Crucible: The Oxide Storage Service

Oxide and Friends · 14 Feb 2024 · 1h 38m · Episode 6

What this episode covers

Bryan Cantrill, Adam Leventhal, Josh Clulow, Alan Hanson, James MacMahon, and Matt Keeter of Oxide Computer Company discuss the design and implementation of Crucible, their open-source block storage service. They explain the decision to build a hyper-converged, software-defined storage solution using ZFS and Rust to ensure reliability and enable live migration without third-party dependencies. The team details the architectural evolution from initial prototypes to the final 'upstairs/downstairs' model, emphasizing the critical role of extensive testing, explicit back pressure mechanisms, and the volume layer for snapshot management.

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