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Glossary

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Common Terms#

S3 API#

The S3 Application Program Interface (API), so-named because of its affiliation with Amazon's Simple Storage Service (S3), is the primary way that users of Elm will interact with the system.

Imagine Elm as a massive, highly secure, and reliable storage facility, like a gigantic digital library or a warehouse, where you can store virtually any amount of data – documents, photos, videos, etc. The S3 API is a sophisticated yet user-friendly system that helps you interact with this storage facility.

Just as you might use a catalog system in a library to find books or a management system in a warehouse to locate items, the S3 API allows you to store, manage, and retrieve your data in Elm easily. You can think of it as a set of instructions or commands that help you talk to the storage facility and tell it what to do with your data, like storing a new file, getting a file back, or even organizing your data in different sections.

Tape Library#

Elm uses many data storage methods behind the scenes to create the massive filesystem that stores your data. One of the major elements of Elm is a tape library.

A tape library, in the context of data storage, can be compared to a traditional library, but instead of books, it houses magnetic tapes used for storing digital data.

Imagine a large room filled with numerous shelves, where each shelf is packed with rows of magnetic tapes (like VHS tapes, but for data storage). These tapes are an older form of storing large amounts of digital information – like documents, photos, and videos. They are especially useful for storing data that you don't need to access frequently but want to keep safe for a long time, such as archives or backups.

Now, imagine you want to store new data or retrieve some old data from these tapes. It would be quite time-consuming and cumbersome to manually search for the right tape, load it into a machine, and then find the data you need. This is where the "library" part comes in.

A tape library includes a robotic system that automatically locates the correct tape, retrieves it, and loads it into a reader or recorder for you. It's like having an automated librarian who knows exactly where everything is stored and can quickly fetch or store data on the right tape.

So, a tape library is essentially a large, automated storage system for magnetic tapes, designed to make it easier and more efficient to store and retrieve large amounts of data that aren't frequently accessed but need to be kept secure and preserved over long periods.

There's a lot more that goes on before your data makes it to a tape, but there are systems in place to make the entire process of receiving, storing, and retrieving your data invisible to the user.

MinIO Console#

The MINIO Console is a web-based user interface that provides an intuitive and user-friendly way to manage and monitor your Elm buckets. The MINIO Console provides a range of functionalities, including:

  • Bucket Management: Create, delete, and manage object storage buckets.
  • Object Operations: Upload, download, and organize objects (files).