Extension of write anywhere file system layout
US7409494B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 30, 2004 |
| Grant date | Aug 5, 2008 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 13, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F16/188
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A file system layout apportions an underlying physical volume into one or more virtual volumes (vvols) of a storage system. The underlying physical volume is an aggregate comprising one or more groups of disks, such as RAID groups, of the storage system. The aggregate has its own physical volume block number (pvbn) space and maintains metadata, such as block allocation structures, within that pvbn space. Each vvol has its own virtual volume block number (vvbn) space and maintains metadata, such as block allocation structures, within that vvbn space. Notably, the block allocation structures of a vvol are sized to the vvol, and not to the underlying aggregate, to thereby allow operations that manage data served by the storage system (e.g., snapshot operations) to efficiently work over the vvols. The file system layout extends the file system layout of a conventional write anywhere file layout system implementation, yet maintains performance properties of the conventional implementation.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.