12 Implementing NFSv4 in the Enterprise: Planning and Migration Strategies
2.1 Characteristics of enterprise file systems
This section describes some of the characteristics of modern enterprise file
systems. While enterprise file systems vary in the details of their implementation,
they do share some common characteristics that make them a powerful addition
to today’s business environment.
2.1.1 Replication
Replication provides for full copies of file system data on multiple servers. Clients
are aware of the replicas and can switch to another server when the currently
accessed server becomes unavailable. Clients can analyze available sites and
choose which one to access based on network properties or performance.
Replication has classically b ...