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Pairtrees for Object Storage (V0.1) http://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-kunze-pairtree-01.txt
draft-kunze-pairtree-01

Document Type Expired Internet-Draft (individual)
Expired & archived
Authors John A. Kunze , Martin Haye , Erik Hetzner , Mark Reyes , Cory Snavely
Last updated 2008-11-26
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IESG IESG state Expired
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This Internet-Draft is no longer active. A copy of the expired Internet-Draft is available in these formats:

Abstract

This document specifies Pairtree, a filesystem hierarchy for holding objects that are located within that hierarchy by mapping identifier strings to object directory (or folder) paths two characters at a time. If an object directory (folder) holds all the files, and nothing but the files, that comprise the object, a "pairtree" can be imported by a system that knows nothing about the nature or structure of the objects but can still deliver any object's files by requested identifier. The mapping is reversible, so the importing system can also walk the pairtree and reliably enumerate all the contained object identifiers. To the extent that object dependencies are stored inside the pairtree (e.g., fast indexes stored outside contain only derivative data), simple or complex collections built on top of pairtrees can recover from index failures and reconstruct a collection view simply by walking the trees. Pairtrees have the advantage that many object operations, including backup and restore, can be performed with native operating system tools.1. The basic pairtree algorithm The pairtree algorithm maps an arbitrary UTF-8 [RFC3629] encoded identifier string into a filesystem directory path based on successive pairs of characters, and also defines the reverse mapping (from pathname to identifier). In this document the word "directory" is used interchangeably with the word "folder" and all examples conform to Unix-based filesystem conventions which should tranlate easily to Windows conventions after substituting the path separator ('\' instead of '/'). Pairtree places no limitations on file and path lengths, so implementors thinking about maximal interoperation may wish to consider the issues listed in the Interoperability section of this document. The mapping from identifier string to path has two parts. First, the string is cleaned by converting characters that would be illegal or especially problemmatic in Unix or Windows filesystems. The cleaned string is then split into pairs of characters, each of which becomes a directory name in a filesystem path: successive pairs map to successive path components until there are no characters left, with the last component being either a 1- or 2-character directory name. The resulting path is known as a _pairpath_, or _ppath_. abcd -> ab/cd/ abcdefg -> ab/cd/ef/g/ 12-986xy4 -> 12/-9/86/xy/4/ Armed with specific knowledge of a given namespace's identifier distribution, one might achieve more balanced or efficient trees by mapping to paths from character groupings other than successive pairs. Pairtree assumes that this sort of optimization, however, being tailored to individual and transient namespace conditions, is often less important than having a single generalized and shareable mapping. It uses pairs of characters to achieve hierarchies that exhibit a reasonable balance of path length and fanout (number of probable entries in any component directory).2. Pairpath termination and object encapsulation A ppath (pairpath) terminates when it reaches an object. A little jargon helps explain this. A _shorty_ is a 1- or 2-character directory name, or any file or directory name that begins with "pairtree" (these are reserved for future use). A ppath consists of a sequence of "shorties" ending in a non-shorty, such as a 3-character directory name or the 2-character file name "xy". The pairtree below contains two objects with identifiers "abcd" and "abcde". ab/ | \--- cd/ | |--- foo/ | | README.txt | | thumbnail.gif | | | |--- master_images/ | | | ... | | ... | | | \--- gh/ | \--- e/ | \--- bar/ | metadata | 54321.wav | index.html An object is reached when a non-shorty is detected. An object is _properly encapsulated_ if it is entirely contained in a non-shorty directory that is the immediate child of a shorty directory, in other words, if the 1- or 2-char directory name ending the object's ppath contains exactly one non-shorty directory that holds all the object's descendants. The two objects "abcd" and "abcde" above are properly encapsulated. Any shorty directory found at the same level as the non-shorty extends the pairtree. So while the "foo/" directory above does not subsume "e/" at the same level, by encapsulation, it does subsume the "gh/" underneath it (i.e., "gh/" is invisible to the pairtree algorithm, at least on a first pass). Practice will vary according to local custom as to how to name the encapsulating object directory beneath that last shorty. Its name is completely independent of the object identifier. For example, every object directory in a pairtree could have the uniform name "thingy". It is common for the directory name to be a terminal substring of the object identifier, as in: id: 13030_45xqv_793842495 ppath: 13/03/0_/45/xq/v_/79/38/42/49/5/793842495 All objects should be properly encapsulated. If an object is detected that is _improperly encapsulated_, that is, when a ppath ends with a shorty directory that contains more than one non-shorty, the detecting system should take corrective action. In this situation, also known as a "split end", all those non-shorties (directories and files) are considered to belong to one object (not properly encapsulated) identified by the containing ppath. Excluding shorties from the object permits one identifier to be a substring of another (e.g., "abcd" and "abcde" can co-exist in a pairtree), and defining ppath termination in this way prevents "hidden riders", or data residing in a pairtree that is not contained or accounted for in any object. Here is an example of an improperly encapsulated object named "bent". be/ | \--- nt/ [ split end: two files, no encapsulation ] | README.txt | report.pdf | \--- ef/ | ... If a "split end" is encountered, an importing system is encouraged to normalize it by creating a single object directory called "obj" and pushing the non-shorties in question underneath it, as in: be/ | \--- nt/ | |--- obj/ [ split end repaired with "obj" directory ] | | README.txt | | report.pdf | \--- ef/ | ...

Authors

John A. Kunze
Martin Haye
Erik Hetzner
Mark Reyes
Cory Snavely

(Note: The e-mail addresses provided for the authors of this Internet-Draft may no longer be valid.)