PARALLEL DATA LAB

NASD Video Server

High-performance storage systems and networks have spawned a number of new applications in recent years. Among these is the storage and retrieval of digital video. Digital video puts several new demands on the storage system and network, including:

  • Larger storage capacity requirements (a 1.5Mbps MPEG-1 encoded video requires approximately 500MB for a 60-minute clip)
  • Larger network bandwidth requirements (a VHS-quality video clip requires 1.5Mbps to 8Mbps)
  • Guaranteed access to storage and network resources over a long period of time
  • Low latency for interactive requests
  • Tighter service timing, to provide a near-constant-bitrate stream
We built a digital video server with a focus on several research goals:
  • Embedded execution in a NASD drive
  • Low startup latency, especially when serving short clips
  • Compatibility with the Informedia project's database and search software

 

Acknowledgements

We thank the members and companies of the PDL Consortium: Amazon, Google, Hitachi Ltd., Honda, Intel Corporation, IBM, Meta, Microsoft Research, Oracle Corporation, Pure Storage, Salesforce, Samsung Semiconductor Inc., Two Sigma, and Western Digital for their interest, insights, feedback, and support.