Notifying a cache file system of changes to files in a source file system served from the cache file system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11645238-B2
Application number	US-202117336079-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 1, 2021
Priority date	Jun 1, 2021
Publication date	May 9, 2023
Grant date	May 9, 2023

Abstract

Provided a computer program product, system, and method for notifying a cache file system of changes to files in a source file system served from the cache file system. The source node establishes a local share of a cache file system at the cache node. The cache file system at the cache node comprises a local share of a source file system at the source node. In response to modifying a source file in the source file system, a source control file for the source file in the local share of the cache file system is updated to indicate the source file is modified. In response to updating the source control file, sending, to the cache node, indication of the updating of the source control file to cause the cache node to update a cache control file to indicate a change to the source file at the source node.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer program product for caching data from a source node at a cache node over a network, wherein the computer program product comprises a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program instructions to cause the source node to perform operations, the operations comprising:
establishing, at the source node having a source file system for source files, a local share of a cache file system at the cache node, wherein the cache file system at the cache node comprises a local share of the source file system at the source node;
in response to modifying a source file in the source file system, updating a source control file for the source file in the local share of the cache file system to indicate the source file is modified; and
sending, to the cache node, indication of the updating of the source control file to cause the cache node to update a cache control file to indicate a change to the source file at the source node.

2. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein the cache node and source control files indicate whether metadata and/or data for the source file was modified at the source file system, wherein the indication of the updating of the source control file sent to the cache node indicates whether the metadata and/or data was modified for the source file.

3. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein the updated cache control file comprises a first cache control file and the modified source file comprises a first source file, wherein a second cache control file in the cache file system at the cache node indicating no change to a state bit and no change to a cache bit for a second source file in the source file system causes the cache node to return metadata and/or data for an application request for the second source file from the cache file system.

4. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein the indicated change to the source file indicates a change to metadata and no change to data for the source file to cause the cache node to perform a lookup to obtain metadata for the source file from the source node in response to a metadata request from an application for the source file.

5. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein the indicated change to the source file indicates a change to both metadata and data for the source file to cause the cache node to request the metadata and data for the source file from the source node in response to a request from an application for the source file.

6. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving, from the cache node, a control file request to mount the cache file system at the cache node at the source node to establish the local share of the cache file system at the source node;
mounting the cache file system on the source node to establish the local share of the cache file system; and
creating, by the source node, the source control file for the source file in the local share of the cache file system.

7. The computer program product of claim 6 , wherein the cache node sends the control file request in response to mounting the cache file system at the cache node to establish the local share of the source file system.

8. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving, from the cache node, a request for data for the source file, wherein the cache node sends the request for the data for the source file in response to processing a request to the source file at the cache node when the source control file indicates changes to the source file at the source node; and
returning the requested data for the source file to the cache node.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein after receiving, from the cache node, the request for data for the source file, performing:
receiving, from the cache node, a request indicating to perform a read of the cache control file at the cache file system after returning the requested data for the source file to the cache node;
requesting, from the cache node, the sending, the cache control file, which is different from the source control file at the local share of the cache file system; and
updating the source control file with the cache control file received from the cache node in response to the requesting the cache control file.

10. A system comprising a source node in communication with a cache node over a network, comprising:
a processor; and
a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program instructions that when executed by the processor causes the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:
establishing, at the source node having a source file system for source files, a local share of a cache file system at the cache node, wherein the cache file system at the cache node comprises a local share of the source file system at the source node;
in response to modifying a source file in the source file system, updating a source control file for the source file in the local share of the cache file system to indicate the source file is modified; and
sending, to the cache node, indication of the updating of the source control file to cause the cache node to update a cache control file to indicate a change to the source file at the source node.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the updated cache control file comprises a first cache control file and the modified source file comprises a first source file, wherein a second cache control file in the cache file system at the cache node indicating no change to a state bit and no change to a cache bit for a second source file in the source file system causes the cache node to return metadata and/or data for an application request for the second source file from the cache file system.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the indicated change to the source file indicates a change to metadata and no change to data for the source file to cause the cache node to perform a lookup to obtain metadata for the source file from the source node in response to a metadata request from an application for the source file.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving, from the cache node, a control file request to mount the cache file system at the cache node at the source node to establish the local share of the cache file system at the source node;
mounting the cache file system on the source node to establish the local share of the cache file system; and
creating, by the source node, the source control file for the source file in the local share of the cache file system.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving, from the cache node, a request for data for the source file, wherein the cache node sends the request for the data for the source file in response to processing a request to the source file at the cache node when the source control file indicates changes to the source file at the source node; and
returning the requested data for the source file to the cache node.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein after receiving, from the cache node, the request for data for the source file, performing:
receiving, from the cache node, a request indicating to perform a read of the cache control file at the cache file system after returning the requested data for the source file to the cache node;
requesting, from the cache node, the sending, the cache control file, which is different from the source control file at the local share of the cache file system; and
updating the source control file with the cache control file

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Puvvada Venkateswara Rao
• K G Karrthik
• Kumar Saket
• Komanduri Ravi Kumar

Classifications

• G06F16/178 Primary

  Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems · CPC title

• G06F16/183

  Provision of network file services by network file servers, e.g. by using NFS, CIFS (network file access protocols H04L67/1097) · CPC title

• G06F16/172

  Caching, prefetching or hoarding of files · CPC title

• G06F16/14 Primary

  Details of searching files based on file metadata · CPC title