The complexity of managing and accessing large datasets is becoming the most prominent problem for users of large data systems.
Extensive work is underway to increase storage system capacity and capabilities.
Increasingly, the problem for data users is managing and accessing their data intelligently and efficiently. One solution focuses on storing physical and conceptual details about data and its contents. Application and hierarchical storage system developers are just beginning to define the components and uses of such metadata. Introduction The growth in computing capability, due to increased CPU performance, larger memories and greater network bandwidths, over the last decade has enabled researchers to address grand challenge problems. The data requirements of these problems exceed the capability of mass storage systems in existence today.