Google Filestore

  • Author: Ronald Fung

  • Creation Date: 9 June 2023

  • Next Modified Date: 9 June 2024

A. Introduction

Google Filestore is a managed file storage service that provides highly available and scalable storage for applications running on Google Cloud Platform. With Google Filestore, users can easily deploy and manage file shares that can be accessed by multiple instances running on Google Cloud Platform or on-premises. Google Filestore supports both the NFS and SMB protocols, making it easy to integrate with existing applications and workflows.

Google Filestore is designed to provide high performance and low latency file storage for a wide range of workloads, including media processing, content management, and high-performance computing. It offers multiple storage classes, including standard and premium, to meet a range of performance and cost requirements. Additionally, Google Filestore is fully managed by Google Cloud Platform, which means that users don’t need to worry about managing or scaling the underlying infrastructure.

B. How is it used at Seagen

Seagen can use Google Filestore as a managed file storage service to store and manage their research data in a highly available and scalable way. Here are some steps to get started with Google Filestore: Create a Google Cloud account: Seagen can create a Google Cloud account in the Google Cloud Console. This will give them access to Google Filestore and other Google Cloud services. Create a Google Filestore instance: Seagen can create a Google Filestore instance in the Google Cloud Console, specifying the storage capacity, performance, and access control settings. They can choose between the NFS and SMB protocols, depending on their application and workflow requirements. Mount the file share: Seagen can mount the Google Filestore file share on their instances running on Google Cloud Platform or on-premises. They can use the mount command or the Google Cloud Console to set up the mount points and access control lists. Store and manage data: Seagen can store and manage their research data in the Google Filestore file share, using standard file operations such as create, read, update, and delete. They can organize the data into directories and subdirectories for easy management. Scale up or down: Seagen can scale up or down their Google Filestore instance based on demand, using the Google Cloud Console or the Google Cloud Storage API. They can also set up automatic scaling policies to scale the instance up or down based on utilization.

Overall, by using Google Filestore, Seagen can store and manage their research data in a highly available and scalable way, with low latency and high performance. With its integration with other Google Cloud Platform services and its powerful security features, Google Filestore is an excellent choice for businesses and individuals who need to store and manage large amounts of files in the cloud.

C. Features

Serverless

Fully managed, serverless database that effortlessly scales up or down to meet any demand, with no maintenance windows or downtime.

Live synchronization and offline mode

Built-in live synchronization and offline mode make it easy to build multi-user, collaborative applications on mobile web, and IoT devices, including workloads consisting of live asset tracking, activity tracking, real-time analytics, media and product catalogs, communications, social user profiles, and gaming leaderboards.

Powerful query engine

Firestore allows you to run sophisticated ACID transactions against your document data. This gives you more flexibility in the way you structure your data.

Security

Firestore seamlessly integrates with Firebase Authentication and Identity Platform, to enable customizable identity-based security access controls and enables data validation via a configuration language.

Multi-region replication

With automatic multi-region replication and strong consistency, your data is safe and has a 99.999% availability guarantee, even when disasters strike.

Datastore mode

Firestore supports the Datastore API. You won’t need to make any changes to your existing Datastore apps, and you can expect the same performance characteristics and pricing with the added benefit of strong consistency. Existing Cloud Datastore databases will be automatically upgraded to Firestore starting in 2021.

D. Where Implemented

LeanIX

E. How it is tested

Testing Google Filestore involves ensuring that the file shares are being created and managed correctly, and that the files are accessible and secure. Here are some steps to test Google Filestore:

  1. Create a test file share: Create a test Google Filestore instance in Google Cloud Console that mimics the production instance as closely as possible, including the performance, access control settings, and storage capacity.

  2. Mount the file share: Mount the test Google Filestore file share on test instances running on Google Cloud Platform or on-premises. Use the mount command or the Google Cloud Console to set up the mount points and access control lists.

  3. Store and manage test files: Store and manage test files in the Google Filestore file share, using standard file operations such as create, read, update, and delete. Organize the data into directories and subdirectories for easy management.

  4. Manage test file shares: Manage the test Google Filestore file share, including configuring performance settings, setting up automatic scaling policies, and monitoring resource utilization and performance.

  5. Access test files: Access the test files in the Google Filestore file share, using standard file operations such as read and write. Ensure that the files are accessible and that the access control policies are working as expected.

Overall, testing Google Filestore involves creating a test file share, mounting the file share, storing and managing test files, managing the file share, and accessing test files. By thoroughly testing Google Filestore, users can ensure that their file shares are being created and managed correctly, and that they are only paying for the storage and bandwidth they use. Additionally, users can reach out to Google Cloud support for help with any technical challenges they may encounter.

F. 2023 Roadmap

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G. 2024 Roadmap

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H. Known Issues

While Google Filestore is a reliable and scalable managed file storage service, there are some known issues that users may encounter. Here are some of the known issues for Google Filestore:

  1. Performance issues: Users may encounter performance issues with Google Filestore, such as slow read or write speeds, or high latency. These issues can often be resolved by adjusting performance settings, such as increasing the number of file handles or throughput capacity.

  2. Access control issues: Users may encounter issues with access control policies, such as policies not being applied correctly or users not being able to access files due to incorrect permissions. These issues can typically be resolved by reviewing and adjusting access control settings in the Google Cloud Console or using the gcloud command-line tool.

  3. Scalability issues: Users may encounter scalability issues with Google Filestore, such as not being able to scale up or down based on demand. These issues can often be resolved by adjusting the instance capacity or using automatic scaling policies.

  4. Billing and cost issues: Users may encounter billing and cost issues with Google Filestore, such as unexpected charges or incorrect usage reports. These issues can often be resolved by reviewing usage reports and monitoring billing statements in the Google Cloud Console.

  5. Data transfer issues: Users may encounter data transfer issues with Google Filestore, such as issues with transferring files between file shares or transferring files over the internet. These issues can often be resolved by reviewing network settings and adjusting transfer options.

Overall, while these issues may impact some users, Google Filestore remains a reliable and scalable managed file storage service that is widely used by businesses and individuals. By monitoring their Google Filestore usage and reviewing their usage reports and logs, users can ensure that their Google Filestore resources are secure and accessible, and that they are only paying for the resources they use. Additionally, users can reach out to Google Cloud support for help with any known issues or other technical challenges they may encounter.

[x] Reviewed by Enterprise Architecture

[x] Reviewed by Application Development

[x] Reviewed by Data Architecture