VAST Cluster Concepts and Terminology

A VAST Cluster is a set of VAST Servers and VAST Enclosures that comprise a single management domain and namespace.

A VAST Cluster is managed using the Vast Management Service (VMS). VMS utilizes the following terminology:

CBox: A server chassis containing four CNodes.
CNode: A VAST server appliance or customer provided equipment running a container(s) that runs the VAST OS software.
DBox: NVMe-oF JBOF, otherwise known as a VAST enclosure, or an enclosure containing NVMe-oF controller cards and flash SSDs.
DNode: An NVMe-oF controller card in the DBox.
Element Store: The cluster's namespace for data. It is shared by both file and object storage protocols. The Element Store can simultaneously present data as objects in a flat hierarchy and as files in a hierarchy of directories.
Protocols: If not otherwise specified, this term primarily refers to the file sharing and object storage protocols used by clients of the VAST Cluster to transfer data to and from the cluster.
Providers/Auth providers: Identity providers such as Active Directory, Open LDAP servers, NIS, that store user and group attributes. They are used by the cluster when authorizing permission for users to access files and directories. They may also be used for authenticating users via Kerberos or NTLM.
View: A configuration that defines and exposes a path in the Element Store to selected access protocols. A view can have specific security settings for hosts and protocols.