Abstract:
A data processing system includes client workstations, mass storage devices, input-output peripherals, and a server subsystem. The server subsystem includes a security server that accepts user information from a workstation and grants a security ticket to the workstation in response to the user's authorization level. The server subsystem also includes a volume manager that controls object storage to, and retrieval from, the mass storage subsystem. The volume manager caches objects related to a requested object. A domain server maintains a server map relating server names to physical network addresses, a volume map relating volume names to a corresponding volume manager, and a family map relating volume family names to a corresponding volume manager.