VAST Cluster Concepts and Terminology
Written by Jason Massae
Updated at June 10th, 2025
Table of Contents
A VAST cluster is a set of VAST Servers and VAST Enclosures that comprise a single management domain and namespace.
A VAST cluster is managed using the VAST Management Service (VMS). VMS utilizes the following terminology:
VAST Cluster Terminology
CBox
A server chassis containing four CNodes.
CNode
A VAST server appliance or customer-provided equipment running a container(s) that runs the VAST OS software.
DBox
NVMe-oF JBOF, otherwise known as a VAST enclosure, or an enclosure containing NVMe-oF controller cards and flash SSDs.
DNode
An NVMe-oF controller card in the DBox.
Element Store
The cluster's namespace for data. It is shared by both file and object storage protocols. The Element Store can simultaneously present data as objects in a flat hierarchy and as files in a hierarchy of directories.
Protocols
If not otherwise specified, this term primarily refers to the file sharing and object storage protocols used by clients of the VAST Cluster to transfer data to and from the cluster.
Providers/Auth providers
Identity providers such as Active Directory, Open LDAP servers, NIS, that store user and group attributes. They are used by the cluster when authorizing permission for users to access files and directories. They may also be used for authenticating users via Kerberos or NTLM.
View
A configuration that defines and exposes a path in the Element Store to selected access protocols. A view can have specific security settings for hosts and protocols.