Paper: "EnsemBlue: Integrating Distributed Storage and Consumer Electronics"

EnsemBlue: Integrating Distributed Storage and Consumer Electronics
Daniel Peek and Jason Flinn, University of Michigan

Abstract

EnsemBlue is a distributed file system for personal multimedia that incorporates both general-purpose computers and consumer electronic devices (CEDs). EnsemBlue leverages the capabilities of a few general-purpose computers to make CEDs first class clients of the file system. It supports namespace diversity by translating between its distributed namespace and the local namespaces of CEDs. It supports extensibility through persistent queries, a robust event notification mechanism that leverages the underlying cache consistency protocols of the file system. Finally, it allows mobile clients to self-organize and share data through device ensembles. Our results show that these features impose little overhead, yet they enable the integration of emerging platforms such as digital cameras, MP3 players, and DVRs.