Ceph

Ceph is an open-source, self-hosted distributed storage system that provides unified object, block, and file storage from a single cluster. By consolidating these different storage types into one system, it eliminates the need for separate silos for different data requirements.

The software is deployed as a server-side system typically built on commodity hardware. It is designed to scale horizontally across multiple nodes, allowing users to manage massive volumes of data through a software-defined storage architecture. This deployment model ensures that storage capacity and performance can grow as the hardware cluster expands.

Key features

• Unified object, block, and file storage
• Distributed storage architecture
• Support for S3 compatible object storage via RADOS Gateway
• Block storage capabilities
• Distributed file system functionality
• Deployment on commodity hardware
• Integration with Kubernetes
• Support for erasure coding and replication

Ceph is built for environments requiring high availability and scalability. It utilizes the RADOS Gateway to provide object storage and supports various protocols including NFS, SMB, and iSCSI for file and block access. The architecture is designed to be highly available, utilizing replication and erasure coding to prevent data loss. It is intended for system administrators and organizations that need to maintain full control over their storage infrastructure.

The system is particularly suited for large-scale data centers, private clouds, and Kubernetes environments where flexible, software-defined storage is required. It allows for the management of diverse workloads, from simple file sharing to complex block storage for virtual machines, all within a single administrative domain.

It serves as a comprehensive software-defined storage solution for large-scale data centers and cloud environments.