THE FUNDAMENTALS OF OBJECTS AND OBJECT STORAGE PART 1 OF 3 JEFF LUNDBERG, SENIOR PRODUCT

MARKETING MANAGER

JULY 11, 2012

WEBTECH EDUCATIONAL SERIES

The Fundamentals of Objects and Object Storage

In part 1of 3, objects and object storage are defined, their key attributes

are identified, and the most common use cases for object storage are

described. Join Jeff Lundberg, senior product marketing manager at

Hitachi Data Systems, to learn the fundamentals of object storage and

get answers to your questions.

Attend this WebTech to learn

• What makes an object

• The difference between block, file and object storage

• Key attributes and uses of object store solutions

AGENDA

What is object storage?

What is an object?

What is metadata?

The value of metadata

A bridge to big data

WHAT IS OBJECT STORAGE?

Just like we move photos

from devices to a PC…

‒ Simplify management and use

‒ Organize, protect and share photos

IT uses object stores for

similar reasons

‒ Consolidate and organize

‒ Protect and preserve

‒ Manage and search

AGGREGATE, MANAGE, PROTECT AND USE CONTENT

COMPARISON TO BLOCK STORAGE

Bucket of bits

No meaning attached

‒ One bit string no different from the next

‒ No data intelligence in storage

Operations are against gross

collections of bits, without

knowledge of what the bits

represent to the customer

COMPARISON TO BLOCK STORAGE

Objects take form

‒ Not just a string of bits

From storage subsystem to

software system – called

an object store

Object store itself has

knowledge about data

Now able to perform

complex functions against

the data

Custom Metadata

System Metadata

WHAT IS AN OBJECT?

System Metadata Filename: NZ219983.JPG

Created: January 4, 2012

Last modified: March 23, 2012

Custom Metadata Subject: Castle Point Lighthouse

Place Taken: New Zealand

Category: Travel

Allow sharing: Yes

File

File + Metadata = Object

File Class = Image

WHAT IS METADATA?

Describes the object

‒ Helps you to find the right one

‒ Tells you what it is

‒ The specifications

‒ Used where and when

‒ Access permissions

Any and all objects

‒ Different attributes per object

‒ Add attributes later

WHY IS METADATA IMPORTANT?

Imagine a grocery store with no labels on any of the cans

THINK OF METADATA LIKE THE LABEL ON A CAN

End-user self-service

Automation

Regulatory compliance

Marketing

Disposition

Procedures

Branding

OVER TIME, METADATA CAN BE MORE VALUABLE THAN THE DATA ITSELF

THE POWER OF METADATA

What if data could

describe itself?

Think of how that

could

‒ Simplify management

‒ Facilitate protection

‒ Serve as automation

‒ Reduce costs

‒ Mitigate risk

That’s the power of

an object

Hi there, I am a

PowerPoint file.

I was created by John Doe on January 1, 2011

Only the finance department can look at me

I have not been accessed for 6 months

Save your money, I don’t need to be replicated

I contain information about a merger, so you

should retain me for 10 years in case you get

investigated

Delete me on January 1, 2021 to free up some

storage space and reduce legal exposure

METADATA IN ACTION

<claim id=1203 date=20110925>

<policy id=101>

<party id=1 type=car plate=509445>

<claim id=1203 date=20110925>

<policy id=101>

<estimate id=2344 estimator=124 date=20110930>

<claim id=1203 date=20110930>

<policy id=101>

<invoice id=72273881 vendor=2833>

<policy id=101>

<object type=car

plate=454756>

<customer id=2355>

<tow plate=454756>

MINING METADATA

Identify sets of related objects based on system and

custom metadata

Understand the object store – gather object or content

metrics on sets of objects based on metadata

‒ Content discovery

‒ Return all files owned by "Bob Smith" created after "3/15/2011" with unexpired retention

‒ Return objects with a specific retention class defined

‒ Return objects under retention hold, for litigation purposes

‒ Intelligent directory services

‒ Return all files with the extension "mp3 wav wma" in order to synthesize a "Music" folder

‒ Metrics gathering

‒ What is the size distribution of files in the system?

‒ What percentage of my files are Word documents?

‒ Which owners have generated the most content?

METADATA AS A BRIDGE TO BIG DATA

The first step on the path to big data

Get the data in one place

Mine the metadata

Search the content

Gather metrics

Look for trends

Find relationships among objects

SUMMARY AND NEXT STEPS

Learn more about object storage

‒ Attend parts 2 and 3 of this series

Talk to your application vendors

‒ RESTful HTTP support

‒ What kinds of metadata are supported?

Try it for yourself

‒ Should be easy to deploy, integrate and manage

Determine the right metadata to capture

‒ From machines, applications, users

Start soon to save more and leapfrog competitors

RESOURCES

Object storage

‒ http://www.hds.com/products/file-and-content/content-platform/?WT.ac=us_mg_pro_hcp

Object storage white paper

‒ http://www.hds.com/assets/pdf/distributed-object-store-principles-of-operation.pdf

Object storage overview

‒ http://www.hds.com/assets/pdf/hitachi-solution-profile-object-based-storage.pdf

Object storage in action

‒ http://www.techvalidate.com/product-research/hds-content-archive-platform

QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION

UPCOMING WEBTECHS

July: Object Storage Series

Part 2: The Value of Object Storage for IT, July 18, 9 a.m. PT, 12

p.m. ET

Part 3: How to Use and Develop Applications Designed for Object

Storage, July 24, 9 a.m. PT, 12 p.m. ET

August

Storage Analytics, August 8, 9 a.m. PT, 12 p.m. ET

Check www.hds.com/webtech for

Links to the recording, the presentation and Q&A (available next week)

Schedule and registration for upcoming WebTech sessions

THANK YOU