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When it comes to architecting and scaling large OneFS powered clusters, there are some key tenets to bear in mind. These include:
Distributed systems tend to be complex by definition, and this is amplified at scale. OneFS does a good job of simplifying cluster administration and management, but a solid architectural design and growth plan is key. Because of its single, massive volume and namespace, a OneFS viewed by many as a sort of ‘storage Swiss army knife’. Left unchecked, this methodology can result in unnecessary complexities as a cluster scales. As such, decision making that favors simplicity is key.
Despite OneFS’ extensibility, allowing a system to simply grow organically into a large cluster often results in various levels of technical debt. In the worst case, some issues may have grown so large that it becomes impossible to correct the underlying cause. This is particularly true in instances where a small cluster is initially purchased for an archive or low performance workload and with a bias towards cost optimized storage. As the administrators realize how simple and versatile their clustered storage environment is, more applications and workflows are migrated to OneFS. This kind of haphazard growth, such as morphing from a low-powered, near-line platform into something larger and more performant, can lead to all manner of scaling challenges. However, compromises, living with things, or fixing issues that could have been avoided can usually be mitigated by starting with a scalable architecture, workflow and expansion plan.
Starting with a defined architecture, sizing and expansion plan is key. What do you anticipate the cluster, workloads, and client access levels will look like in six months, one year, three years, or five years? How will you accommodate the following as the cluster scales?