Comparative Analysis of NFS and iSCSI Protocol Performance on OpenStack Cinder Technology

Cloud computing is a term used nowadays. Cloud computing usage is already spread all over the world and used by many companies. Because of its high usage, a need for cloud storage now emerges. Cloud storage not only uses resources more effectively but also makes it much easier to utilize a virtual machine. Several alternative protocols can be implemented for cloud storage, and each protocol has its advantages. This research aims to determine the most suitable alternative protocol to implement OpenStack cinder in utilizing cloud storage. Cloud computing implementation is done in a computer laboratory at Petra Christian University using the private cloud. A NAS Synology DS416J was used as the storage provider. The application built by using the OpenStack cloud framework that provides Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). OpenStack cinder is one of the OpenStack projects that offer cloud storage with persistent storage. OpenStack Cinder itself can be implemented using fiber channel, NFS, and iSCSI protocols, but this research primarily focuses on two protocols, namely NFS and iSCSI. NFS and iSCSI have their respective advantages, so testing is needed to determine the most suitable protocol to be implemented on OpenStack cinder. After implementation, testing was carried out by measuring the performance of the NFS and iSCSI protocols when applied on OpenStack cinder using IO-zone. Based on the results, it can be seen where NFS has the advantage when writing files with a small record size, whereas iSCSI has the advantage when writing files with a large record size; however, in reading activity, there is no noticeable difference between the NFS and iSCSI protocols. By taking into account the results of testing and analysis of the systems that have been made, the conclusion is that the iSCSI protocol is better to be implemented on OpenStack cinder than NFS.