Cloud Data Centers: Core Concepts - Part 2
Description
Welcome to the Oracle University Podcast, the first stop on your cloud journey. During this series of informative podcasts, we’ll bring you foundational training on the most popular Oracle technologies. Let’s get started!
Nikita: Welcome to the Oracle University Podcast! I’m Nikita Abraham, Team Lead of Editorial Services with Oracle University, and with me is Lois Houston, Director of Innovation Programs.
Lois: Hey there! Last week, we spoke about the differences between traditional and cloud data centers, and covered components like CPU, RAM, and operating systems. If you haven’t listened to the episode yet, I’d suggest going back and listening to it before you dive into this one.
Nikita: Joining us again is Orlando Gentil, Principal OCI Instructor at Oracle University, and we’re going to ask him about another fundamental concept: storage.
Lois: That’s right, Niki. Hi Orlando! Thanks for being with us again today. You introduced cloud data centers last week, but tell us, how is data stored and accessed in these centers?
Orlando: At a fundamental level, storage is where your data resides persistently. Data stored on a storage device is accessed by the CPU and, for specialized tasks, the GPU. The RAM acts as a high-speed intermediary, temporarily holding data that the CPU and the GPU are actively working on. This cyclical flow ensures that applications can effectively retrieve, process, and store information, forming the backbone for our computing operations in the data center.
Nikita: But how is data organized and controlled on disks?
Orlando: To effectively store and manage data on physical disks, a structured approach is required, which is defined by file systems and permissions. The process began with disks. These are the raw physical storage devices.
Before data can be written to them, disks are typically divided into partitions. A partition is a logical division of a physical disk that acts as if it were a separated physical disk. This allows you to organize your storage space and even install multiple operating systems on a single drive.
Once partitions are created, they are formatted with a file system.
Nikita: Ok, sorry but I have to stop you there. Can you explain what a file system is? And how is data organized using a file system?
Orlando: The file system is the method and the data structure that an operating system uses to organize and manage files on storage devices. It dictates how data is named, is stored, retrieved, and managed on the disk, essentially providing the roadmap for data. Common file systems include NTFS for Windows and ext4 or XFS for Linux.
Within this file system, data is organized hierarchically into directories, also known as folders. These containers help to logically group related files, which are the individual units of data, whether they are documents, images, videos, or applications. Finally, overseeing this entire organization are permissions.
Lois: And what are permissions?
Orlando: Permissions define who can access a specific files and directories and what actions they are allowed to perform-- for example, read, write, or execute.
This access control, often managed by user, group, and other permissions, is fundamental for security, data integrity, and multi-user environments within a data center.
Lois: Ok, now that we have a good understanding of how data is organized logically, can we talk about how data is stored locally within a server?
Orlando: Local storage refers to storage devices directly attached to a server or computer. The three common types are Hard Disk Drive. These are traditional storage devices using spinning platters to store data. They offer large capacity at a lower cost per gigabyte, making them suitable for bulk data storage when high performance isn't the top priority.
Unlike hard disks, solid state drives use flash memory to store data, similar to USB drives but on a larger scale. They provide significantly faster read and write speeds, better durability, and lower power consumption than hard disks, making them ideal for operating systems, applications, and frequently accessed data.
Non-Volatile Memory Express is a communication interface specifically designed for solid state that connects directly to the PCI Express bus. NVME offers even faster performance than traditional SATA-based solid state drives by reducing latency and increasing bandwidth, making it the top choice for demanding workloads that require extreme speed, such as high-performance databases and AI applications. Each type serves different performance and cost requirements within a data center. While local storage is essential for immediate access, data center also heavily rely on storage that isn't directly attached to a single server.
Lois: I’m guessing you’re hinting at remote storage. Can you tell us more about that, Orlando?
Orlando: Remote storage refers to data storage solutions that are not physically connected to the server or client accessing them. Instead, they are accessed over the network. This setup allows multiple clients or servers to share access to the same storage resources, centralizing data management and improving data availability. This architecture is fundamental to cloud computing, enabling vast pools of shared storage that can be dynamically provisioned to various users and applications.
Lois: Let’s talk about the common forms of remote storage. Can you run us through them?
Orlando: One of the most common and accessible forms of remote storage is Network Attached Storage or NAS. NAS is a dedicated file storage device connected to a network that allows multiple users and client devices to retrieve data from a centralized disk capacity. It's essentially a server dedicated to serving files.
A client connects to the NAS over the network. And the NAS then provides access to files and folders. NAS devices are ideal for scenarios requiring shared file access, such as document collaboration, centralized backups, or serving media files, making them very popular in both home and enterprise environments. While NAS provides file-level access over a network, some applications, especially those requiring high performance and direct block level access to storage, need a different approach.
Nikita: And what might this approach be?
Orlando: Internet Small Computer System Interface, which provides block-level storage over an IP network.
iSCSI or Internet Small Computer System Interface is a standard that allows the iSCSI protocol traditionally used for local storage to be sent over IP networks. Essentially, it enables servers to access storage devices as if they were directly attached even though they are located remotely on the network.
This means it can leverage standard ethernet infrastructure, making it a cost-effective solution for creating high performance, centralized storage accessible over an existing network. It's particularly useful for server virtualization and database environments where block-level access is preferred. While iSCSI provides block-level access over standard IP, for environments demanding even higher performance, lower latency, and greater dedicated throughput, a specialized network is often deployed.
Nikita: And what’s this specialized network called?
Orlando: Storage Area Network or SAN. A Storage Area Network or SAN is a high-speed network specifically designed to provide block-level access to consolidated shared storage. Unlike NAS, which provides file level access, a SAN presents a storage volumes to servers as if they were local disks, allowing for very high performance for applications like databases and virtualized environments. While iSCSI SANs use ethernet, many high-performance SANs utilize fiber channel for even faster and more reliable data transfer, making them a cornerstone of enterprise data centers where performance and availability are paramount.
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