ownCloud Infinite Scale: Architecture for Unlimited Scalability

_{With ‘ownCloud Infinite Scale’, ownCloud GmbH announces the development of a generation of software that focuses on unlimited scalability for users, files, shares and metadata.}

_{The features of this architecture are the switch to the Go programming language and the integration of the Phoenix user interface. Infinite Scale will reduce database requirements and enable geo-replication in the near future.}

_{This architecture leverages modern technologies in the IT industry. In detail, it is the result of combining the user interface Phoenix with the next gen storage engine Reva and other new technologies. A key aspect is the switch from the scripting language PHP to the compiled programming language Go, which supports concurrency and thus makes it much easier for developers to build particularly large code bases and infrastructures.}

_{The company’s Frontend Phoenix is based on the vue.js framework. The user interface is decoupled from the server which leads to a clearer, easier to understand and therefore more stable and secure code structure. Due to the separation of frontend and backend, computationally intensive processes (e.g. a virus scan) always run in the background, which saves resources and increases the performance.}

_{Combined with EOS, S3 Object Storage, Posix File System or SMB Storage and authentication via Open ID Connect, this represents a new base architecture for storage, metadata or any kind of content collaboration add-ons.}

_{The firm’s Infinite Scale sees the introduction of gRPC cloud-native microservices which handle connections to storage and to the pluggable app framework. These microservices involve small, decoupled processes that enable the modular structure of the software in the first place. The cloud-native microservices, utilizing the latest technologies, will ensure a modular, scalable and robust foundation of the ownCloud Infinite Scale architecture while providing stability in modern and legacy APIs.}

_{Infinite Scale will enable operations across geographically distributed data centers in the near future. A major advantage of this geo-replication is the fact that the risk of data loss due to a failure of individual servers is reduced to a minimum. This infrastructure also allows integrating a scalable workflow engine into ownCloud.}

_{“ownCloud Infinite Scale is the next logical step for ownCloud. A completely new architecture creates unlimited scalability for users, data, approvals and metadata. We enable open source content collaboration for every user and every company, regardless of installation size and individual requirements – and with a performance increase of 90% and more,” emphasizes Holger Dyroff, COO, ownCloud.}

_{From community, for community
Important components and know-how of this architecture were designed in collaboration and conjunction with members of the ownCloud Foundation, which was established last year and in which representatives of important organizations within the ownCloud ecosystem work together to provide mutual support.}

_{AARNet, Australian research and education network, is co-developing ownCloud Infinite Scale and will be the first organization using it in the field.}

_{“With the new architecture, we look forward to a stronger integration of ownCloud into our storage, as well as a very efficient handling of files and shared data. This will provide improved file-based collaboration and support the current and future needs ofour research and educaton community. ith more than 60,000 uses, our ‘CloudStor’ implementation of ownCloud is a tremendously successful solution. With a data growth of more than 100% per year we demand and expect extremely high scalability and operational efficiency. We have developed the belief that this next-generation approach is the right technology choice,” commented David Wilde, CTO, AARNet.}

OWncloud X
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_{ownCloud X, the current ownCloud generation with 10.2 as the latest version, will continue to receive features and support for the future. As a long-term supported release, it comes with a support guarantee until 2020 and an extended support window afterwards.}

_{The Infinite Scale is developed using an Apache 2.0 license. It is expected to be available to selected customers by the end of 2019, followed by availability during 2020.}

_{Interested developers find all information in the company’s ‘nexus’ repository on GitHub in order to follow the development of this architecture and to get actively involved.}

_{During the company’s conference in September, interested users will also have the opportunity to get a detailed picture of the technical structure and possibilities of the new architecture in lectures, workshops and discussions.}

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