The cache filesystem (CacheFS) is a general purpose filesystem
caching mechanism that improves the performance of client-side applications when
dealing with slow NFS servers or a slow network. By caching the data
to a fast local filesystem instead of going over the wire, the client sees
better performance. This results in reduced server and network load,
and improves NFS response time and scalability.
In an NFS environment, the CacheFS filesystem increases the
client per server ratio, reduces server and network loads, and improves performance
on slow links.
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 | NOTE: CacheFS does not support NFSv4 filesystems. |
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How
CacheFS Works |
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The CacheFS filesystem is created on a client system so that
the client can access the cached filesystem locally, instead of
accessing the filesystem on the server.
Figure 1-3 “CacheFS
Workflow Process” shows the CacheFS
workflow process.
The back filesystem (the filesystem that is cached) is mounted
on the cache. When the user accesses files that are part of the
back filesystem, these files are placed in the client’s
local cache.
The front filesystem (the local filesystem that stores the
cached data) is mounted in the cache and is accessed from the local
mount point. An overhead is observed during the initial request
to access a file in the CacheFS filesystem. However, the subsequent
accesses are faster as they are served from this local cache.
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