Versioned file system with global lock

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020341949-A1
Application number	US-201916429798-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 3, 2019
Priority date	Nov 28, 2014
Publication date	Oct 29, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A versioned file system comprising network accessible storage is provided. Aspects of the system include globally locking files or groups of files so as to better control the stored files in the file system and to avoid problems associated with simultaneous remote access or conflicting multiple access requests for the same files. A method for operating, creating and using the global locks is also disclosed. A multiprotocol global lock can be provided for filing nodes that have multiple network protocols for generating local lock requests.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 - 32 . (canceled)

33 . A method for managing locks in a shared network-attached file system, the method comprising:
receiving a first global lock request from a first node, the first global lock request comprising a first local protocol of a first local lock request generated by the first node; providing a global lock to the first node; receiving a second global lock request from a second node, the second global lock request comprising a second local protocol of a second local lock request generated by the second node, wherein the first protocol is different than the second protocol; and providing a multiprotocol global lock to the second node if the multiprotocol global lock is compatible with the first local protocol and the second local protocol.

34 . The method of claim 33 wherein the first local protocol is Network File System (NFS).

35 . The method of claim 33 wherein the first local protocol is Server Message Block (SMB) or Common Internet File System (CIFS).

36 . The method of claim 35 wherein the second local protocol is Network File System (NFS).

37 . An apparatus for managing file locks in a shared network-attached file system, the apparatus comprising:
a first server comprising a processor, a network interface, a file system agent, and a lock daemon;
wherein the first server is in communication with a central lock server and a cloud-based storage via the network interface,
wherein the lock daemon is configured to translate a local lock request for a shared file in the shared network-attached file system to a global lock request, the local lock request having a first protocol, the global lock request having a common protocol, and
wherein the file system agent is configured to create and export to the cloud-based storage one or more structured data representations of a local file system to generate a version of the shared network-attached file system.

38 . An apparatus associated with multiple filer entities, at least one of which creates and exports to a cloud data store one or more structured data representations comprising a shared versioned file system, the shared versioned file system accessible to each file entity, wherein filer entities do not interact with one another, comprising:
a processor; a computer memory storing computer program instructions executed by the processor to: (a) intercept a local lock request initiated by the filer entity, the local lock request for write access to a shared file in the shared versioned file system; (b) translate the local lock request having a first local protocol to a global lock request having a common protocol; (c) transmit the global lock request to a central lock server; and (d) receive a global lock for the shared file if the central lock server determines that the global lock is available.

Assignees

• Nasuni Corp

Inventors

• Mason Jr Robert M
• Shaw David M
• Baughman Kevin W
• Lacasse Christopher S
• Mcdonald Matthew M
• Neufeld Russell A
• Saxena Akshay K

Classifications

• G06F16/1774 Primary

  Locking methods, e.g. locking methods for file systems allowing shared and concurrent access to files · CPC title

• G06F16/1827

  Management specifically adapted to NAS (management of storage area networks [SAN] G06F3/067) · CPC title