W H I T E PA P E R
STORNEXT STORAGE PLATFORM
FOR MEDIA WORKFLOWS
Part 1: The StorNext File System
CONTENTS
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
The Challenges of Rapidly Evolving 21st-Century Workflows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
StorNext Platform for Data Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
File System and Storage Topology Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
StorNext File System Offers Benefits of DAS, NAS, and SAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Benefits of the StorNext File System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
StorNext Production Storage Topology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Tuning the StorNext File System for Optimal Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Slicing and Striping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
StorNext 5 and Metadata Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2 WHITE PAPER | StorNext Storage Platform for Media Workflows: The StorNext File System
INTRODUCTION
The two core requirements of video production storage systems have always been somewhat at
odds. Editing and effects require the high-performance playback typically found in direct-attached
storage (DAS). However, the collaborative nature of file-based media workflows, combined with the
need to share large files rather than duplicate them, requires shared access. Network-attached
storage (NAS) often uses IP-based file-sharing protocols that can be subject to network congestion
and can fail to deliver the in-order deliver characteristics critical to frame-based editing.
Quantum’s StorNext® file system gained popularity across the media and entertainment
industries for its ability to resolve these differences. For almost two decades, Quantum’s StorNext
engineers develop media-specific storage technologies in lockstep with industry requirements.
StorNext was the first widely adopted collaborative storage area network (SAN) environment to
deliver predictable, real-time, performance for uncompressed standard-definition (SD) and highdefinition (HD) finishing. As industry demands on storage continued to grow, StorNext evolved—
providing seamless, automated data moving and archiving capabilities from high-speed primary
production storage to nearline NAS, object storage, cloud archive, and tape.
With 4K UHD, 8K, and virtual reality (VR) gaining popularity, performance and sharing
requirements are only increasing. In preparation, Quantum rearchitected StorNext to take
advantage of the latest multicore processing architectures, high-capacity system memory, and
solid-state storage technologies. StorNext 5 further closed the performance/collaboration gap by
adding support for multi-protocol NAS support, enabling users to connect more easily to highperformance StorNext environments with affordable Ethernet. THE CHALLENGES OF RAPIDLY EVOLVING
21ST-CENTURY WORKFLOWS
The creation, distribution, and consumption of video content is increasing at a rate which was
unimaginable 20 years ago. Advances in camera and screen resolutions, satellite, sensor, and
seismic technologies are creating a massive influx of data that needs to be captured, processed,
and preserved. Government agencies need shared access to data, so they can deliver increased
situational awareness. Video content providers are challenged with 4K production on one end,
and always-on devices that require more formats in more places on the other. Corporations are
increasing their use of video to promote products and train employees, stressing traditional IT. The
fact that data is being kept longer to be repurposed in the future—combined with data growth and
budget pressures—leads to a need for high-performance, scalable storage that is also cost-effective.
In recent years, the “NAS or SAN” debate has given way to more business-driven discussions
regarding the ideal characteristics for data production and lifecycle management. While the
priority differs among business sectors, the list is somewhat universal:
• Provide the fastest possible connection between applications and data
• Scale primary storage to massive capacities with no performance loss
• Provide flexible I/O, so solutions can be optimized for budgets and client performance
requirements
• Support third-party project and asset management solutions via an open, robust API
• Maintain application accessibility to all data, forever.
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STORNEXT PLATFORM FOR DATA MANAGEMENT
Connecting via fast Fibre Channel and Ethernet connections, StorNext volumes appear as a
single, managed volume to the hundreds of Windows, Macintosh, and Linux-based applications
used in content creation. The Quantum StorNext platform provides data management services
through two distinct but integrated components:
• StorNext File System ­– High-speed shared data access from primary storage from SAN and
local-area network (LAN) connections
• StorNext Storage Manager – Automated storage tiering, archiving, and data protection across
a range of storage types
This white paper focuses on the StorNext File System.
StorNext File System
StorNext Storage Manager
High-performance data sharing with SAN/LAN access
NFS
CIFS
STORNEXT SAN & LAN CLIENTS
XSAN CLIENTS
NFS & CIFS CLIENTS
ETHERNET
INFINIBAND
FIBRE CHANNEL
ISCSI
Tiered storage, archive, and data protection
LATTUS EXTENDED
ONLINE STORAGE
TAPE ARCHIVES
STORNEXT VAULTING
& ACTIVE VAULT
Q-CLOUD
STORNEXT
PRIMARY STORAGE
FILE SYSTEM AND STORAGE TOPOLOGY BASICS
The StorNext File System enables collaborative workflows in which video, images, and analytical
data can be shared and directly accessed simultaneously at high speed by multiple computers
and servers (clients) across multiple operating systems. To appreciate the advanced capabilities
of StorNext, it helps to understand the major types of storage file systems and storage topologies
used today.
A file system creates a hierarchy of data on storage devices and controls how data is written
and read. File systems allocate and manage the storage blocks where data is written, store and
retrieve the files requested by clients, enforce access control restrictions, and resolve access
conflicts between clients to ensure data integrity. File system performance determines the
ultimate performance of a storage system, based primarily on how efficiently it organizes its files
and directory structures.
Computer Operating File Systems on Direct-Attached Storage (DAS) – Windows, Mac OS, Linux,
or UNIX operating systems each have their own specific file system (NTFS, EXT3, FAT, HFS+).
Typically, these operating systems run off direct-attached drives that are either physical or virtual.
Sometimes USB or Thunderbolt-attached drives attach to these clients. DAS volumes are an
extension of the operating system storage itself, and write at the block level of the host storage
device(s) in their own particular manner. The downside of DAS storage is that is only available at
peak speed to an individual client, which results in underutilized storage capacity and the need to
copy files back and forth between collaborators.
4 WHITE PAPER | StorNext Storage Platform for Media Workflows: The StorNext File System
Direct Attached Storage (DAS)
WORKSTATION OR SERVER
SCSI
RAID STORAGE
Network-Attached File System (NAS) – In many business environments, files are shared between
clients using a file system running on a NAS appliance. NAS volumes are viewed by clients as a
different file system than its own. NAS volumes appear to clients as a file server. To access NAS
files, clients use networking protocols such as NFS or SMB using affordable Ethernet connections.
Although affordable, in a NAS environment, files must be copied from the data storage to the
NAS server’s memory before it can transmit the information to the requestor. This requires files
to be converted into Internet Protocol (IP) packets before they can do so. The time it takes to do
this (latency) can go unnoticed in word processing or email operation. In serving HTML content,
the latency is widely accepted. However, for operations such as financial transactions, video
processing, and visualization, these performance fluctuations can be disruptive.
Network Attached Storage (NAS)
ETHERNET SWITCH
CLIENTS
CLIENTS
FILE SERVER
WITH STORAGE
CLIENTS
In addition to latency, IP protocols do not preserve in-order packet delivery. In a video workflow,
this is especially critical. If video frames arrive out of order from the storage to a client
performing a playout, the client will have to reorder the data before it can continue the stream.
For media applications, this is a common cause of dropped frames. Improvements in Ethernet
technology have allowed acceptable remote file-processing performance on NAS for some use
cases. However, latency is still common when multiple clients request concurrent access to
larger files over Ethernet, or when there is great disparity between the file sizes being accessed.
Storage Area Network (SAN) Shared File Systems – A SAN is a purpose-built distributed peerto-peer file system between client storage. No file server is needed as a middleman. A SAN
storage volume appears to every client as an extension of its own file system. Files are written
quickly to the block level of the fast storage arrays using SCSI commands at DAS-or-better
performance. There is no latency from file-level IP operations.
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In a standard SAN, each client gets its own allocation of storage and dedicated bandwidth. In a
shared SAN (or clustered SAN), the file allows multiple clients to access a shared pool of storage.
In this type of SAN, multiple clients have access to the same blocks on the same volume. The
metadata controller acts as a “traffic cop,” managing file locking, space allocation, and data
access authorization.
Standard SAN
StorNext SAN
APPLICATION
APPLICATION
APPLICATION
APPLICATION
1010101
0101000
1010001
0010100
1010101
0101000
1010001
0010100
METADATA
CONTROLLER
0010100
1010101
0101000
1010001
1010101
0101000
1010001
0010100
FILE SYSTEM
FILE SYSTEM
FILE SYSTEM
FIBRE CHANNEL
CLIENT A STORAGE
FIBRE CHANNEL
CLIENT B STORAGE
In a standard SAN, storage is dedicated to each client.
ALL CLIENTS SHARE STORAGE
In a StorNext SAN, a metadata controller manages
storage allocation, bandwidth, file sharing for all clients.
However, unlike a NAS server, the metadata controller handles only a file’s structural metadata.
The actual user data travels on a separate path via block-based Fibre Channel or Ethernet
protocols. Eliminating file server bottleneck between client and storage and freeing smaller
metadata operations from larger user data I/O are key to SAN file systems outperforming NAS.
STORNEXT FILE SYSTEM OFFERS BENEFITS OF DAS, NAS, AND SAN
StorNext File Systems enable shared SAN environments that use Fibre Channel connections to
process and deliver data frames at a guaranteed speed in guaranteed order. For cost and access
flexibility, a scale-out NAS gateway can provide affordable shared Ethernet access to the same pool
of high-speed storage. StorNext also features an optional IP-based block-based Distributed LAN
Client (DLC) with guaranteed in-order frame delivery over 1Gb, 10Gb, and 40Gb Ethernet.
BENEFITS OF THE STORNEXT FILE SYSTEM
• Fibre or IP connections to Linux, Mac, Windows, and UNIX clients under a single namespace
• Multi-protocol access for flexible connectivity
• High-performance, scalable UNIX-based architecture easily supports heavy data loads
• Out-of-band, direct-access to Fibre, iSCSI, and InfiniBand for peak performance
• Fibre connection between NAS and SAN storage eliminates data movement over the LAN
6 WHITE PAPER | StorNext Storage Platform for Media Workflows: The StorNext File System
Fibre or IP Connections to Linux, Mac, Windows, and UNIX Clients
XCELLIS
WORKFLOW
DIRECTORS
IP Data and
Metadata Path
IP Data Path
STORAGE
Fibre
Channel
Data
Path
DLC CLIENTS
NAS CLIENTS
STORNEXT PRODUCTION STORAGE TOPOLOGY
The speed at which files can be stored or retrieved is not only a function of physical storage
performance, but also how efficiently the files’ structural metadata is stored. Structural metadata
is information about the user data that is being stored, such as where files are in a directory,
their creation data and access permissions. Metadata is used for all indexing and searching of
content and is updated whenever a file is created, deleted, modified, or accessed. Metadata space
requirements are typically a fraction of the size of the data itself.
Separating user data and metadata operations is a key design feature that makes StorNext so
extraordinarily responsive. For example, metadata can be stored on solid-state disk drives, which
provide excellent random I/O performance for small data operations. Large user data files, such
as video files or application datasets, can then be written simultaneously at block-level speeds
across more affordable standard disks, where redundant array of independent disks (RAID)
arrays spread file segments across multiple drives, aggregating drive performance and providing
protection against data loss.
Metadata is typically processed over a dedicated Gigabit Ethernet LAN connection using two,
redundant metadata controllers (MDCs) running on Xcellis™ Workflow Directors. User data is
processed at block level over Fibre Channel or Ethernet (iSCSI, InfiniBand, or Quantum’s blockbased DLC). StorNext utilizes one or more Fibre Channel connections on between the client and
the storage array(s). The clients are connected to the storage array while metadata traffic is kept
on a separate Ethernet connection, thus out of band from the data transfer itself. The MDCs
ensure that all files can be read at the same time from multiple clients, but not overwritten. This
unique design scales performance from a few gigabytes per second to hundreds by aggregating
the performance of up to hundreds of disk arrays and thousands of disks.
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1. Client application issues a command to the StorNext client,
which is sent to Metadata Controller via the LAN.
2. Metadata Controller processes
and responds back to client via LAN
with disk blocks location for data
read or write.
3. StorNext clent receives block and
performs I/O operation directly to
array without an in-band bottleneck,
allowing maximum data speed.
RAID 6 LUN
The following summarizes the communication sequence between a StorNext client and the MDC:
1. Client application issues a command to the StorNext client, which is sent to MDC via the LAN.
2. MDC processes and responds back to client via LAN with the disk block locations for data read
or write.
3. StorNext client receives block and performs I/O operation directly to disk array without an
in-band bottleneck, allowing data to be transferred at the maximum possible speed.
TUNING THE STORNEXT FILE SYSTEM FOR OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE
StorNext File System clients access files from high-performance storage arrays. One reason
StorNext is unique among shared file systems is the degree to which the configuration of these
arrays can be finely tuned to different workflow requirements. The following outlines the basic
components of the SNFS and the benefits of being able to adjust the corresponding parameters:
LUNs and Data Stripe Groups – Configuring StorNext for optimal performance starts with the
creation of logical unit numbers (LUNs). A LUN is a virtualized group of two or more drives
combined into a RAID arrays. Different RAID levels are used for different types of data
(see diagram).
LUNs are then aggregated into stripe groups, which are virtualized storage pools aggregated
together to increase system performance. StorNext performance can be tuned by controlling the
size and settings of LUNs and stripe groups.
8 WHITE PAPER | StorNext Storage Platform for Media Workflows: The StorNext File System
Video
Other
STORNEXT
VOLUME
Folder Affinities
Audio
Metadata
and Journal
HighAvailability
4K
Affinity Tags
HD
Stripe Groups
Data Striping Across LUNs
RAID-based LUNS
RAID 10
RAID 1
RAID 6
RAID 6
RAID 6
RAID 6
RAID 6
RAID 6
In this example, the StorNext file system has a single RAID 1 LUN for metadata and journal information,
a RAID 10 LUN for high-availability protection of the metadata controllers, four RAID 6 LUNs aggregated into
two stripe groups for very high performance such as 4K video, and another stripe group with slightly less
performance for less intensive applications. Affinities can be assigned to designate the data with the most
intensive bandwidth needs be written to the appropriate LUNs.
Affinities – Based on file-name extensions, data of a specific type may also be assigned to a
given stripe group using affinities. For example, audio files could be steered to a stripe group
with a 300MB/s performance while 4K video files could be steered to a stripe group with a 2GB/s
performance.
SLICING AND STRIPING
Another way to maximize performance is to create LUNs with similar performance
characteristics. In normal drive striping, performance decreases as drives fill up. This is because
the inner part of disk drives reads and writes slower than the outer parts. StorNext allows LUNs
to be sliced, which allows for the creation of stripe groups with similar speed characteristics,
which can then be matched to performance characteristics of data.
Standard Striping
All areas of all drives are striped together.
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LUN Slicing
LUN3/Slice 3 - Slowest Performance
LUN2/Slice 2 - Good Performance
LUN1/Slice 1 - Best Performance
StorNext allows LUNs to be sliced, which allows for the creation of stripe groups with similar speed characteristics.
Stripe groups can be configured for holding three different types of data:
• Metadata and journaling information – Metadata (as described above) and journaling
information that tracks file system transactions for purpose of recovery
• High-availability data backup – Data used to support the functionality of redundant
metadata controllers
• User data – The performance of which can be further optimized by some of the additional
parameters outlined below.
Stripe Breadth – Stripe breadth is defined as the amount of data written to a given LUN
before writes are transitioned to the next volume. A small stripe breadth is optimal
for smaller I/O operations or compressed video files. Larger stripe breath optimizes
performance for larger files and uncompressed video processing.
Video
Other
SAN
VOLUME
Folder Affinities
Audio
Metadata and
Journal
Video
Video
Audio
Other
Affinity Tags
Storage Pools
Data Striping Across LUNs
RAID Arrays (LUNS)
RAID 1
RAID 5
RAID 5
RAID 5
RAID 5
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RAID 5
RAID 5
RAID 0
Allocation Session Reservation – ASR allows users to write individual files that will be read in sequence to
be kept together. This decreases the random access seek time and increases playback performance. This
feature is particularly important for high-resolution video workflows when every video frame is captured as a
single, uncompressed file.
Client-Side Mount Options – StorNext clients use local caching to improve performance and reduce the
amount of communication between the client and the metadata controller. The amount and types of client
caching are tunable per client and per file system. Mount options also exist to control certain client behavior,
such as whether to write “ATIME” or access time of a file. Mount options for controlling buffer cache
behavior can be used to customize performance for a specific workload.
Metadata Buffer Cache – StorNext 5 has a sophisticated multi-stage caching algorithm for metadata inside
the metadata controller. The caching system will use system memory to hold metadata. When held in cache,
metadata lookups occur at the fastest possible speeds. With advanced metadata techniques, including
metadata compression, StorNext 5 can cache metadata for millions of files without needing to read from a
disk array.
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STORNEXT 5 AND METADATA PERFORMANCE
Historically, the StorNext File System provided fast performance for a wide variety of workflows, the key to which
has always been metadata performance. In 2014, Quantum released StorNext 5. Four years in the making,
StorNext’s metadata and journaling architecture was entirely rewritten to take advantage of modern multi-core
and multi-threaded processors and large memory architectures. The redesigned metadata layout greatly reduces
the latency of file system operations while also operating more efficiently with multi-threaded applications. Larger
block allocation boosted supported file count (to multi-petabyte levels) and the number of clients to be connected.
A higher-density cache keeps more metadata in memory for easier operations on large data sets. A further boost
was added by rewriting metadata journaling to take advantage of the blinding performance of solid-state disks.
StorNext 5 delivered file performance improvements of 5 to 10 times over the previous generation and 10X
improvement on the number of files supported (up to 10 billion). File fragmentation was drastically reduced.
Performance of larger sized files increased. IOP performance also improved through faster create, delete, and
lookup operations. Read/write operations and caching were improved to take full advantage of solid-state drives
and larger pools of random-access memory.
Eliminating Fragmentation
The majority negative impact from file fragmentation was virtually eliminated in StorNext 5 through a unique
combination of new on-disk file structuring, improved caching techniques, and enhanced metadata tracking capabilities.
Major Improvements in Small File Performance
Support for larger sized files increased, but so too did performance for small file operations (IOPS). Users of
StorNext in media and entertainment have been quick to embrace StorNext 5 for typically IO bound applications
such as visual effects and animation rendering. Those in financial analytics, oil and gas, and life sciences that
need high-performance computing and data analysis also found significant improvement. Combined with the
added InfiniBand support and its microsecond latencies, and flexible and affordable NAS, StorNext 5 set the
foundation for a new generation of performance for one of the world’s most trusted data management platforms.
StorNext 5 Performance Testing Results
Files/Second Write of 100,000 Files
1K
2K
4K
8K
16K
32K
StorNext 4.3
12 WHITE PAPER | StorNext Storage Platform for Media Workflows: The StorNext File System
64K
128K
256K
StorNext 5
512K
1024K
SUMMARY
Media workflows have always been among the most demanding applications for storage. New advances in
resolution, color depth, and frame rates have placed even more demands on performance and scalability,
especially in content creation, which is an inherently a collaborative process. The StorNext File System meets
these demands by enabling team members and applications to share video, images, and analytical data by
directly accessing the files simultaneously at high speed from clients running multiple operating systems. By
allowing data to be accessed across NAS as well as shared SAN connections, it serves the full range of media
workflow functions—from the streaming performance-intensive editorial operations to rendering, transcoding,
and other operations better suited for running across IP connections.
To further meet the unique needs of media, the StorNext File System can also be tuned to meet specific
performance requirements for a variety of data patterns, such compressed versus uncompressed file sizes
or by directing files to the best storage type for its file type. With the release StorNext 5, Quantum engineers
reworked the StorNext File System to increase its scalability and performance to meet the evolving needs of
media workflows. Quantum is committed to continuing development so that StorNext will remain the media and
entertainment industry’s leading open storage platform.
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ABOUT QUANTUM
Quantum is a leading expert in scale-out storage, archive and data protection. The company’s StorNext® 5 platform powers
modern high-performance workflows, enabling seamless, real-time collaboration and keeping content readily accessible for
future use and re-monetization. More than 100,000 customers have trusted Quantum to address their most demanding content
workflow needs, including top studios, major broadcasters and cutting-edge content creators. With Quantum, customers have
the end-to-end storage platform they need to manage assets from ingest through finishing and into delivery and long-term
preservation. See how at www.quantum.com/customerstories-mediaent.
www.quantum.com • 1-800-677-6268
©2016 Quantum Corporation. All rights reserved.
WP00220A-v01 Oct 2016
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