Inheritable file system properties

• US 20070106678A1
• Filed: 05/11/2006
• Published: 05/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Maybee, Mark, Ahrens, Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 7,761,432 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/11 File system administration, e.g. details of archiving or snapshots file system backup G06F11/14

Abstract

A storage pool, that includes a hierarchical data structure, wherein the hierarchical data structure comprises a plurality of nodes, wherein one of the plurality of nodes corresponds to the file system, and the file system, wherein the file system is associated with a value corresponding to an attribute, wherein the value is determined using the hierarchical data structure.

Claims

1. A storage pool, comprising:

a hierarchical data structure, wherein the hierarchical data structure comprises a plurality of nodes, wherein one of the plurality of nodes corresponds to a file system; and

the file system, associated with a value corresponding to an attribute, wherein the value is determined using the hierarchical data structure.

2. The storage pool of claim 1, further comprising:

a meta database configured to store the hierarchical data structure.

3. The storage pool of claim 2, wherein the file system is stored on a first disk and the meta database is stored on a second disk, wherein the first disk and the second disk are located in the storage pool.

4. The storage pool of claim 1, wherein the value of the attribute associated with the file system may be inherited from a first parent node of the one of the plurality of nodes corresponding to the file system.

5. The storage pool of claim 1, wherein the value of the attribute associated with the file system may be inherited from a second parent node, wherein the second parent node is a parent node of the first parent node.

6. The storage pool of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of nodes corresponds to the storage pool.

7. The storage pool of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of nodes corresponds to a container.

8. A method for determining a value of an attribute associated with a file system, comprising:

determining whether the value of the attribute is explicitly defined in a node corresponding to the file system in a hierarchical data structure;

if the value of the attribute is explicitly defined;

obtaining the value from the node corresponding to the file system;

if the value of the attribute is not explicitly defined;

tracing a path from the node corresponding to the file system to a node corresponding to a storage pool, and for at least one node encountered;

determining whether the value of the attribute is explicitly defined;

obtaining the value, if the value of the attribute is explicitly defined;

continuing the tracing, if the value of the attribute is not explicitly defined.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the storage pool comprises a plurality of disks.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the hierarchical data structure is stored in a meta database.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the file system is located on a first one of the plurality of disks and the meta database is located on a second one of the plurality of disks, wherein the first one of the plurality of disks and the second one of the plurality of disks are located in the storage pool.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the hierarchical data structure comprises a plurality of nodes, wherein each of the plurality of nodes corresponds to one selected from the group consisting of the file system, a container, and the storage pool.

13. A computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions to:

determine whether a value of an attribute is explicitly defined in a node corresponding to the file system in a hierarchical data structure;

if the value of the attribute is explicitly defined;

obtain the value from the node corresponding to the file system;

if the value of the attribute is not explicitly defined;

trace a path from the node corresponding to the file system to a node corresponding to a storage pool, and for at least one node encountered;

determine whether the value of the attribute is explicitly defined;

obtain the value, if the value of the attribute is explicitly defined;

continue the tracing, if the value of the attribute is not explicitly defined.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the storage pool comprises a plurality of disks.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the hierarchical data structure is stored in a meta database.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the file system is located on a first one of the plurality of disks and the meta database is located on a second one of the plurality of disks, wherein the first one of the plurality of disks and the second one of the plurality of disks are located in the storage pool.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the hierarchical data structure comprises a plurality of nodes, wherein each of the plurality of nodes corresponds to one selected from the group consisting of the file system, a container, and the storage pool.