Patent · US Expired

Distributed file system using disk servers, lock servers and file servers

US7406473B1 · kind B1 · utility

81Cited by
3References
6Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJan 30, 2003
Grant dateJul 29, 2008
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 11, 2023

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S707/99938
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A distributed file system is disclosed. A plurality of disk servers, operating as a single distributed disk server layer, are connected to the one or more physical disks. Each disk server stores meta-data for each of the files. A plurality of lock servers, having one or more locks for each file operates as a single distributed lock server to coordinate access to the files stored by the disk server layer. A plurality of asynchronous file servers, operating as a single distributed file server layer in response to a request for a file from a user program: (i) retrieves the requested file from the disk server layer and at least one lock, associated with the retrieved file, from the lock server, and (ii) retrieves meta-data for at least one file that is related to the requested files, and at least one lock, for each file that has had its meta-data retrieved.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.