An active storage framework for object storage devices

Abstract

In this paper, we present the design and implementation of an active storage framework for object storage devices. The framework is based on the use of virtual machines/execution engines to execute function code downloaded from client applications. We investigate the issues involved in supporting multiple execution engines. Allowing user-downloadable code fragments introduces potential safety and security considerations, and we study the effect of these considerations on these engines. In particular, we look at various remote procedure execution mechanisms and the efficiency and safety of these mechanisms. Finally, we present performance results of the active storage framework on a variety of applications.