diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/filesystems')
| -rw-r--r-- | Documentation/filesystems/pohmelfs/design_notes.txt | 70 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | Documentation/filesystems/pohmelfs/info.txt | 86 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | Documentation/filesystems/pohmelfs/network_protocol.txt | 227 |
3 files changed, 383 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/filesystems/pohmelfs/design_notes.txt b/Documentation/filesystems/pohmelfs/design_notes.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6d6db60 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/filesystems/pohmelfs/design_notes.txt @@ -0,0 +1,70 @@ +POHMELFS: Parallel Optimized Host Message Exchange Layered File System. + + Evgeniy Polyakov <zbr@ioremap.net> + +Homepage: http://www.ioremap.net/projects/pohmelfs + +POHMELFS first began as a network filesystem with coherent local data and +metadata caches but is now evolving into a parallel distributed filesystem. + +Main features of this FS include: + * Locally coherent cache for data and metadata with (potentially) byte-range locks. + Since all Linux filesystems lock the whole inode during writing, algorithm + is very simple and does not use byte-ranges, although they are sent in + locking messages. + * Completely async processing of all events except creation of hard and symbolic + links, and rename events. + Object creation and data reading and writing are processed asynchronously. + * Flexible object architecture optimized for network processing. + Ability to create long paths to objects and remove arbitrarily huge + directories with a single network command. + (like removing the whole kernel tree via a single network command). + * Very high performance. + * Fast and scalable multithreaded userspace server. Being in userspace it works + with any underlying filesystem and still is much faster than async in-kernel NFS one. + * Client is able to switch between different servers (if one goes down, client + automatically reconnects to second and so on). + * Transactions support. Full failover for all operations. + Resending transactions to different servers on timeout or error. + * Read request (data read, directory listing, lookup requests) balancing between multiple servers. + * Write requests are replicated to multiple servers and completed only when all of them are acked. + * Ability to add and/or remove servers from the working set at run-time. + * Strong authentification and possible data encryption in network channel. + * Extended attributes support. + +POHMELFS is based on transactions, which are potentially long-standing objects that live +in the client's memory. Each transaction contains all the information needed to process a given +command (or set of commands, which is frequently used during data writing: single transactions +can contain creation and data writing commands). Transactions are committed by all the servers +to which they are sent and, in case of failures, are eventually resent or dropped with an error. +For example, reading will return an error if no servers are available. + +POHMELFS uses a asynchronous approach to data processing. Courtesy of transactions, it is +possible to detach replies from requests and, if the command requires data to be received, the +caller sleeps waiting for it. Thus, it is possible to issue multiple read commands to different +servers and async threads will pick up replies in parallel, find appropriate transactions in the +system and put the data where it belongs (like the page or inode cache). + +The main feature of POHMELFS is writeback data and the metadata cache. +Only a few non-performance critical operations use the write-through cache and +are synchronous: hard and symbolic link creation, and object rename. Creation, +removal of objects and data writing are asynchronous and are sent to +the server during system writeback. Only one writer at a time is allowed for any +given inode, which is guarded by an appropriate locking protocol. +Because of this feature, POHMELFS is extremely fast at metadata intensive +workloads and can fully utilize the bandwidth to the servers when doing bulk +data transfers. + +POHMELFS clients operate with a working set of servers and are capable of balancing read-only +operations (like lookups or directory listings) between them. +Administrators can add or remove servers from the set at run-time via special commands (described +in Documentation/pohmelfs/info.txt file). Writes are replicated to all servers. + +POHMELFS is capable of full data channel encryption and/or strong crypto hashing. +One can select any kernel supported cipher, encryption mode, hash type and operation mode +(hmac or digest). It is also possible to use both or neither (default). Crypto configuration +is checked during mount time and, if the server does not support it, appropriate capabilities +will be disabled or mount will fail (if 'crypto_fail_unsupported' mount option is specified). +Crypto performance heavily depends on the number of crypto threads, which asynchronously perform +crypto operations and send the resulting data to server or submit it up the stack. This number +can be controlled via a mount option. diff --git a/Documentation/filesystems/pohmelfs/info.txt b/Documentation/filesystems/pohmelfs/info.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4e3d501 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/filesystems/pohmelfs/info.txt @@ -0,0 +1,86 @@ +POHMELFS usage information. + +Mount options: +idx=%u + Each mountpoint is associated with a special index via this option. + Administrator can add or remove servers from the given index, so all mounts, + which were attached to it, are updated. + Default it is 0. + +trans_scan_timeout=%u + This timeout, expressed in milliseconds, specifies time to scan transaction + trees looking for stale requests, which have to be resent, or if number of + retries exceed specified limit, dropped with error. + Default is 5 seconds. + +drop_scan_timeout=%u + Internal timeout, expressed in milliseconds, which specifies how frequently + inodes marked to be dropped are freed. It also specifies how frequently + the system checks that servers have to be added or removed from current working set. + Default is 1 second. + +wait_on_page_timeout=%u + Number of milliseconds to wait for reply from remote server for data reading command. + If this timeout is exceeded, reading returns an error. + Default is 5 seconds. + +trans_retries=%u + This is the number of times that a transaction will be resent to a server that did + not answer for the last @trans_scan_timeout milliseconds. + When the number of resends exceeds this limit, the transaction is completed with error. + Default is 5 resends. + +crypto_thread_num=%u + Number of crypto processing threads. Threads are used both for RX and TX traffic. + Default is 2, or no threads if crypto operations are not supported. + +trans_max_pages=%u + Maximum number of pages in a single transaction. This parameter also controls + the number of pages, allocated for crypto processing (each crypto thread has + pool of pages, the number of which is equal to 'trans_max_pages'. + Default is 100 pages. + +crypto_fail_unsupported + If specified, mount will fail if the server does not support requested crypto operations. + By default mount will disable non-matching crypto operations. + +mcache_timeout=%u + Maximum number of milliseconds to wait for the mcache objects to be processed. + Mcache includes locks (given lock should be granted by server), attributes (they should be + fully received in the given timeframe). + Default is 5 seconds. + +Usage examples. + +Add (or remove if it already exists) server server1.net:1025 into the working set with index $idx +with appropriate hash algorithm and key file and cipher algorithm, mode and key file: +$cfg -a server1.net -p 1025 -i $idx -K $hash_key -k $cipher_key + +Mount filesystem with given index $idx to /mnt mountpoint. +Client will connect to all servers specified in the working set via previous command: +mount -t pohmel -o idx=$idx q /mnt + +One can add or remove servers from working set after mounting too. + + +Server installation. + +Creating a server, which listens at port 1025 and 0.0.0.0 address. +Working root directory (note, that server chroots there, so you have to have appropriate permissions) +is set to /mnt, server will negotiate hash/cipher with client, in case client requested it, there +are appropriate key files. +Number of working threads is set to 10. + +# ./fserver -a 0.0.0.0 -p 1025 -r /mnt -w 10 -K hash_key -k cipher_key + + -A 6 - listen on ipv6 address. Default: Disabled. + -r root - path to root directory. Default: /tmp. + -a addr - listen address. Default: 0.0.0.0. + -p port - listen port. Default: 1025. + -w workers - number of workers per connected client. Default: 1. + -K file - hash key size. Default: none. + -k file - cipher key size. Default: none. + -h - this help. + +Number of worker threads specifies how many workers will be created for each client. +Bulk single-client transafers usually are better handled with smaller number (like 1-3). diff --git a/Documentation/filesystems/pohmelfs/network_protocol.txt b/Documentation/filesystems/pohmelfs/network_protocol.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..40ea6c2 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/filesystems/pohmelfs/network_protocol.txt @@ -0,0 +1,227 @@ +POHMELFS network protocol. + +Basic structure used in network communication is following command: + +struct netfs_cmd +{ + __u16 cmd; /* Command number */ + __u16 csize; /* Attached crypto information size */ + __u16 cpad; /* Attached padding size */ + __u16 ext; /* External flags */ + __u32 size; /* Size of the attached data */ + __u32 trans; /* Transaction id */ + __u64 id; /* Object ID to operate on. Used for feedback.*/ + __u64 start; /* Start of the object. */ + __u64 iv; /* IV sequence */ + __u8 data[0]; +}; + +Commands can be embedded into transaction command (which in turn has own command), +so one can extend protocol as needed without breaking backward compatibility as long +as old commands are supported. All string lengths include tail 0 byte. + +All commans are transfered over the network in big-endian. CPU endianess is used at the end peers. + +@cmd - command number, which specifies command to be processed. Following + commands are used currently: + + NETFS_READDIR = 1, /* Read directory for given inode number */ + NETFS_READ_PAGE, /* Read data page from the server */ + NETFS_WRITE_PAGE, /* Write data page to the server */ + NETFS_CREATE, /* Create directory entry */ + NETFS_REMOVE, /* Remove directory entry */ + NETFS_LOOKUP, /* Lookup single object */ + NETFS_LINK, /* Create a link */ + NETFS_TRANS, /* Transaction */ + NETFS_OPEN, /* Open intent */ + NETFS_INODE_INFO, /* Metadata cache coherency synchronization message */ + NETFS_PAGE_CACHE, /* Page cache invalidation message */ + NETFS_READ_PAGES, /* Read multiple contiguous pages in one go */ + NETFS_RENAME, /* Rename object */ + NETFS_CAPABILITIES, /* Capabilities of the client, for example supported crypto */ + NETFS_LOCK, /* Distributed lock message */ + NETFS_XATTR_SET, /* Set extended attribute */ + NETFS_XATTR_GET, /* Get extended attribute */ + +@ext - external flags. Used by different commands to specify some extra arguments + like partial size of the embedded objects or creation flags. + +@size - size of the attached data. For NETFS_READ_PAGE and NETFS_READ_PAGES no data is attached, + but size of the requested data is incorporated here. It does not include size of the command + header (struct netfs_cmd) itself. + +@id - id of the object this command operates on. Each command can use it for own purpose. + +@start - start of the object this command operates on. Each command can use it for own purpose. + +@csize, @cpad - size and padding size of the (attached if needed) crypto information. + +Command specifications. + +@NETFS_READDIR +This command is used to sync content of the remote dir to the client. + +@ext - length of the path to object. +@size - the same. +@id - local inode number of the directory to read. +@start - zero. + + +@NETFS_READ_PAGE +This command is used to read data from remote server. +Data size does not exceed local page cache size. + +@id - inode number. +@start - first byte offset. +@size - number of bytes to read plus length of the path to object. +@ext - object path length. + + +@NETFS_CREATE +Used to create object. +It does not require that all directories on top of the object were +already created, it will create them automatically. Each object has +associated @netfs_path_entry data structure, which contains creation +mode (permissions and type) and length of the name as long as name itself. + +@start - 0 +@size - size of the all data structures needed to create a path +@id - local inode number +@ext - 0 + + +@NETFS_REMOVE +Used to remove object. + +@ext - length of the path to object. +@size - the same. +@id - local inode number. +@start - zero. + + +@NETFS_LOOKUP +Lookup information about object on server. + +@ext - length of the path to object. +@size - the same. +@id - local inode number of the directory to look object in. +@start - local inode number of the object to look at. + + +@NETFS_LINK +Create hard of symlink. +Command is sent as "object_path|target_path". + +@size - size of the above string. +@id - parent local inode number. +@start - 1 for symlink, 0 for hardlink. +@ext - size of the "object_path" above. + + +@NETFS_TRANS +Transaction header. + +@size - incorporates all embedded command sizes including theirs header sizes. +@start - transaction generation number - unique id used to find transaction. +@ext - transaction flags. Unused at the moment. +@id - 0. + + +@NETFS_OPEN +Open intent for given transaction. + +@id - local inode number. +@start - 0. +@size - path length to the object. +@ext - open flags (O_RDWR and so on). + + +@NETFS_INODE_INFO +Metadata update command. +It is sent to servers when attributes of the object are changed and received +when data or metadata were updated. It operates with the following structure: + +struct netfs_inode_info +{ + unsigned int mode; + unsigned int nlink; + unsigned int uid; + unsigned int gid; + unsigned int blocksize; + unsigned int padding; + __u64 ino; + __u64 blocks; + __u64 rdev; + __u64 size; + __u64 version; +}; + +It effectively mirrors stat(2) returned data. + + +@ext - path length to the object. +@size - the same plus size of the netfs_inode_info structure. +@id - local inode number. +@start - 0. + + +@NETFS_PAGE_CACHE +Command is only received by clients. It contains information about +page to be marked as not up-to-date. + +@id - client's inode number. +@start - last byte of the page to be invalidated. If it is not equal to + current inode size, it will be vmtruncated(). +@size - 0 +@ext - 0 + + +@NETFS_READ_PAGES +Used to read multiple contiguous pages in one go. + +@start - first byte of the contiguous region to read. +@size - contains of two fields: lower 8 bits are used to represent page cache shift + used by client, another 3 bytes are used to get number of pages. +@id - local inode number. +@ext - path length to the object. + + +@NETFS_RENAME +Used to rename object. +Attached data is formed into following string: "old_path|new_path". + +@id - local inode number. +@start - parent inode number. +@size - length of the above string. +@ext - length of the old path part. + + +@NETFS_CAPABILITIES +Used to exchange crypto capabilities with server. +If crypto capabilities are not supported by server, then client will disable it +or fail (if 'crypto_fail_unsupported' mount options was specified). + +@id - superblock index. Used to specify crypto information for group of servers. +@size - size of the attached capabilities structure. +@start - 0. +@size - 0. +@scsize - 0. + +@NETFS_LOCK +Used to send lock request/release messages. Although it sends byte range request +and is capable of flushing pages based on that, it is not used, since all Linux +filesystems lock the whole inode. + +@id - lock generation number. +@start - start of the locked range. +@size - size of the locked range. +@ext - lock type: read/write. Not used actually. 15'th bit is used to determine, + if it is lock request (1) or release (0). + +@NETFS_XATTR_SET +@NETFS_XATTR_GET +Used to set/get extended attributes for given inode. +@id - attribute generation number or xattr setting type +@start - size of the attribute (request or attached) +@size - name length, path len and data size for given attribute +@ext - path length for given object |
