High Performance Mass Storage and Parallel I/O: Technologies and Applications

The definitive roadmap through the complex and fast-growing field of high performance I/O architecture

Today’s data-driven high performance computer technologies demand reliable delivery systems that combine high-level computing, storage, I/O, and network communication performance. Due to the growth of Internet-driven applications like digital libraries, virtual laboratories, video on demand, e-commerce, web services, and collaborative systems, issues such as storage capacity and access speed have become critical in the design of today’s computer systems.

High Performance Mass Storage and Parallel I/O fills the need for a readily accessible single reference source on the subject of high performance, large-scale storage and delivery systems, specifically the use of Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks (RAID) that are accessed using parallel input/output (I/O) architecture. The authors, all internationally recognized experts in the field, have combined the best of the current literature on the subject with important information on emerging technologies and future trends.

Topics covered include:

• Redundant disk array Architecture
• Fault Tolerance Issues in Disk Arrays
• Caching and Prefetching
• Parallel File and I/O Systems
• Emerging Technologies and Future Trends

A valuable resource for both students of computer technology and professionals in the field, High Performance Mass Storage and Parallel I/O delivers state-of-the-art information that will help today’s system designers and application developers meet the increasing demand for high-performance, large-scale storage systems.