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Dynamic management of expandable cache storage for multiple network shares configured in a file server

  • US 10,437,937 B2
  • Filed: 05/22/2017
  • Issued: 10/08/2019
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2016
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A system for retrieving data from a network share cache if available instead of retrieving the data from a secondary copy, the system comprising:

  • a file server in communication with a first client computing device, wherein the file server comprises a plurality of storage volumes;

    a secondary storage device in communication with the file server;

    wherein the file server is configured to perform operations comprising;

    receiving from a client computing device a read request in reference to a first file, wherein the read request designates a first network share configured in the file server as a source for the read request,based on the designated first network share in the read request, directing the read request to a first cache manager that is associated with the first network share, wherein the first cache manager executes on the file server,in response to determining by the first cache manager that the read request can be served at least in part from a first set of storage volumes configured in the file server that are associated with the first network share, retrieving, by the first cache manager, at least some data requested by the read request from one or more first-network-share-specific folders configured in respective storage volumes in the first set,in response to determining by the first cache manager that the read request cannot be served from the first set of storage volumes in the file server;

    (i) triggering, by the first cache manager, a restore operation to restore the first file from a secondary copy stored on the secondary storage device, and(ii) performing the restore operation by a restore interface module that executes on the file server in conjunction with a media agent that is associated with the secondary storage device,in response to determining by the first cache manager that none of the first set of storage volumes comprises sufficient storage space for a first portion of the restored first file, dynamically expanding the amount of storage available for the first network share on the file server by;

    (I) identifying by the first cache manager a second storage volume configured in the file server, outside the first set, that comprises sufficient storage space for the first portion of the restored first file,(II) configuring by the first cache manager in the second storage volume a first-network-share-specific folder for storing data for the first network share and only for the first network share, thereby associating the second storage volume with the first network share, and further thereby adding the second volume to the first set of storage volumes that are associated with the first network share regardless of whether the second volume comprises data for another network share configured on the file server, and(III) storing by the cache manager the first portion of the restored first file to the first-network-share-specific folder configured in the second storage volume, andresponding to the read request by the file server, based on at least one of;

    (a) the restored first file and (b) the data retrieved from the first set of storage volumes in the file server.

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