System and method for copying directory structures

• US 10,019,185 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2017
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Vidyadhara, Sumanth, Singh, Ankit, S, Shekar Babu, Sinha, Prasoon Kumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Gu, Shawn X
• Application Number:
  US15/459,316
• Publication Number:
  US 20170185332A1
• Time in Patent Office: 482 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0757 by exceeding a time limit, i.e. time-out, e.g. watchdogs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/14 Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in operation G06F11/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1446 Point-in-time backing up or restoration of persistent data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2056 by mirroring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2094 Redundant storage or storage space G06F11/2056 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/16 File or folder operations, e.g. details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2246 Trees, e.g. B+trees
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0643 Management of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0646 Horizontal data movement in storage systems, i.e. moving data in between storage devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0647 Migration mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

A method, storage control system and information handling system (IHS) provides copying of a first directory containing a first plurality of files from a client to a target server. The method includes receiving, via a first processor of the client, a request to copy the first directory containing the first plurality of files from a first storage device to the target server. The first directory is parsed into a first i-node tree. Metadata corresponding to the first i-node tree is generated and transmit from the client to the target server. A second processor at the target server is triggered to generate a second directory based on the metadata corresponding to the first i-node tree. The first plurality of files contained in the first directory from the first storage device is transmitted to the target server.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of copying a first directory containing a first plurality of files from a client to a target server, the method comprising:

parsing the first directory into a first i-node tree;

generating metadata corresponding to the first i-node tree;

transmitting the metadata from the client to the target server;

triggering a second processor at the target server to generate a second directory based on the metadata corresponding to the first i-node tree;

in response to receiving, from the target server, a confirmation that the second directory was generated;

transmitting the first plurality of files contained in the first directory from the first storage device to a second storage device of the target server;

triggering the second processor to write the first plurality of files as a second plurality of files contained in the second directory on the second storage device; and

monitor for receipt, from the target server, of confirmation that the second plurality of files were written to the second directory of the second storage device; and

in response to not receiving confirmation within a pre-determined time period that the second directory was generated and that the first plurality of files were written, as the second plurality of files, to the second directory of the second storage device, generating an error message.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting to the target server a request to identify if the second directory is stored on the second storage device of the target server; and

in response to the second directory being stored on the second storage device of the target server, generating a message indicating that the second directory is already stored on the second storage device, wherein the second directory stored on the second storage device is prevented from being overwritten.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein triggering the second processor to generate the second directory further comprises forwarding a set of one or more commands that trigger the second processor to perform the functions of:

parsing the metadata via the second processor;

generating a second i-node tree based on the metadata; and

generating the second directory based on the second i-node tree.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising converting the first i-node tree into an encoded pattern using a depth first search algorithm that traverses or searches data structures starting at a root and explores as far as possible along each branch before backtracking, wherein each i-node is converted into meta data.

5. A storage control system for copying a first directory containing a first plurality of files from a client to a target server, the storage control system comprising:

a first processor and a first storage device communicatively coupled to the first processor via a system interconnect, the first processor having firmware executing thereon to enable copying of the first directory containing the first plurality of files from the client to the target server, wherein the firmware configures the first processor to;

in response to receive a request to copy the first directory containing the first plurality of files from the first storage device to the target server, parse the first directory into a first i-node tree;

generate metadata corresponding to the first i-node tree;

transmit the metadata from the client to the target server;

trigger a second processor at the target server to generate a second directory based on the metadata corresponding to the first i-node tree;

in response to receiving, from the target server, a confirmation that the second directory was generated;

transmit the first plurality of files contained in the first directory from the first storage device to a second storage device of the target server;

trigger the second processor to write the first plurality of files as a second plurality of files to the second directory on the second storage device; and

monitor for receipt, from the target server, of confirmation that the second plurality of files were written to the second directory of the second storage device; and

in response to not receiving confirmation within a pre-determined time period that the second directory was generated and that the first plurality of files was written, as the second plurality of files, to the second directory of the second storage device, generate an error message.

6. The storage control system of claim 5, wherein the firmware further configures the first processor to:

transmit to the target server a request to identify if the second directory is stored on the second storage device of the target server; and

in response to the second directory being stored on the second storage device of the target server, generating a message indicating that the second directory is already stored on the second storage device, wherein the second directory stored on the second storage device is prevented from being overwritten.

7. The storage control system of claim 5, wherein triggering the second processor to generate the second directory further comprises forwarding a set of one or more commands that trigger the second processor to perform the functions of:

parsing, via the second processor, the metadata;

generating a second i-node tree based on the metadata; and

generating the second directory based on the second i-node tree.

11. The information handling system of claim 7, wherein the firmware further configures the first processor to:

generate at least one network packet containing the metadata and the first plurality of files contained in the first directory.

8. An information handling system (IHS) comprising:

a first processor and a first storage device communicatively coupled to the first processor via a system interconnect, the first processor having firmware executing thereon to enable copying of a first directory containing a first plurality of files from a client to a target server, wherein the firmware configures the first processor to;

receive a request to copy the first directory containing the first plurality of files from the first storage device to the target server;

in response to receiving the request to copy the first directory;

parse the first directory into a first i-node tree;

generate metadata corresponding to the first i-node tree;

transmit the metadata from the client to the target server;

trigger a second processor at the target server to generate a second directory based on the metadata corresponding to the first i-node tree;

in response to receiving, from the target server, a confirmation that the second directory was generated;

transmit the first plurality of files contained in the first directory from the first storage device to a second storage device of the target server;

trigger the second processor to write the first plurality of files as a second plurality of files to the second directory on the second storage device; and

monitor for receipt, from the target server, of confirmation that the second plurality of files were written to the second directory of the second storage device; and

in response to not receiving confirmation within a pre-determined time period that the second directory was generated and that the first plurality of files was written, as the second plurality of files, to the second directory of the second storage device, generate an error message.

9. The information handling system of claim 8, wherein the firmware further configures the first processor to:

transmit to the target server a request to identify if the second directory is stored on the second storage device of the target server; and

in response to the second directory being stored on the second storage device of the target server, generating a message indicating that the second directory is already stored on the second storage device and wherein the second directory stored on the second storage device is prevented from being overwritten.

10. The information handling system of claim 8, wherein triggering the second processor to generate the second directory further comprises forwarding a set of one or more commands that trigger the second processor to perform the functions of:

parsing, via the second processor, the metadata;

generating a second i-node tree based on the metadata; and

generating the second directory based on the second i-node tree.