Glossary of Terms

Reports whether a file currently adheres to all, some, or none of its applied objectives.

A Hammerspace metadata server. Manages all GFS metadata and hosts the API and Management GUI. The only node type that communicates across sites.

A process that removes objects from buckets that no longer have references from any site.

The copy-on-write operation triggered when a file open for write is captured by a snapshot or cloned; can momentarily affect instance counts.

Transfers data to/from object storage, stores data on local storage, and presents NFS, SMB, and S3 to local clients. Never talks to DSX nodes at other sites.

A share added to more than one Hammerspace cluster, where each cluster sees the same contents.

A collection of Python-based extensions for command-line interfaces (Linux Bash, Windows CMD/PowerShell) used to query and manipulate file system metadata — for example, hs eval -e participants <PATH> in The Shared Object Storage Volume in Depth. Installed separately from the base Hammerspace software; see the Hammerspace Support Hub for the current download and installation instructions.

A file written to underlying storage. The same file can have instances in multiple locations and remain one file — distinct from a copy.

A rule that defines intent for managing files, using metadata criteria to orchestrate placement and data services.

A site that takes part in a global share’s replication relationship, identified by a Participant ID.

An object-storage bucket reachable by all participating sites, used to transfer file data between them.

A shared bucket added to a Hammerspace cluster as a shared resource; the data path between sites. Supports chunking, deduplication, compression, and encryption, which must match across sites.

A Hammerspace cluster, which may or may not be at a distinct physical location.

The property that the site which last wrote a file owns it; ownership governs cross-site mobility and conflict resolution.

A target measured by service-level indicators; often an objective to place file instances on specific storage.

A storage container Hammerspace uses to store instances — DSX drives, NFS exports, or object-storage buckets.