Nova: Diffused Database Processing Using Clouds of Components [Vision Paper]

Nova proposes a departure from today’s complex monolithic database management systems (DBMSs) as a service using the cloud. It advocates a server-less alternative consisting of a cloud of simple components that communicate using high speed networks. Nova will monitor the workload of an application continuously, configuring the DBMS to use the appropriate implementation of a component most suitable for processing the workload. In response to load fluctuations, it will adjust the knobs of a component to scale it to meet the performance requirements of the application. The vision of Nova is compelling because it adjusts resource usage, preventing either over-provisioning of resources that sit idle or over-utilized resources that yield a low performance, optimizing total cost of ownership. In addition to introducing Nova, this vision paper presents key research challenges that must be addressed to realize Nova. We explore two challenges in detail.