Using a unix-based file system to manage and serve clones to windows-based computing clients

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016299908-A1
Application number	US-201514684188-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 10, 2015
Priority date	Apr 10, 2015
Publication date	Oct 13, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Systems and methods use a ZFS file system in a Windows-based computing environment without protocol conversion or native ZFS support on Windows-based computing devices. Windows-based computing devices may obtain native Windows-based access to data in a storage volume that is managed by a Unix-based storage management server executing a ZFS volume manager and file system. ZFS clones may be served as logical unit numbers to Windows-based computing devices. The ZFS nature of the accessed storage volume is unbeknownst to the Windows-based machines. This enables Windows-based utilities, applications, and tools executing on a Windows-based computing device to operate upon the data in ZFS-managed space the same as they might have operated on a workspace in an array-created hardware snapshot in the prior art. Users may use storage space from their Windows-based computing devices according to a Windows-based file system such as NTFS. The Windows-based formatting of the contents in the ZFS-managed volumes are unbeknownst to the Unix-based storage management server and to the ZFS volume manager and file system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for using a Unix-based Z file system (ZFS file system) in a Windows-based computing environment, the method comprising:
creating, by a Unix-based ZFS file system that executes on a Unix-based computing device, a first volume in the ZFS file system,
wherein the first volume is stored in a storage array in communication with the Unix-based computing device;
mounting the first volume as a ZFS pool on the Unix-based computing device; creating a second volume within the ZFS pool, by the Unix-based ZFS file system, based at least in part on a request received by the Unix-based computing device from a Windows-based server; providing, by the Unix-based computing device, a communicative coupling between the Windows-based server and the second volume, such that the second volume is presented as a first logical unit number (LUN) to the Windows-based server; mounting the first LUN to the Windows-based server; accessing the second volume by the Windows-based server via the Unix-based computing device; and formatting the second volume, by a Windows-based file system that executes on the Windows-based server, wherein the formatting comprises storing metadata in the second volume that indicates that the second volume is formatted according to the Windows-based file system.

2 . The method of claim 1 further comprising:
creating a third volume as a first ZFS clone of the second volume, within the ZFS pool, by the Unix-based ZFS file system, based at least in part on a request received by the Unix-based computing device from a first Windows-based computing device that is distinct from the Windows-based server;
providing, by the Unix-based computing device, a communicative coupling between the first Windows-based computing device and the third volume, such that the second volume is presented as a second logical unit number (LUN) to the Windows-based computing device;
mounting the second LUN to the Windows-based computing device;
accessing the third volume by the Windows-based computing device via the Unix-based computing device; and
using the third volume as a volume compatible with the Windows-based file system, based on metadata in the third volume which is cloned from the second volume, which metadata indicates that the third volume is formatted according to the Windows-based file system.

3 . The method of claim 1 wherein the Unix-based computing device lacks any configuration that indicates that the second volume within the ZFS pool has been formatted by the Windows-based server according to a Windows-based file system.

4 . The method of claim 1 wherein the Windows-based server lacks any configuration that indicates that the second volume is part of a ZFS pool.

5 . The method of claim 1 wherein the Windows-based file system is NTFS.

6 . A system for using a first file system in a computing environment that is based on a second file system, which is incompatible with the first file system, the system comprising:
a computing device for managing storage space as the first file system; a storage array comprising the storage space managed as the first file system by the computing device; a server in communication with the computing device,
wherein the server uses a second file system that differs from the first file system;
wherein the computing device is configured to:
create a first volume in the first file system stored on the storage array,
mount the first volume as a pool under the first file system,
create a second volume within the pool, and
provide a communicative coupling between the server and the second volume, such that the second volume is presented as a first logical unit number (LUN) to the server;
wherein the server is configured to:
mount the first LUN,
access the second volume represented by the first LUN,
format the second volume according to the second file system,
wherein metadata stored to the second volume indicates that the second volume is formatted under the second file system, and

wherein the server lacks any configuration that indicates that the second volume was created within the pool under the first file system, and
wherein the server lacks native support for the first file system; and
wherein the computing device lacks any configuration that indicates that the second volume within the pool has been formatted by the server according to the second file system.

7 . The system of claim 6 wherein the computing device is further configured to manage the first volume as a pool under the first file system.

8 . The system of claim 6 wherein the server is configured to use the second volume stored in the storage array as a volume within the second file system, wherein the second volume was created, by the computing device, within the pool under the first file system.

9 . The system of claim 6 wherein the first file system is a ZFS file system and wherein the server is a Windows-based computing device.

10 . The system of claim 6 wherein the computing device is Unix-based.

11 . A system for using a Unix-based ZFS file system in a Windows-based computing environment, the system comprising:
a storage array comprising a storage space; a Unix-based computing device for managing the storage space on the storage array as a ZFS file system; wherein the Unix-based computing device is configured to:
create a first volume under the ZFS file system, which first volume is stored on the storage array,
mount the first volume as a ZFS pool,
create a second volume within the ZFS pool, and
present the second volume as a first logical unit number (LUN) to a first Windows-based computing device;
the first Windows-based computing device in communication with the Unix-based computing device; and wherein the first Windows-based computing device is configured to:
mount the first logical unit number (LUN), and
access the second volume under a Windows-based file system executing on the first Windows-based computing device.

12 . The system of claim 11 wherein the Unix-based computing device is further configured to:
create a ZFS clone of the first storage volume,
wherein the ZFS clone is also part of the ZFS pool, and
wherein the ZFS clone represents a copy of the second volume; and

present the ZFS clone to a second Windows-based computing device as a second logical unit number (LUN).

13 . The system of claim 11 wherein the Unix-based computing device is further configured to:
create a ZFS clone of the first storage volume,
wherein the ZFS clone is also part of the ZFS pool, and
wherein the ZFS clone represents a copy of the second volume; and

present the ZFS clone to a second Windows-based computing device as a second logical unit number (LUN); and
the second Windows-based computing device in communication with the Unix-based computing device,
wherein the second Windows-based computing device is configured to:
mount the second logical unit number (LUN), and
access the copy of the second volume under a Windows-based file system executing on the second Windows-based computing device.

Assignees

• Commvault Systems Inc

Inventors

• Bansod Ketan
• Parmar Hiten Suresh
• Yao Bin

Classifications

• G06F17/30103

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F17/30179

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F17/30076 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F16/116 Primary

  Details of conversion of file system types or formats · CPC title