OpenStack Object Storage is software for creating redundant, scalable
object storage using clusters of commodity servers to store terabytes
or even petabytes of accessible data.  It is not a filesystem or
real-time data storage system, but rather a long term storage system
for a more permanent type of static data the can be retrieved,
leveraged, and then updated if necessary.  Primary examples of data
that best fit this type of storage model are virtual machine images,
photo storage, email storage, backup archiving, and so on.  Having no
central "brain" or master point of control provides greater
scalability, redundancy, and permanence.

Objects are written to multiple hardware devices in the data center,
with the OpenStack software responsible for ensuring data replication
and integrity across the cluster.  Storage clusters can scale
horizontally by adding new nodes.  Should a node fail, OpenStack works
to replicate its content from other active nodes.  Because OpenStack
uses software logic to ensure data replication and distribution across
different devices, inexpensive commodity hard drives and servers can
be used in lieu of more expensive equipment.
