The CTERA Next Generation File System replaces the old file system and is the default file system from CTERA Edge Filers version 7.12.x for all new installations and upgrades.
New installations of CTERA Edge Filers version 7.11.x also use the Next Generation File System by default. Upgrades to CTERA Edge Filers version 7.11.x requires a migration to convert to the Next Generation File System. For details, contact CTERA Support.
Comparing the Old and the New
| Next Generation File System | Legacy File System | Advantage of the Next Generation File System |
|---|---|---|
| Support for billions of files. | Support for millions of files. | The number of files that can be accessed by an edge filer is significantly greater. |
| Only the parent inode is stored in the database and file attributes are stored directly on the file itself. | File paths and file attributes are stored in the database, causing rapid database growth as the number of files increases. | * Reduction in the database size. * Improved scalability. |
| Files that reside in non-populated directories are not stored in the database at all. | All files are stored in the database, regardless of whether their parent directories are populated. | Reduction in the database size eliminating unnecessary metadata storage. |
| Only a single database record is updated. Since file paths are not stored in the database, no updates are required for files under the directory. | Renaming a directory requires updating the path of every file and subdirectory under it in the database, making the operation expensive and slow for large directory trees. | Directory renaming is significantly faster |