Preface

Welcome to dCache: a scalable storage system with many advanced features.

What is this book

This book is a guide for dCache users, or for people developing applications or frameworks that will integrate with dCache. In this book, we will help you get the most from dCache, whether that is improving the performance of your application or taking advantage of the advance features that dCache provides.

You may wish to read this book if you are running dCache; however, there is a separate document specificially for you, called “dCache, The Book”. This book gives information and advice for dCache admins.

What is this book not

This book is not a substitute for your favourite client’s documentation. We may give advice on how to get the best from dCache with your client; however, that advice does not replace the official documentation for your client.

This book does not recommend that you use a specific client. At various points, we will show examples of using advanced dCache features. Although those examples will use a specific client, a different client may be more appropriate in your case. Therefore, our use of a specific client is not an endorsement for that client.

Structure of this book

This book is split into two parts. The first part contains chapters that deal with more general topics, ones that affect several of the network protocols that dCache supports. The second part goes into detail, focusing on a specific network protocol and how to get the most from that protocol.

The chapters in the first part are more abstract, describing core concepts. These core concepts are then used in the various chapters in the second part.