Storage Access Models

Synonyms

Database physical layer; Database storage layer

Definition

Database management systems provide storage that can be accessed via a query language interface and that can be updated under the control of a transaction management system. A database management system can reside on top of a file system (system management storage) or on top of raw block storage (direct managed storage), or on a combination of file system and block storage (hybrid model). There are advantages and disadvantages of using these different types of underlying storage.

Historical Background

Database management systems have historically managed data on disks by themselves. Over the past few years, the management functionality in file systems has steadily improved. In order to leverage this management functionality (like data backup and recovery), and make it easier for system administrators to manage their storage infra-structure in a uniform manner, database system vendors started to architect database...