XtreemFS: a case for object-based storage in Grid data management

In today's Grids, les are usually managed by Grid data management systems that are superimposed on existing le and storage systems. In this position paper, we analyze this predominant approach and argue that object-based le systems can be an alternative when adapted to the characteristics of a Grid environment. We describe how we are solving the challenge of extending the object-based storage architecture for the Grid in XtreemFS, an object-based le system for federated infrastructures.