CRUSH Maps: Powering
Micron21’s mCloud Storage
Learn how CRUSH maps ensure scalability, reliability, and performance for Ceph storage on mCloud.
CRUSH Maps: Powering
Introduction
What Is Ceph?
Ceph is a unified, distributed storage system that supports object, block, and file storage with excellent scalability, performance, and reliability. Ceph provides a flexible foundation for all data storage, uniting object, block and file types in a single unified RADOS cluster.
With Ceph you are able to achieve platform and hardware independence with seamless access to object storage; access to block device images through Ceph’s thinly provisioned RADOS Block Device (RBD); or use of Ceph's traditional file system interface (CephFS).
Through global collaboration, sourcing exclusive expertise and rapid development, the Ceph community ensures Ceph is and continues to be industry leading.
Data Distribution
The Role of CRUSH in Ceph
CRUSH (Controlled Replication Under Scalable Hashing) is the core algorithm Ceph uses to intelligently and dynamically distribute data across the storage cluster without relying on centralized lookup tables.
It enables efficient data placement, replication, and fault isolation by using a CRUSH map that defines failure domains such as racks, nodes, or data centres.
At Micron21, customized CRUSH maps ensure optimal data distribution across geographically redundant sites, enhancing availability, performance, and disaster resilience for mCloud clients.
Understanding CRUSH Maps
A CRUSH map is a hierarchical and rule-based representation of the cluster’s topology and storage policies.
It guides the CRUSH algorithm in determining where data should reside within the Ceph cluster.
Devices
These are the actual storage drives (HDDs, SSDs, NVMe) where data is stored.
Buckets
Logical groupings of devices or other buckets. Buckets can represent: OSDs, Hosts, Racks, Rows, Pods, Rooms or Data Centers.
OSDs (Object Storage Daemons)
Individual storage devices managed by Ceph.
Hosts
Physical servers containing OSDs.
Racks
Groupings of hosts.
Rows, Pods, Rooms, Data Centers
Higher-level groupings representing the physical layout.
Hierarchy
The CRUSH map defines a hierarchical structure of buckets that reflects the physical or logical organization of the cluster.
CRUSH Rules
Rules dictate how data is replicated and distributed across the cluster based on the defined hierarchy.
Resilient Architecture
How Micron21 Utilizes CRUSH Maps in mCloud
Micron21 leverages customized CRUSH maps within the mCloud platform to enable data center-aware 3N replication, ensuring high availability, performance optimization, and seamless scalability across a resilient, distributed storage architecture.
Customized CRUSH Maps for Optimal Performance
At Micron21, we tailor our CRUSH maps to align with our mCloud platform’s infrastructure:
- Data Center Awareness - Our CRUSH maps recognize the geographical distribution of our three data centers (Kilsyth, Melbourne CBD, Port Melbourne).
- Failure Domain Definitions - We set failure domains at the data center level, ensuring that data replicas are stored in different physical locations.
- Network Optimization - By considering the network topology in our CRUSH maps, we minimize latency and maximize throughput.
Implementing 3N Replication Across Data Centres
Our 3N replication strategy is underpinned by CRUSH maps:
- Real-Time Replication - Data is synchronously replicated across three data centres, thanks to the CRUSH algorithm efficiently calculating placement.
- Data Durability - CRUSH ensures that even if two data centres fail, the data remains accessible from the third.
- Performance Balancing - The algorithm distributes workload evenly, preventing hotspots and ensuring consistent performance.
Enhancing Reliability with CRUSH
- Self-Healing - If an OSD fails, CRUSH recalculates data placement, and Ceph automatically re-replicates data to maintain the desired replication level.
- Scalability - As we add more storage nodes or data centers, CRUSH maps are updated to include new resources, allowing seamless scaling without downtime.
- Policy Flexibility - We can adjust CRUSH rules to meet specific client needs, such as increased replication factors or data placement restrictions.
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Data Assurance
Advantages for mCloud Clients
mCloud’s use of CRUSH maps delivers a powerful combination of data resilience, security, and cost efficiency—ensuring high availability, regulatory compliance, and optimal performance for every client.
Unparalleled Data Resilience
By leveraging CRUSH maps, we offer:
- High Availability - Data is always available, even in the face of hardware failures or data center outages.
- Disaster Recovery - Geographical replication protects against regional disasters.
- Consistent Performance - Intelligent data placement ensures balanced load and optimal resource utilization.
Enhanced Security and Compliance
- Data Sovereignty - Clients can be assured their data resides within specific locations, aiding in compliance with local regulations.
- Isolation - Data placement policies can isolate sensitive data to specific hardware or locations.
Cost Efficiency
- Optimized Resource Use - CRUSH ensures even distribution, maximizing hardware utilization.
- Reduced Overheads - Eliminating centralized metadata servers reduces complexity and potential bottlenecks.
Conclusion
The Engine Behind
Smart Storage Distribution
CRUSH maps are a core component of Ceph and a foundational element of Micron21’s mCloud storage platform, enabling intelligent data placement, replication, and recovery.
This ensures our clients experience high performance through optimized data access, exceptional reliability with fault tolerance and self-healing, and seamless scalability as their storage needs grow.
At Micron21, we fully harness the power of CRUSH to deliver enterprise-grade storage solutions tailored for mission-critical workloads. Our commitment to advanced infrastructure empowers clients with resilient, future-ready cloud storage.
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