Transaction aggregation in a switched file system

• US 20040133650A1
• Filed: 01/02/2003
• Published: 07/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Z-Force Communications, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Inventors: Nickolov, Peter, Miloushev, Vladimir
• Granted Patent: US 6,889,249 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/213
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1076 Parity data used in redundant arrays of independent storages, e.g. in RAID systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2056 by mirroring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2058 using more than 2 mirrored copies
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1824 implemented using Network-attached Storage [NAS] architecture distributed or networked storage systems G06F3/067; protocols for distributed storage of data in a network H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/1028 Distributed, i.e. distributed RAID systems with parity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10015 Access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. using brokers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1012 based on compliance of requirements or conditions with available server resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1014 based on the content of a request
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1017 based on a round robin mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1019 Random or heuristic server selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1023 based on a hash applied to IP addresses or costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1029 using data related to the state of servers by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1034 Reaction to server failures by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 : Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols

Abstract

Client computers are decoupled from file servers in a computer network, by placing a network node, also termed a file switch or file switch computer, between the client computers and the file servers. To the client computers, the file switch appears to be a file server having enormous storage capabilities and high throughput. To the file servers, the file switch appears to be a client as it delegates a single transaction received from a client computer to multiple file servers. The file switch aggregates the file servers'"'"' responses to the client computer'"'"'s request and presents a single response back to the client computer. The file switch performs this transaction aggregation function in a manner that is transparent to both the client computers and the file servers.

Claims

1. A method of processing a user request for performing a transaction on a user file that is stored, along with other user files, in shared data computer network, where each user file of at least a plurality of the user files is divided into portions stored on a plurality of file servers, among a group of file servers in a computer network, comprising:

receiving a user request to perform a specified transaction on a specified user file;

identifying a subset of the file servers that store portions of the user file needed to perform the specified transaction;

sending commands to each respective file server in the subset of file servers to perform the transaction on a respective portion of the user file, and receiving replies from the subset of file servers;

aggregating the received replies to produce an aggregated reply; and

sending the aggregated reply to a sender of the user request.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving, sending and aggregating steps are performed by a file switch and the accessing and determining steps are performed by a metadata server.

2. A method of processing a user request for performing a transaction on a user file that is stored, along with other user files, in shared data computer network, where each user file of at least a plurality of the user files is divided into portions stored on a plurality of file servers, among a group of file servers in a computer network, comprising:

receiving a user request to perform a specified transaction on a specified user file;

accessing metadata identifying a set of file servers for storing respective defined portions of the specified user file;

determining, based on the metadata, a subset of the file servers that store portions of the user file needed to perform the specified transaction;

sending commands to each respective file server in the subset of file servers to perform the transaction on a respective portion of the user file, and receiving replies from the subset of file servers;

aggregating the received replies to produce an aggregated reply; and

sending the aggregated reply to a sender of the user request.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein

the specified user file has an aggregated size and a corresponding number of defined portions;

and

the method includes updating the metadata when the specified transaction changes the number of defined portions of the specified user file.

4. The method of claim 2, the method including updating the metadata.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the accessing metadata step includes accessing a metadata file that stores the metadata.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the accessing metadata step includes accessing cached metadata corresponding to metadata stored in a metadata file.

8. A file switch for use in a computer network having a group of file servers and a plurality of client computers, the file switch comprising:

at least one processing unit for executing computer programs;

at least one port for exchanging information with the file servers and client computers, the information exchanged including information concerning a specified user file;

a file aggregation module including one or more computer programs, the computer programs including instructions for;

receiving a user request to perform a specified transaction on a specified user file;

determining a subset of the file servers that store portions of the user file needed to perform the specified transaction;

sending commands to each respective file server in the subset of file servers to perform the transaction on a respective portion of the user file, and receiving replies from the subset of file servers;

aggregating the received replies to produce an aggregated reply; and

sending the aggregated reply to a sender of the user request.

9. A file switch for use in a computer network having a group of file servers and a plurality of client computers, the file switch comprising:

at least one processing unit for executing computer programs;

at least one port for exchanging information with the file servers and client computers, the information exchanged including information concerning a specified user file;

a file aggregation module including one or more computer programs, the computer programs including instructions for;

receiving a user request to perform a specified transaction on a specified user file;

accessing metadata identifying a set of file servers for storing respective defined portions of the specified user file;

determining, based on the metadata, a subset of the file servers that store portions of the user file needed to perform the specified transaction;

sending commands to each respective file server in the subset of file servers to perform the transaction on a respective portion of the user file, and receiving replies from the subset of file servers;

aggregating the received replies to produce an aggregated reply; and

sending the aggregated reply to a sender of the user request.

10. The file switch of claim 9, wherein

the specified user file has an aggregated size and a corresponding number of defined portions, and

the one or more computer programs of the file aggregation module include instructions for updating the metadata when the specified transaction changes the number of defined portions of the specified user file.

11. The file switch of claim 9, wherein the one or more computer programs of the file aggregation module include instructions for updating the metadata.

12. The file switch of claim 9, wherein the one or more computer programs of the file aggregation module include instructions for accessing a metadata file that stores the metadata.

13. The file switch of claim 9, wherein the one or more computer programs of the file aggregation module include instructions for accessing cached metadata corresponding to metadata stored in a metadata file.

14. A system for use in a computer network having a plurality of client computers, the file switch comprising:

a group of file servers;

a file switch, the file switch including;

at least one port for exchanging information with the file servers and client computers, the information exchanged including information concerning a specified user file;

means for receiving a user request to perform a specified transaction on a specified user file;

means for identifying a subset of the file servers that store portions of the user file needed to perform the specified transaction;

means for sending commands to each respective file server in the subset of file servers to perform the transaction on a respective portion of the user file, and receiving replies from the subset of file servers; and

means for aggregating the received replies to produce an aggregated reply; and

means for sending the aggregated reply to a sender of the user request.

15. A system for use in a computer network having a plurality of client computers, the file switch comprising:

a group of file servers;

a file switch, the file switch including;

at least one port for exchanging information with the file servers and client computers, the information exchanged including information concerning a specified user file;

means for receiving a user request to perform a specified transaction on a specified user file;

means for accessing metadata identifying a set of file servers for storing respective defined portions of the specified user file;

means for determining, based on the metadata, a subset of the file servers that store portions of the user file needed to perform the specified transaction;

means for sending commands to each respective file server in the subset of file servers to perform the transaction on a respective portion of the user file, and receiving replies from the subset of file servers; and

means for aggregating the received replies to produce an aggregated reply; and

means for sending the aggregated reply to a sender of the user request.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the specified user file has an aggregated size and a corresponding number of defined portions;

the system including means for updating the metadata when the specified transaction changes the number of defined portions of the specified user file.

17. The system of claim 15, including means for updating the metadata.

18. The system of claim 15, the means for accessing metadata including means for accessing a metadata file that stores the metadata.

19. The system of claim 15, the means for accessing metadata including means for accessing cached metadata corresponding to metadata stored in a metadata file.

20. A system for use in a computer network having a plurality of client computers, the file switch comprising:

a group of file servers;

a file switch, the file switch including;

at least one port for exchanging information with the file servers and client computers, the information exchanged including information concerning a specified user file;

at least one processing unit for executing computer programs;

a file aggregation module including one or more computer programs, the computer programs including instructions for;

receiving a user request to perform a specified transaction on a specified user file;

identifying a subset of the file servers that store portions of the user file needed to perform the specified transaction;

sending commands to each respective file server in the subset of file servers to perform the transaction on a respective portion of the user file, and receiving replies from the subset of file servers;

aggregating the received replies to produce an aggregated reply; and

sending the aggregated reply to a sender of the user request.

21. A system for use in a computer network having a plurality of client computers, the file switch comprising:

a group of file servers;

a file switch, the file switch including;

at least one port for exchanging information with the file servers and client computers, the information exchanged including information concerning a specified user file;

at least one processing unit for executing computer programs;

a file aggregation module including one or more computer programs, the computer programs including instructions for;

receiving a user request to perform a specified transaction on a specified user file;

accessing metadata identifying a set of file servers for storing respective defined portions of the specified user file;

determining, based on the metadata, a subset of the file servers that store portions of the user file needed to perform the specified transaction;

sending commands to each respective file server in the subset of file servers to perform the transaction on a respective portion of the user file, and receiving replies from the subset of file servers;

aggregating the received replies to produce an aggregated reply; and

sending the aggregated reply to a sender of the user request.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein

the specified user file has an aggregated size and a corresponding number of defined portions, and

the one or more computer programs of the file aggregation module include instructions for updating the metadata when the specified transaction changes the number of defined portions of the specified user file.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more computer programs of the file aggregation module include instructions for updating the metadata.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more computer programs of the file aggregation module include instructions for accessing a metadata file that stores the metadata.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more computer programs of the file aggregation module include instructions for accessing cached metadata corresponding to metadata stored in a metadata file.