SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A FILE SYSTEM

• US 20090043823A1
• Filed: 04/14/2008
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rutgers University
• Original Assignee: Rutgers University
• Inventors: Bohra, Aniruddha, IFTODE, LIVIU, Smaldone, Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 8,868,626 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

According to various embodiments of the invention, a system and method for controlling a file system. In some embodiments, a control plane interposes between a data plane user and a data plane, intercepts file system operations, and performs control plane operations upon the file system operations. In one such embodiment, the system and method is implemented between a data plane user that is a local file system user and a data plane that is a local file system. In another such embodiment, the system and method is implemented between a data plane user that is a client and a data plane that is a file server. Furthermore, for an embodiment where the control plane that interposes between a client and a file server, the control plane can be implemented as a file system proxy. Control plane operations include, but are not limited to, observation, verification, and transformation of a file system operation.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a file system, comprising:

intercepting a file system operation from a source, wherein a control plane intercepts the file system operation;

performing a control plane operation on the file system operation, wherein the control plane performs the control plane operation on the file system operation; and

forwarding the file system operation to a destination, wherein the control plane determines the destination of the file system operation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the source is a data plane user, the destination is a data plane, and the data plane user and data plane exchange the file system operation through a data path.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the file system operation is one of a file system request or a file system response.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the file system request originates from the data plane user and the file system response originates from the data plane.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein in order to perform the control plane operation on the file system operation, the control plane

analyzes the file system operation,

identifies an extension chain applicable to the file system operation, wherein the extension chain comprises a plurality of extensions,

invokes and executes a first extension from the plurality of extensions,

passes the file system operation to the first extension,

performs the control plane operation on the file system operation according to the first extension, wherein the file system operation is now a processed file system operation, and

outputs the processed file system operation.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the control plane further invokes a next extension from the plurality of extensions, outputs the processed file system operation to the next extension, and performs the observation, the verification, or the transformation on the processed file system according to the next extension.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the control plane forwards the processed file system operation to the destination when a next extension does not exist in the plurality of extensions.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the extensions determine a behavior of the control plane.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the extensions have a definition comprising a plurality of configuration instructions, a plurality of receiving instructions, and a plurality of sending instructions.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the control plane further performs the control plane operation on the file system operation according to a persistent state storage.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the persistent state storage comprises

a static context wherein the static context stores a read-only state initialized by an extension, and

a dynamic context wherein the dynamic context stores a generated state and the generated state is updated by an extension during the control plane operation.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein the control plane further performs the control plane operation on the file system operation by executing an extension on an control plane engine.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the data plane user is a client, the data plane is a file server, the control plane is a file system proxy, the data path is a network, and the file system proxy interposes between the client and the file server.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the file system operation comprises a network file system protocol and when the control plane performs the control plane operation on the file system operation, the network file system protocol is preserved.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the file system operation comprises a first file system protocol and when the control plane performs the control plane operation on the file system operation, the first file system protocol is transformed to a second file system protocol.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the data plane user is a local file system user, the data plane is a local file system, the data path is a virtual file system, and control plane interposes between the local file system user and the local file system.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is used for file system administration.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed by a computer program product having computer readable program code functions embedded in a computer useable medium.

19. A system for controlling a file system, comprising:

a data plane user;

a data plane;

a data path, wherein the data path is between the data plane user and the data plane and used to exchange a file system operation; and

a control plane, wherein the control plane interposes on the data path between the data plane user and the data plane, the control plane intercepts the file operation from a source, the control plane performs a control plane operation upon the file operation, and forwards the file operation to a destination.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the data plane user is a local file system user, the data plane is a local file system, and the data path is a virtual file system.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the data plane user is a client, the data plane is a file server, the data path is a network, and the control plane is a file system proxy.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the file system operation comprises a network file system protocol and when the control plane performs the control plane operation on the file system operation, the network file system protocol is preserved.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the file system operation comprises a first file system protocol and when the control plane performs the control plane operation on the file system operation, the first file system protocol is transformed to a second file system protocol.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the control plane comprises:

a plurality of extension chains, wherein the extension chains comprise a plurality of extensions;

a persistent state storage, wherein the persistent state storage comprising a static context that stores a read-only state and a dynamic context that stores a generated state that is updated by the extensions; and

an control plane engine, wherein the control plane engine invokes and executes the extensions, the extensions use the static and the generated state during execution, and the extension determines a behavior of the control plane.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the system is used for file system administration.