Talk:Distributed file system

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Distributed file system

This page says "In computing, a distributed file system is a network file system where a single file system can be distributed across several physical computer nodes"

The distributed file system page says "Distributed file systems are also called network file systems. Normally many implementations have been made, they are location dependent and they have access control lists (ACLs), unless otherwise stated below."

Issue 1. These are not consistent. The first says that a distributed file system is a special case of a network file system. The second says distributed and network file systems are the same.

Issue 2. File systems are not distributed across computer nodes. File systems do not reside on computer nodes. File systems are on storage devices and those storage devices can be directly hosted by computer nodes or they may be on storage arrays. Storage arrays may be shared, i.e. they may have multiple hosts.

Issue 3. ACLs have nothing to do with a file system being distributed, or not being distributed.

Issue 4. Is it correct to call NFS a network file system? It is a method for exporting a file system rather than being a native file system.

Rroloff (talk) 18:28, 25 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Distributed file systems and network file systems are as far as I understand just two different names of the same and I believe these two articles should be merged into the distributed file system article. I found one source supporting this (Operating systems concepts by Silberschatz and Galvin ISBN 0-201-59292-4) but I do not currently have access to my Tanenbaum books right now, but his terminology is probably the one we should use.
A distributed file system supply transparent access to the server(s) file system on the clients. One does normally say that the file system is mounted on the clients and that multiple clients access the same file system this way.
A distributed file system, in comparison to a shared disk file system, makes it possible to have logic on the server to restrict access to the file system. It is, for example, not possible on a shared disk file system to let a single client access only that users files. I'm not really sure how this should be written on the page, but I find it important enough to mention.
Well, Network File System (protocol) is considered a distributed file system (same source as above) and since the two terms are the same....

--JerkerNyberg (talk) 11:18, 9 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Merge proposal

I propose a merge of Network file system and Distributed file system into Distributed file system. As far as I understand the meaning of the two concepts are the same, see source above. This merge should make it more clear.

The list of distributed file systems on the page Network file system#List_of_network_file_systems could be removed (and perhaps merged) and instead have a reference to the section at the List of file systems#Distributed file systems.

--JerkerNyberg (talk) 11:31, 9 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I disagree that the articles should be merged. NFS is a generic, protocol-based system by which files may be shared, stored, and accessed over a network connection. It doesn't support replication or dynamic modifications. DFS, however, is a far more specific system whereby resources on multiple systems may be merged into a single, virtual directory structure. DFS requires a management interface, supports replication, and adds an intermediary layer between the file and the user that NFS does not.

Velozoom (talk) 14:03, 13 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Is location dependent the concept you are looking for? NFS (protocol) has as far as I know been called a distributed file system. See the reference (Silberschatz, Galvin (1994). Operating System concepts, chapter 17 Distributed file systems. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company. ISBN 0-201-59292-4). Do you have any other references that use concepts the same way as you do? We need to read more books, get more references... --JerkerNyberg (talk) 23:29, 30 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]