Recent updates to the REST VOL by Matt Larson, Call the Doctor 11-14-23

In this session of Call the Doctor, The HDF Group's Matt Larson introduces the REST VOL (Virtual Object Layer) in the HDF5 library, focusing on its role as a VOL connector that maps API calls to rest requests sent to external servers, particularly HSDS instances. He emphasizes the flexibility of the VOL layer, allowing users to develop their own connectors, and compares REST VOL to alternative options for cloud-based HDF5 work. The talk covers REST VOL's history, recent updates, and performance advantages, showcasing its support for multi-read and multi-write operations. Matt also highlights new features, including support for fill values and enhanced symbolic link traversal, while discussing ongoing developments like automatic numeric type conversion and multi-server connectivity with a single REST VOL instance. The presentation concludes with an opportunity for questions, addressing topics such as dynamically loading multiple distinct REST VOL instances concurrently.

You can also watch this episode online.

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