EOS is a distributed storage system developed at CERN for managing very large collections of scientific data. It was originally designed to meet the demanding storage requirements of experiments at the Large Hadron Collider, where large numbers of researchers need reliable and efficient access to shared datasets.
The system provides a scalable storage architecture built around commodity servers and disk arrays. It uses XRootD as its principal data access framework, while also offering conventional filesystem access and web-based protocols.
EOS is designed for environments where data availability, storage efficiency and operational reliability are particularly important. It provides mechanisms for distributing information across storage nodes, managing capacity and protecting datasets against hardware failures.
Although developed for scientific computing, EOS can also serve other organisations that need to manage large-scale shared storage infrastructures. Its administrative facilities support ongoing maintenance while users continue accessing their data.
This is free and open source software.
Key Features
- Provides distributed storage designed for multi-petabyte datasets.
- Uses XRootD for high-performance remote data access.
- Supports HTTP, HTTPS and WebDAV access.
- Provides POSIX-like filesystem mounting through a FUSE client.
- Supports data replication across multiple storage devices and nodes.
- Offers erasure coding for space-efficient data protection.
- Provides configurable storage placement and scheduling policies.
- Supports user, group and project storage quotas.
- Includes access control lists and configurable filesystem permissions.
- Provides automatic storage balancing and migration between devices.
- Supports draining storage devices for maintenance and replacement.
- Includes filesystem consistency checking and repair facilities.
- Offers a recycle bin for recovering deleted files.
- Provides storage lifecycle management and automated cleanup policies.
- Supports integration with the CERN Tape Archive for archival workflows.
- Includes command-line administration and monitoring facilities.
Website: github.com/cern-eos/eos
Support:
Developer: CERN
License: GNU General Public License v3.0
EOS is written in C++. Learn C++ with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
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| LeilFS | Distributed POSIX file system |
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