The GlusterFS modular architecture allows administrators to stack modules to match user requirements, as needed. For example, administrators can use GlusterFS to quickly configure a standalone server system and later expand the system as their business needs grow.
Virtualized Cloud Environments
GlusterFS is designed for today's high-performance, virtualized cloud environments. Unlike traditional data centers, cloud environments require multi-tenancy along with the ability to grow or shrink resources on demand. GlusterFS incorporates cloud capabilities into the core architecture.
Every module in GlusterFS is treated as a volume. GlusterFS further adds an elastic volume manager (the glusterd daemon) and a console manager (the gluster command line interface). Using the console manager, administrators can dynamically expand, shrink, rebalance, and migrate volumes, among other operations. The command line interface additionally provides an interactive shell (with auto-completion) along with scripting capabilities suitable for automation.