The central
file server is a critical component of a grid environment. It is essential
for each application on a grid node to be able to efficiently access
data. Slowdowns caused by the performance of the file storage system
could reduce the effectiveness and benefit of using a grid. The amount
of storage required and the type of I/O transactions help to determine
the type of file storage system that best meets your needs.
Assuming
that the SAS jobs running on the grid perform an equal number of reads
and writes, it is recommended that the file system be able to sustain
25–30 MB/seconds per core. This level can be adjusted up or
down, depending on the level of I/O activity of your SAS jobs. For
information about choosing and configuring a file system, see
Best Practices for Data Sharing in a Grid Distributed SAS Environment, which is available at
http://support.sas.com/rnd/scalability/grid/gridpapers.html.