IBM System Storage N series Hardware Guide

Core technologies

This chapter addresses N series core technologies such as the WAFL file system, disk structures, and NVRAM access methods.

This chapter includes the following sections:

•Write Anywhere File Layout (WALF)

•Disk structure

•NVRAM and system memory

•Intelligent caching of write requests

•N series read caching techniques

11.1 Write Anywhere File Layout (WALF)

Write Anywhere File Layout (WAFL) is the N series file system. At the core of Data ONTAP is WAFL, N series proprietary software that manages the placement and protection of storage ...