Moving data from file on storage volume to alternate location to free space
First Claim
1. A computing device having a storage volume, a file system managing the storage volume, and a file stored on the storage volume by the file system and accessed through such file system, the file being defined to include data and metadata relating to the data, at least a portion of the data of the file being removed from the file and stored at an alternate location such that the data does not occupy substantially any space on the volume and the file is in a reduced, ghosted form, the ghosted file being reconstituted for use by retrieving the data from the alternate location and associating such retrieved data with such ghosted file to form the reconstituted file.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A computing device has a file stored on a storage volume by a file system and accessed through such file system. The file is defined to include data and metadata relating to the data, and at least a portion of the data of the file is removed from the file and stored at an alternate location such that the data does not occupy substantially any space on the volume and the file is in a reduced, ghosted form. The ghosted file is reconstituted for use by retrieving the data from the alternate location and associating such retrieved data with such ghosted file to form the reconstituted file.
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Citations
19 Claims
- 1. A computing device having a storage volume, a file system managing the storage volume, and a file stored on the storage volume by the file system and accessed through such file system, the file being defined to include data and metadata relating to the data, at least a portion of the data of the file being removed from the file and stored at an alternate location such that the data does not occupy substantially any space on the volume and the file is in a reduced, ghosted form, the ghosted file being reconstituted for use by retrieving the data from the alternate location and associating such retrieved data with such ghosted file to form the reconstituted file.
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7. A method in connection with a computing device having a storage volume, a file system managing the storage volume, and a file stored on the storage volume by the file system and accessed through such file system, the file being defined to include data and metadata relating to the data, the method for freeing space on the volume as occupied by at least a portion of the file and comprising:
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identifying the file;
identifying at least a portion of the data to be removed from the file;
moving the identified data from the file to the alternate location for being stored thereat such that the file is in a reduced, ghosted form;
marking space on the volume formerly occupied by the moved data as being free; and
amending the metadata of the now-ghosted file to include ghosting information including information that may be employed to retrieve the moved data for the file from the alternate location, whereby the ghosted file may be reconstituted for use by retrieving the data from the alternate location and associating such retrieved data with such ghosted file to form the reconstituted file. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification