A data center site is built as a series of interconnected grid nodes. Each type of grid node includes a particular set of services that perform specialized operations.
Grid nodes
The basic building blocks of a StorageGRID Webscale system are grid nodes. There are four types of grid nodes:
- Admin Nodes: provide management services such as system configuration, monitoring, and logging
- Storage Nodes: manage object data and metadata storage including loss protection
- Archive Nodes (optional): provide an interface through which object data can be archived to an external archival storage system (tape or the cloud) for long-term storage.
- API Gateway Nodes (optional): provide a load balancing interface to the StorageGRID Webscale system through which applications can connect to the system
This diagram shows how grid nodes and services are arranged within a StorageGRID Webscale system:
Services
Each type of grid node includes a
set of services, which are software modules that provide specialized capabilities to the grid node. These services work together during
the object lifecycle of ingest, retrieval, and deletion. The table shows which services are included on each type of grid node.
| Service | Purpose | Admin Node | Storage Node | Archive Node | API Gateway Node |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative Domain Controller (ADC) | Maintains topology information and provides authentication services |  |
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| Audit Management System (AMS) | Tracks system activity and events | |
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| Archive (ARC) | Communicates with archiving services through which object data is sent to an external archival storage system (tape or the cloud) | |
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| Connection Load Balancer (CLB) | Acts as a switchboard for connecting clients to the most efficient LDR service | |
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| Configuration Management Node (CMN) | Manages system-wide configurations, connection profiles, and grid tasks | (primary Admin Node only) |
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| Content Management System (CMS) | Manages object data queued by the legacy ILM system | |
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| Distributed Data Store (DDS) | Monitors the database and maintains object counts | |
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| Local Distribution Router (LDR) | Manages the storage of object data to disk | |
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| Network Management System (NMS) | Powers the monitoring, reporting, and configuration options available through the Grid Management Interface | |
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| Server Status Monitor (SSM) | Monitors hardware performance such as key operating system metrics and network metrics | |
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Common services
All grid nodes include the Server Status Monitor (SSM) service. This service monitors hardware performance such as key operating system metrics and network metrics. The SSM service includes the following components:
| Service | Component | Go here to... |
|---|---|---|
SSM  |
Services | View the status of services and support modules running on the grid node. |
| Events | View information about events for the service. Reset event counts. |
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| Resources | View resource information (processors, memory, interfaces, volumes, IP addresses) for the service. Reset network error counts. |
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| Timing | View attributes that report on the state of the service’s time and the time recorded by neighboring services. |
Common components
All services include the Events and Resources components.
| Service | Component | Go here to... |
|---|---|---|
All  |
Events | View the logged events from the hardware drivers. |
| Resources | View attributes that report on the service health and all computational, disk device, and network resources. |