A Distributed File System or DFS is a file system that is distributed on various locations or file servers. It allows the computer programs to access and store isolated data in the same method as in local environment, from any computer or over any network.
Distributed File System gives ability to share information and files in a well-managed manner to its network users. The primary goal of DFS is to allow users of physically distributed systems to share information with each other with a system called Common File System (CFS). This file system runs as a part of operating system. In DFS, the server permits its users to share and store data and controls the access given to its users.
A collection of mainframe computers connected over a Local area network is the basic configuration of the Distributed File System. In DFS, process of creating a namespace is totally transparent for its users.
With the exceptional availability of the internet all around the globe and growth in network-based computing, server-based systems have been proved to be revolutionary in building the Distributed File Systems.
Components of Distributed File System
With the evolution of networks, development of file systems like DFS has brought efficiency and convenience to sharing files & information on a network. With amazing benefits that DFS provides, here are two major components of the Distributed File System:
- Redundancy
- Local Transparency
- Redundancy: It is performed with a file replication component.
- Local transparency: It is performed with the namespace component.
In case of heavy load on the server, these components work together in cooperation to improve data availability through the concept of “DFS Root”.
History of DFS
The distributed file system was initially introduced as an additional feature to Windows NT 4.0 server. It was given the name DFS 4.1
Later, it has been incorporated as a standard component of all Windows 2000 server editions.
Features of DFS
Here are a few most amazing features of DFS that makes its users life easy:
- DFS is Secure
- DFS is Scalable
- DFS is Easy To Use
- DFS is Highly Available & Reliable
- DFS has Transparency
- DFS Gives Amazing Performance
- DFS has Data Integrity
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