Understanding BlackPearl Storage

The Vail application uses a BlackPearl Nearline Object Gateway as endpoint storage, which provides scalable, efficient, and flexible storage across multiple mediums, including disk, tape, and cloud. Data transfer operations on a BlackPearl system use the standard S3 interface, appearing to applications as AWS S3 storage.

The BlackPearl Nearline Object Gateway uses a system cache to enhance performance for frequently accessed data and uses the Advanced Bucket Management policy engine to manage data movement between different storage targets based on defined rules. The BlackPearl Nearline Object Gateway also supports integration with cloud storage providers, which allows for intelligent object placement and retrieval.

BlackPearl endpoint storage can be used as a path to tape storage. The BlackPearl Nearline Object Gateway uses the Amazon S3 Glacier compatible interface to store data on tape, offering a seamless backup and restore process using standard S3 commands.

Types of BlackPearl Storage

The Vail application supports using both bucket storage and NAS storage provided by a BlackPearl Nearline Object Gateway, each allowing for different use cases and operational needs.

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BlackPearl bucket storage is designed for object storage, using the S3 protocol, which is ideal for managing unstructured data such as backups, archives, and large data sets. This storage model is highly scalable, allowing for the efficient handling of large volumes of data with support for multipart uploads, object versioning, and lifecycle policies to automate data management tasks. Users interact with BlackPearl bucket storage using APIs, which allows for seamless integration with various applications and workflows that require object storage.

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BlackPearl NAS share storage is designed for direct file storage, providing a more traditional approach to storing and accessing data. NAS share storage supports common file protocols like SMB and NFS, making it suitable for environments where users and applications need shared access to files and directories. NAS share storage is particularly useful for collaborative work, as multiple users can read and write to the same files simultaneously. NAS share storage is often used for storing documents, media files, and other structured data that benefit from hierarchical organization and direct file access.