1 STORAGE ARCHITECTURES FORDIGITAL IMAGERY

In this chapter, we discuss the issues involved in designing storage servers that can support such a diversity of applications and data types. First, we describe the specific issues that arise in designing a storage server for digital imagery and then discuss the architectural choices for designing storage servers that efficiently manage the storage and retrieval of multiple data types. Note that since it is difficult, if not impossible, to foresee requirements imposed by future applications and data types, a storage server that supports multiple data types and applications will needs to facilitate easy integration of new application classes and data types. This dictates that the storage server architecture be extensible, allowing it to be easily tailored to meet new requirements