Distributed File System with Replication

This project implements a distributed file system with support for replication and fault tolerance. The system consists of three main components:

• Master Server: Handles metadata and file management.
• Storage Servers: Store file replicas and ensure redundancy.
• Client Library: Provides APIs to interact with the distributed file system.

Features

• File creation, reading, and writing.
• Server replication for fault tolerance.
• Dynamic assignment of servers to files and blocks.
• Simple command-line interface for testing.

Components

1. Master Server (master.c)

   • Manages file metadata and server assignments.
   • Ensures proper replication across storage servers.

2. Storage Server (server.c)

   • Stores file blocks and handles replication.
   • Communicates with the master server and clients.

3. Client Library (mgfs.c)

   • Provides functions for connecting to the master server, managing files, and writing data.

4. Testing Application (test.c)

   • A CLI-based application to test the distributed file system functionalities.

How to Run

Prerequisites

• A C compiler (e.g., GCC).
• Linux-based environment (recommended for socket operations).
• Networking configured for communication between servers and clients.

Steps

1. Compile the Components: Use the makefile in each in the directories:

   • /master_node
   • /server_node
   • /mgfs_lib
   • /clients

2. Start the Master Server: Run the master server on a designated port.

./master <master_port>

3. Start Storage Servers: Each server needs the master server's IP and port for registration.

./server <storage_directory> <master_ip> <master_port>

4.Run the Client Application: Interact with the distributed file system using the CLI.

./clients/test