A First Step towards a Single-Level Persistent Store 

A file system is a computer software module, which is in charge of how files are named, stored, and retrieved. Existing file systems are running on a DRAM (dynamic random access memory)-based main memory system. However, DRAM is starting to hit the density and power ceiling, which makes it hard to provide a high capacity and energy efficiency. On the other hand, emerging persistent memory technologies like 3D Xpoint are generally more energy-efficient and denser than DRAM. This project will develop a new persistent file system that is completely decoupled from the conventional DRAM-based volatile main memory.

This project will contribute to memory and storage technologies by developing a new single-level persistent memory architecture and a new file system dedicated to it. The new architecture will turn a small-size DRAM-based main memory system to a large-capacity persistent memory system that can access files in-place. This project will proceed along two thrusts. First, it will bridge the technology gap in building high-performance persistent memory systems with an in-depth investigation. Second, it will develop the first file system devoted to a single-level persistent store to efficiently manage data, which is increasingly demanded by data-intensive applications.