The SDSC storage resource broker

TLDR

The SRB is middleware that offers a uniform API for accessing heterogeneous distributed storage resources, allowing data in a single collection to reside on different storage systems. The paper describes the architecture and features of the SDSC Storage Resource Broker (SRB). The SRB architecture uses a metadata catalog service (MCAT) to present a collection‑oriented view of data across heterogeneous storage systems. The SRB infrastructure is currently employed to support digital library projects at SDSC.

Abstract

This paper describes the architecture of the SDSC Storage Resource Broker (SRB). The SRB is middleware that provides applications a uniform API to access heterogeneous distributed storage resources including, filesystems, database systems, and archival storage systems. The SRB utilizes a metadata catalog service, MCAT, to provide a "collection"-oriented view of data. Thus, data items that belong to a single collection may, in fact, be stored on heterogeneous storage systems. The SRB infrastructure is being used to support digital library projects at SDSC. This paper describes the architecture and various features of the SDSC SRB.