5 ms·

It's reasonable to think that this will have similar performance to 'cloudfiles' as from what i've read it's pretty much just a block file on there. their clou

It's reasonable to think that this will have similar performance to 'cloudfiles' as from what i've read it's pretty much just a block file on there. their cloud servers already have locally attached storage, but it's limited, because they're not just going to chuck disks in servers at user demand. if you want that you need to go with a dedicated server. I really see this product as being more for people who want to use something like cloudfiles but who's software can't deal with it.

robszumski 14y ago
This is completely wrong. Rackspace's Block Storage offering is built on OpenStack Cinder which has nothing to do with Cloud Files, it's backend data store, the servers it runs on, or the regions it runs in. Openstack.org has plenty of information on how Cinder works.
- ehutch79 14y ago
  That might be exactly what i was thinking about. I know i saw some diagram.
jrarredondo 14y ago
(Disclosure: I work for Rackspace) Hi there ehutch79, just a quick clarification. Cloud Files is object storage, whereas Cloud Block Storage is block storage. The performance characteristics of both types of storage are very different. One way I use sometimes to explain the difference is by talking about how they are accessed: Cloud Files objects are accessed using HTTP (think REST), whereas Cloud Block Storage blocks are accessed using low level OS I/O operations (think block read and write operations). Because of that, you could implement a database on Cloud Block Storage, but not on Cloud Files as it would not be very performant. Think Cloud Files when you have a website that needs media, large objects, application-specific content, files, etc., or when you need CDN for improved performance at the edge (CDN is a great feature of Cloud Block Storage). Think Cloud Block Storage when you could have used a regular old hard drive: you provision it, you format it, you may stamp a file system on it, or use the block storage for MongoDB or a relational database (with the difference that with Cloud Block Storage you can pick Standard drives or Solid State Drives).
- dougbarrett 14y ago
  Hey jrarrendondo, I've been using Rackspace for a few months now, using some of your servers and Cloud Files and I'm loving all of it. So what you're telling me is if I sign up for Cloud Block Storage, I could potentially "attach" it to my server as another hard drive? I know you guys are really great with your documentation and announcements of potential ways of using the storage, so if you could point me in the right direction, I'd be interested in getting this set up. Thanks!
  - jrarredondo 14y ago
    Yes dougbarrett, you can attach a volume like you would attach a hard drive (modulo the screw driver!) http://www.rackspace.com/knowledge_center/getting-started/cloud-block-storage http://www.rackspace.com/knowledge_center/getting-started/cl...
    - dougbarrett 14y ago
      You guys rock. Thanks!
- crucialfelix 14y ago
  Inability to add more disk was a huge problem when were at slicehost [now rackspace]. Glad to see that finally lifted. I was under the impression that it wasn't wise to run a high read/write database on SSD because they have limited writes. But obviously people are finding it wise to do this. Is a 20GB postgresql going to work ? I guess considering the number of times I've had to migrate servers it shouldn't be a problem lasting 5 years ;)
- donavanm 14y ago
  How many customers asked you for a network block device? I can't think of anyone who uses raw block devices these days. Qmail? Some db storage engines? I'd posit that what most consumers actually want is a persistent filesystem. Clear consistency semantics is probably a bonus at this point. Vending a fs shim to your domus eliminates a whole mess of abstractions.

robszumski 14y ago

This is completely wrong. Rackspace's Block Storage offering is built on OpenStack Cinder which has nothing to do with Cloud Files, it's backend data store, the servers it runs on, or the regions it runs in. Openstack.org has plenty of information on how Cinder works.

ehutch79 14y ago
That might be exactly what i was thinking about. I know i saw some diagram.

jrarredondo 14y ago

(Disclosure: I work for Rackspace) Hi there ehutch79, just a quick clarification. Cloud Files is object storage, whereas Cloud Block Storage is block storage. The performance characteristics of both types of storage are very different. One way I use sometimes to explain the difference is by talking about how they are accessed: Cloud Files objects are accessed using HTTP (think REST), whereas Cloud Block Storage blocks are accessed using low level OS I/O operations (think block read and write operations). Because of that, you could implement a database on Cloud Block Storage, but not on Cloud Files as it would not be very performant. Think Cloud Files when you have a website that needs media, large objects, application-specific content, files, etc., or when you need CDN for improved performance at the edge (CDN is a great feature of Cloud Block Storage). Think Cloud Block Storage when you could have used a regular old hard drive: you provision it, you format it, you may stamp a file system on it, or use the block storage for MongoDB or a relational database (with the difference that with Cloud Block Storage you can pick Standard drives or Solid State Drives).

dougbarrett 14y ago
Hey jrarrendondo, I've been using Rackspace for a few months now, using some of your servers and Cloud Files and I'm loving all of it. So what you're telling me is if I sign up for Cloud Block Storage, I could potentially "attach" it to my server as another hard drive? I know you guys are really great with your documentation and announcements of potential ways of using the storage, so if you could point me in the right direction, I'd be interested in getting this set up. Thanks!
- jrarredondo 14y ago
  Yes dougbarrett, you can attach a volume like you would attach a hard drive (modulo the screw driver!) http://www.rackspace.com/knowledge_center/getting-started/cloud-block-storage http://www.rackspace.com/knowledge_center/getting-started/cl...
  - dougbarrett 14y ago
    You guys rock. Thanks!
crucialfelix 14y ago
Inability to add more disk was a huge problem when were at slicehost [now rackspace]. Glad to see that finally lifted. I was under the impression that it wasn't wise to run a high read/write database on SSD because they have limited writes. But obviously people are finding it wise to do this. Is a 20GB postgresql going to work ? I guess considering the number of times I've had to migrate servers it shouldn't be a problem lasting 5 years ;)
donavanm 14y ago
How many customers asked you for a network block device? I can't think of anyone who uses raw block devices these days. Qmail? Some db storage engines? I'd posit that what most consumers actually want is a persistent filesystem. Clear consistency semantics is probably a bonus at this point. Vending a fs shim to your domus eliminates a whole mess of abstractions.