Apple Xsan 1.4 - Manual (Page 184)

184 Glossary
controller In an Xsan storage area network, short for metadata controller.
See metadata controller. In RAID systems, controller refers to hardware that manages
the reading and writing of data. By segmenting and writing or reading data on
multiple drives simultaneously, the RAID controller achieves fast and highly efficient
storage and access.
failover In Xsan, the automatic process by which a standby metadata controller
becomes the active metadata controller if the primary controller fails.
failover priority On a SAN with more than one controller, specifies which standby
controller to try first during failover.
file system A scheme for storing data on storage devices that allows applications to
read and write files without having to deal with lower-level details.
file system server See FSS.
fill An Xsan storage pool allocation strategy. In a volume consisting of more than one
storage pool, Xsan fills up the first pool before writing to the next.
format (verb) In general, to prepare a disk for use by a particular file system.
FSS File System Server. The StorNext File System term for the computer that manages
metadata in a storage area network (SAN). In Xsan, this is called a metadata controller.
initialize In general, to prepare a disk for use by a particular file system. In Xsan, to
prepare a RAID array for use in a storage pool.
label (noun) In Xsan, an identifying name for a LUN. You assign a label to the LUN
while setting up an Xsan storage pool.