Infrastructure for performing file operations by a database server

• US 20060136376A1
• Filed: 12/16/2004
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Sedlar, Eric, Jain, Namit, Idicula, Sam, Agarwal, Nipun, Pannala, Syam
• Granted Patent: US 7,627,574 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1774 Locking methods, e.g. locking methods for file systems allowing shared and concurrent access to files
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

A method and apparatus for processing a file system operation at a database server is provided. A request to perform a file system operation on a resource stored in a database is received at a database system. The request may be implemented using the NFS protocol. The request may include state identification data that identifies state information associated with the request. State information associated with the request is retrieved within the database system based on the state identification data. State information is information that describes the operational state of the requestor for a particular file. The request is then processed based, at least in part, on the state identification. File system operations may be processed a database management system to access any data, such as a file, relational data, and object-relational data.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method, comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a database system, a request to perform a file system operation, wherein said request includes state identification data;

based on said state identification data, retrieving, within said database system, state information associated with said request; and

processing said request based, at least in part, on said state information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of retrieving said state information associated with said request comprises:

using said state identification data as a key value in a lookup mechanism to retrieve said state information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said lookup mechanism is one member selected from the group consisting of:

a b-tree and a hash table.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said request is issued from a requestor, and the method further comprises the steps of:

in response to processing said request, updating the state information to reflect the operational state of a resource after the file system operation has been performed on the resource, wherein the updated state information is identified by second state identification data; and

transmitting said second state identification data to said requestor.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said second state information reflects a file opened by said requestor in response to processing said request.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said second state information reflects a new lock on a file granted to said requestor in response to processing said request, and wherein said second state information reflects any locks previously granted to said requestor.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said new lock covers a specified byte range of said file, wherein said specified byte range is does not span all of said file.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said request is a second request, and the method further comprises the steps of:

prior to receiving said second request, receiving, at said database system, a first request to establish a client identifier for a requestor; and

transmitting said client identifier to said requestor, wherein

said second request comprises said client identifier.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said request identifies a particular requestor, and the method further comprises the step of:

prior to said step of retrieving said state information associated with said request, determining whether a requestor that issued the request is actually the particular requestor that is identified in the request.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said request is issued by a requester, and the method further comprises the step of:

prior to performing a particular operation requested by said request, determining if said requestor has a permission level sufficient to perform said particular operation.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said request is issued by a requester, and wherein said step of processing said request further comprises the step of:

updating requestor data, maintained at a database server in said database system, to reflect said requestor, wherein said requestor data identifies requesters registered to issue file system operations.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said request is issued by a requester, wherein said file system operation is an operation to open a file, and wherein said step of processing said request further comprises the step of:

updating file data, maintained at a database server in said database system, to reflect said requestor has opened said file.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said request is issued by a requester, wherein said file system operation is an operation to lock a portion of a file, and wherein said step of processing said request further comprises the step of:

updating lock data, maintained at a database server in said database system, to reflect said portion of said file which said requester has locked.

16. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 1.

17. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 2.

18. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 3.

19. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 4.

20. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 5.

21. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 6.

22. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 7.

23. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 8.

24. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 9.

25. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 10.

26. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 11.

27. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 12.

28. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 13.

14. A machine-implemented method, comprising the steps of:

receiving, from a requestor, at a database system, a request to perform an operation on a portion of a file maintained by said database system, wherein said operation requires that a lock be granted on said portion;

determining if said requestor may be granted said lock by consulting a plurality of b-trees maintained by said database system to check if any conflicting locks have been previously granted; and

upon determining that said requestor may be granted said lock, updating said plurality of b-trees to reflect that said lock is granted to said requestor.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of sending said requestor state information that identifies all locks said requestor has been granted.

29. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 14.

30. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 15.