CrownFS: a clustered continuous media server

CrownFS is a file system for continuous media server in the CROWN (Clustering Resources On Workstations' Network) system. Because of the high I/O bandwidth rate and strict real-time constraints, the design issues of CrownFS are that of efficiently balancing user load against limited disk: bandwidth, network and I/O channel bandwidth. CrownFS accomplishes this balancing by striping continuous data file across several workstations and computing at each workstation in the CROWN system. This paper describes the CROWN system architecture and the CrownFS design. CrownFS runs on a cluster of workstations consisted of Kawaiis, AlphaStations and PCs.