File, Block, and Object-Level Storage: Which Solution Is Best for Your Organization
There are three principal classes of storage on the market: file-based storage, block-based storage, and object-based storage. It’s almost hard to imagine there ever was a time when storing data was much simpler; a time when structured data belonged stored away in some database somewhere while smaller, individual pieces of data were saved on desktop computers. However, as more and more data became digitized, organizations quickly began to realize the power of digital analytics; from there came the need for superior data storage systems.
File-Based Storage
There is no other storage system that can compare to the straightforwardness of file-based storage solutions—the only thing that is required is having a location to unload the data. Merely having a streamlined, accessible, and available location to store files and data folders continues to be the most crucial requirement of any organization.
File-based storage devices are usually referred to as Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices and offer a significant amount of space for less money compared to other storage devices. NAS uses common file-based protocols like Network File System (NFS) for Linux and VMware and Server Message Block/Common Internet File System (SMB/CIFS) for Windows. Furthermore, NAS storage devices manage the files and folders for the user, which means that file-based systems need to manage user access control and permissions assignment. Some of these NAS devices do well at integrating with preexisting security and authentication systems as well.
Out of the other storage devices listed, file-based storage systems are one of the simplest to implement and use. This level of storage is preferred by most because it’s relatively inexpensive to maintain compared to block-based storage or object-based storage devices. One is only required to give files a name, tag those files with metadata, and organize them under directories and sub-directories in folders. The traditional naming protocol makes file-based storage solutions simple to organize and NAS technologies provide convenient file sharing at a local level. File-based storage might be old school but a lot of companies still prefer a centralized, easily accessible method of storing files and folders.
Top File-Based Use Cases
Though file-based storage might not be as complex as block or object-based storage, it can make a lot of sense for several various reasons.
Simple File-Sharing: File-based storage is a great solution for those who simply need to store files.
Strong Data Protection: When one combines its ease of deployment, standard protocols support, the various drive technologies, and native replication, file-based storage makes for a great data protection solution.
Local Data Archiving: The capability to seamlessly provide scalability with a scale-out NAS solution makes file-level storage a cost-effective choice for archiving files in a small data center setting.
Block-Based Storage
Block-based storage is most commonly deployed by IT professionals in a storage area network (SAN) environment where data is stored in volumes (blocks). Storing files in a block-based storage system is a natural alternative to storing them in a file-based storage system. Unlike file-based storage, block-based storage doesn’t use metadata to tag files for retrieval. Instead, each block is assigned a random identifier by which it can be stored and recovered. For this reason, database storage structures commonly employ block-based storage solutions.
Configured by storage administrators and controlled by server-based operating systems, each block acts as an individual hard drive and is customarily accessed by iSCSI, Fibre Channel, or Fibre Channel over Ethernet protocols. Block storage does well at storing a mixture of applications since volumes are treated as individual hard disks. Block-based storage solutions are great for databases and file systems since it offers invariably high performance. For example, email services such as Microsoft Exchange use block-based storage instead of file-based or object-based storage systems.
RAID arrays are another primary use case for block-based storage systems, with multiple independent disks combined for increased data security and performance. While there are many benefits to using block-based storage, some organizations might find file-based or object-based storage a better option.
Top Block-Based Use Cases
Storage for RAID Volumes: One can employ block-level storage as RAID volumes. Multiple disks can be organized by stripping and mirroring.
Supports Application-Based Services: Block-level storage accommodates applications that use service side processing such as .Net, PHP, and Java.
Supports Running Mission-Critical Applications: Block-level storage is a perfect solution for databases such as Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Exchange, SAP, and Oracle.
Locally or Network Attached: Block-level storage can either be attached locally or via a network like a SAN working in conjunction with a network protocol such as iSCSI.
Object-Based Storage
Object-based storage (also known as object storage) is different than file-based and block-based storage in that it is a computer data storage structure that stores data as objects in a linear memory model. This means one can recover an object from storage by merely using its identifier which makes data much more straightforward to find in a vast pool of data. Much like file-based storage, object-based storage features a variable amount of metadata, as well as a globally unique identifier.
Since object-based storage can be deployed at multiple levels (device level, system level, and interface level), it’s far more flexible than the two storage solutions previously mentioned. Data can be stored on a local or remote server on the cloud. Due to the flexibility of its metadata, one can customize object-based storage so that it matches data with particular applications. Furthermore, one can define the level of an application’s importance, transfer objects to different areas of storage, and delete them whenever they’re no longer needed.
Representational State Transfer (RESTful APIs)
Representational state transfer (REST), a software architectural style, represents a set of constraints used for producing Web services. Web services that adhere to the REST structural style, called RESTful Web services, provide interoperability among computer systems on the Internet. RESTful Web services provide access to requesting systems and manage textual copies of Web resources by utilizing a predefined set of stateless operations. Other sorts of Web services like SOAP Web services present arbitrary sets of operations.
Files and blocks might be available to most operating systems, but object-based platforms generally depend on RESTful APIs for access. This means objects are accessible through HTTP, as well as via facilities management functions associated with file properties, permissions, and authentication. Such tools assist in optimizing the performance of object storage systems and streamline uploads, deletion, and other administrative actions.
Top Object-Based Use Cases
Unstructured Data Storage: Object-level storage devices can be used to store unstructured files such as images, videos, and music files.
Backup Files Database Dumps: Object-level storage devices are excellent for log files and database dumps for back up files.
Large Data Sets Stored as Objects: Massive data sets can be stored as objects. Whether the data is for multimedia files like images and videos, or finance or pharmaceutical, object storage is perfect for use as a huge data dump location.
Archive Files in Place of Local Tape Drives: Object-level storage is used as a glacier storage option (also known as long term storage). Glacier storage is excellent for large media assets like video surveillance footage.
Objects Can Be Read by Many Clients at Once: Once an object is written, it can be read by multiple clients at once such as students in an educational institution. Object-level storage can build a pattern of use, and all that is required is to write the object once and have it read many times over.
Some pros and cons of using file-level, block-level, and object-level data duplication technology.
File-level deduplication is also referred to as single-instance storage (SIS). File-level duplication correlates data to be archived or backed up to data previously stored by comparing its attributes against an index. The data is stored and the index updated if the data is unique. However, if the data is not unique, only a “stub” is saved pointing to the original data.
In addition to that, file-level storage can be less efficient than other storage solutions since a single change to data can cause it to be saved all over again. For example, one might change the title of a document. This will cause the entire document to be saved a second time. The reduction ratios for file-level storage might be in the range of 5:1, whereas the ratios for block-level storage are in the ranges of 20:1 and 50:1.
On the other hand, indexes for file-level deduplication takes less time to compute when duplicates are being ascertained. This means that backup execution is far less affected by the deduplication process. Furthermore, file-level processes demand less processing power because of the smaller index and reduction of number comparisons.
Lastly, ” […] block-based deduplication will require “reassembly” of the chunks based on the master index that maps the unique segments and pointers to unique segments,” according to TechTarget. With file-level storage, there is much less to reassemble since it stores unique files and pointers to unique files that have less of an impact on recovery time.
When it comes to objective-level storage, the pros and cons are as follows:
- One only pays for what is used cost structure.
- Offers a simple HTTP API with clients available for all major programming languages and operating systems.
- Storing lumps of metadata adjacent to a chunk of data can simplify application architectures.
- Using an object storage service means there is no need to manage hard drives and RAID arrays since they’re managed by service providers.
- Object storage services can’t be used to back up a traditional database because of the high latency.
- Object storage doesn’t allow one to change merely a single piece of a data blob. Rather, one must read and write an entire object at once.
- Operating systems can’t efficiently mount an object store like a regular disk.
There is a lot more to file, block, and objective-based storage solutions. Before choosing one or the other, contact us here at RAID.Inc today and talk to an expert to learn more.
