Scalable filesystem enumeration and metadata operations
US10949387B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 22, 2017 |
| Grant date | Mar 16, 2021 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 9, 2038 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F16/2246
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Systems, apparatus, and methods are disclosed for performing scalable operations in a file system, including POSIX-like file systems. Metadata entries in a namespace or directory tree are sharded across multiple file metadata servers. An enumeration operation, such as listing a directory, is parallelized across the multiple file metadata servers, while retaining standard functionality transparently to clients. Other enumeration operations include no-output operations such as changing file attributes or deleting a file, and cumulative operations such as counting total disk space usage. The parallelization is compatible with tree-level parallelization and storage-level parallelization. Disclosed technologies can be applied to other fields requiring scalable enumeration, such as database and network applications.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.