What is a key architectural feature of distributed file systems like HDFS in contrast to local file systems?

• A. They distribute data across nodes with metadata management to scale and provide fault tolerance.
• B. They store all data on a single node.
• C. They require all metadata to be stored on clients.
• D. They eliminate the need for metadata.

Answer: (A)

A key feature of distributed file systems like HDFS is distributing data across multiple nodes while maintaining separate metadata to track where blocks live and how they are replicated. Files are split into blocks that sit on different machines, and a metadata service keeps the map of which blocks belong to which files and where those blocks are stored. This arrangement lets the system scale by adding more nodes and provides fault tolerance through replication, so the failure of some machines doesn’t make data unavailable. In contrast, a local file system stores all data on a single machine and relies on that single host, with no built-in, automatic cross-machine replication or centralized metadata management. The other options don’t reflect this architecture: storing all data on one node ignores distribution, metadata on clients breaks centralized management, and eliminating metadata is impossible for locating and coordinating blocks.