standards are always changing • Optical is expensive, and requires vast amounts of media • Recovering files from tape and optical is often time consuming • Data on tape and optical is subject to media degradation • Both solution require sophisticated media management CAS has emerged as an alternative to traditional archiving solutions Content Addressed Storage

9. Benefits of CAS • Content authenticity • Content integrity • Location independence • Single-instance storage (SiS) • Retention enforcement • Record-level protection and disposition • Technology independence • Fast record retrieval Content Addressed Storage

10. Lesson Summary Key points covered in this lesson: • CAS Definition • Challenges of Storing Fixed Content • Shortcomings of Traditional Archiving Solutions • Benefits of CAS Content Addressed Storage

11. Lesson: CAS Architecture Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to: • Describe CAS architecture • Describe Physical and logical elements of CAS • Describe data storage and retrieval process in CAS environment • CAS examples Content Addressed Storage

12. API Physical Elements of CAS • Storage devices (CAS Based) • Servers (to which storage devices get connected) • Client Storage Nodes Private LAN Access Nodes IP CAS System Server Content Addressed Storage

13. Pool 1 API CAS Terminology • Application Programming Interface (API) • A set of function calls that enables communication between applications or between an application and an operating system • Access Profile • Used by access applications to authenticate CAS Cluster, and by CAS Clusters to authenticate themselves to each other • Virtual Pools • Enable a single logical cluster to be broken up into multiple logical groupings of data • BLOB • The Distinct Bit Sequence (DBS) of user data represents the actual content of a file and is independent of the filename and physical location Profiles Content Addressed Storage

14. CAS Terminology (Cont) • C-Clip • A package containing the user's data and associated metadata • C-Clip ID (C-Clip handle or C-Clip reference) is the CA that the system returns to the client application • Content Address (CA) • An identifier that uniquely addresses the content of a file and not its location. Unlike location-based addresses, content addresses are inherently stable and, once calculated, they never change and always refer to the same content • C-Clip Descriptor File (CDF) • The additional XML file that the system creates when making a C-Clip. This file includes the content addresses for all referenced BLOBs and associated metadata Content Addressed Storage

15. 4 CAS authenticates theContent Address andstores the object 2 Unique ContentAddress is calculated 1 3 Client presents datato API to be archived Object is sent to CASvia CAS API over IP API 5 Acknowledgementreturned to application 6 Object ID Object-ID is retainedand stored for future use How CAS Stores a Data Object CAS Application Server Client Content Addressed Storage

16. 4 2 3 Application findsContent Address ofobject to be retrieved Retrieval request issent to the CAS viaCAS API over IP CAS authenticatesthe request anddelivers the object 1 Object is needed byan application API Object ID How CAS Retrieves a Data Object CAS Application Server Client Content Addressed Storage

17. CAS Features • Features available with most CAS systems are: • Integrity checking • Data protection • Local replication • Remote replication • Load balancing • Scalability • Self-diagnosis and repair • Report generation and event notification • Fault tolerance • Audit trails Content Addressed Storage

18. API Application Server Example 1: CAS Healthcare Solution • Each X-ray image ranges from about 15MB to over 1GB • Patient record is stored online for a period of 60-90 days • Beyond 90 days patient records are archived Hospital Stored locally for Data Stored Short-Term Use on CAS Patient Studies (60 Days) CAS System Content Addressed Storage

19. API Application Server Example 2: CAS Financial Solution • Check image size is about 25KB • Check imaging service provider may process 50–90 million check images per month • Checks are stored online for a period of 60 days • Beyond 60 days data is archived Bank CAS System Content Addressed Storage

20. Lesson Summary Key points covered in this lesson: • CAS architecture • Physical and logical elements of CAS • CAS storage and retrieval process • CAS solution examples Content Addressed Storage

21. Module Summary Key points covered in this module: • Benefits of CAS based storage strategy • Overview of physical and logical elements of CAS • Storing and retrieving data from CAS • CAS application examples Content Addressed Storage

22. Concept in Practice – EMC Centera • Centera Architecture • Based on RAIN (Redundant Array of Independent Node) • Access Node • Storage Node Content Mirrored Content To Server Storage Nodes 1 2 3 4 5 6 4 Ethernet LAN Switch 3 Access/Storage 6 Nodes Private 1 LAN 5 2 Ethernet Switch Power Rails Content Addressed Storage

23.  Check Your Knowledge • What are the key features of a CAS implementation? • What are the benefits of a CAS Storage Strategy? • What are 2 business applications that would benefit from CAS technology? • What are the logical elements of a CAS system? • How does data get stored in a CAS environment? Content Addressed Storage