RAIDframe: A Rapid Prototyping Tool for RAID Systems (CMU-CS-97-142)

Redundant disk arrays provide highly-available, high-performance disk storage to a wide variety of applications. Because these applications often have distinct cost, performance, capacity, and availability requirements, researchers continue to develop new array architectures. RAIDframe was developed to assist researchers in the implementation and evaluation of these new architectures. It was designed specifically to reduce the burden of implementation by restricting code changes to mapping, algorithms and other functions that are known to be specific to an array architecture. Algorithms are executed using a general mechanism which automates the recovery from device errors, such as a failed disk read. RAIDframe enables a single implementation to be evaluated in a self-contained simulator, or against real disks as either a user process or a functional device driver.