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How do distributed filesystems differ from cluster filesystems?

Is it just the wording that I am getting tripped up on? Are there any significant differences between the two.

Gareth
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Kaitlyn Mcmordie
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2 Answers2

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Technically, Distributed filesystems is a file system that can be accessed anywhere on a network. So a Network Filesystem (or NFS), is a distributed filesystem.

A cluster filesystem is a filesystem which is mounted on multiple devices, keyword is mounted. So physically, it does not need to be on the network, etc.

So in this case, a cluster filesystem is a distributed filesystem, but a distributed filesystem "can" be a cluster filesystem.

Steven Lu
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A distributed file system does not mean it will fail on one disk dying. A distributed file system can be a clustered FS if the distributed FS is mounted to the system.

An FS can be replicated such as in RAID to avoid data loss if a hardware disk ever does die.

For example, if I wanted one server to serve a dynamic file located on the FS, I can do so through multiple servers, instead of one. That would be one reason I'd use distributed file system.

Steven Lu
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