> This helps a little but unfortunately I'm still a bit fuzzy for me. So is it
> not true that each node contains all the data in the cluster?
Not at all. Basically each node is responsible of only a part of the data (a
range really). But for each data you can choose on how many nodes it is; this
is the Replication Factor.
For instance, if you choose to have RF=1, then each piece of data will be on
exactly one node (this is usually a bad idea since it offers very weak
durability guarantees but nevertheless, it can be done).
If you choose RF=3, each piece of data is on 3 nodes (independently of the
number of nodes your cluster have). You can have all data on all node, but for
that you'll have to choose RF=#{nodes in the cluster}. But this is a very
degenerate case.
> how does my query get directed to the right node?
Each node in the cluster knows the ranges of data each other nodes hold. I
suggest you watch the first video linked in this page
http://wiki.apache.org/cassandra/ArticlesAndPresentations
It explains this and more.
--
Sylvain
