File sharing system, file server, and method for managing files

• US 20100211547A1
• Filed: 04/08/2009
• Published: 08/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Sutoh, Atsushi, Kamei, Hitoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,015,157 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/649
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1461 Backup scheduling policy
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/128 Details of file system snapshots on the file-level, e.g. snapshot creation, administration, deletion use of snapshots for error detection or correction G06F11/14, G06F11/16

Abstract

In the HSM function, when supporting the file system snapshot function, a differential data volume is required for both a high-speed volume and a low-speed volume. Accordingly, when supporting the snapshot function by using a file system provided by the HSM function, a large amount of differential data volume is required. When the manager gives an instruction to acquire a snapshot, a snapshot management program executes snapshot acquisition processing to acquire a snapshot. In this processing, a snapshot reference relation building processing part copies a file storage location management table, and relates the file storage location management table to the acquired snapshot. Then, the snapshot reference relation building processing part checks a file that is migrated to a file system which does not have a differential data volume. Finally, the snapshot reference relation building processing part creates a link of the migrated file to the snapshot which is acquired previous time.

Claims

1. A file-sharing system comprising:

a storage device that has one or more volumes; and

a file server that manages files stored in the volumes by using one or more file systems created for the volumes, a unified file system which virtually integrates the file systems, and snapshots of at least one of the file systems which are acquired at one or more time points,

wherein the storage device and the file server are communicably coupled to each other, and

wherein the file server comprises;

a memory that stores snapshot management information which includes mount paths of the snapshots, and represents the snapshots acquired at respective time points, and file storage location management information which includes file paths of the files, and represents storage locations of the files when the unified file system manages the files; and

a processor that executes a snapshot management information modification control for acquiring a snapshot for a file system having the snapshot when receiving a snapshot acquisition request including a mount path of the snapshot from a computer, and modifying the snapshot management information by using the acquired snapshot, a file rewrite control for copying the file storage location management information at a time point when the snapshot is acquired, and rewriting file paths of files included in the copied file storage location management information by using a mount path of the acquired snapshot, and a file access control for performing a file access to the file managed by the acquired snapshot when receiving a file access request from a computer to the rewritten file which is stored in a volume for which a file system not having a snapshot is created.

2. A file-sharing system according to claim 1,

wherein the file is migrated from the volume for which a file system having a snapshot is created to the volume for which a file system not having a snapshot is created, and is managed by a first snapshot which is acquired when the file is stored in the volume for which the file system having the snapshot is created,

wherein the file is not modified during a time period from a time point when the file is migrated to a time point when a second snapshot is acquired, and

wherein the processor of the file server executes the snapshot management information modification control for acquiring the second snapshot when receiving the snapshot acquisition request from the computer with the file kept unmodified, and modifying the snapshot management information by using the acquired second snapshot,

the file rewrite control for copying the file storage location management information at a time point when the second snapshot is acquired, and performing the rewriting for the unmodified file, and

a link management control for creating a link to a file which is managed by the first snapshot in a volume for which a file system having the second snapshot is created, and managing the created link by using the second snapshot.

3. A file-sharing system according to claim 1,

wherein the file is migrated from the volume for which a file system having a snapshot is created to the volume for which a file system not having a snapshot is created, and is managed by a first snapshot which is acquired when the file is stored in the volume for which the file system having the snapshot is created,

wherein the file is modified during a time period from a time point when the file is migrated to a time point when a second snapshot is acquired, and

wherein the processor of the file server executes the snapshot management information modification control for acquiring the second snapshot when receiving the snapshot acquisition request from the computer after the file is modified, and modifying the snapshot management information by using the acquired second snapshot,

the file rewrite control for copying the file storage location management information at a time point when the second snapshot is acquired, and performing the rewriting for the modified file, and

a file management control for copying the modified file to the volume for which a file system having a snapshot is created, and managing the copied file by using the second snapshot.

4. A file-sharing system according to claim 1,

wherein the file is migrated from the volume for which a file system having a snapshot is created to the volume for which a file system not having a snapshot is created, and is managed by a first snapshot which is acquired when the file is stored in the volume for which the file system having the snapshot is created,

wherein the file is deleted during a time period from a time point when the file is migrated to a time point when a second snapshot is acquired, and

wherein the processor of the file server executes the snapshot management information modification control for acquiring the second snapshot when receiving the snapshot acquisition request from the computer after the file is deleted, and modifying the snapshot management information by using the acquired second snapshot, and

a file management control for avoiding to perform the rewriting for the deleted file while copying the file storage location management information at a time point when the second snapshot is acquired, and to manage the deleted file by using the second snapshot.

5. A file-sharing system according to claim 1,

wherein the snapshot management information includes, for each snapshot, a mount path of the snapshot, a name of the snapshot, a name of the file storage location management information at a time point when the snapshot is acquired, and a creation time point for the snapshot,

wherein the file storage location management information includes a file name, a file path, a file system which manages the file, a modification flag which determines whether or not the file is modified for each file as file information, and wherein the processor of the file server acquires file information of a file to be accessed by the file access request from the file storage location management information when receiving the file access request from the computer to set the value of the modification flag of the file information to a value representing that the file is modified when the file access request is write request, and

executes file access processing to the file, and notifies the computer of the result of the file access processing.

6. A file server, that is communicably coupled to a storage device which has one or more volumes, and that manages files stored in the volumes by using one or more file systems created for the volumes, a unified file system which virtually integrates the file systems, and snapshots of at least one of the file systems which are acquired at one or more time points, comprising:

a memory that stores snapshot management information which includes mount paths of the snapshots, and represents the snapshots acquired at respective time points, and file storage location management information which includes file paths of the files, and represents storage locations of the files when the unified file system manages the files; and

a processor that executes a snapshot management information modification control for acquiring a snapshot for a file system having the snapshot when receiving a snapshot acquisition request including a mount path of the snapshot from a computer, and modifying the snapshot management information by using the acquired snapshot, a file rewrite control for copying the file storage location management information at a time point when the snapshot is acquired, and rewriting file paths of files included in the copied file storage location management information by using a mount path of the acquired snapshot, and a file access control for performing a file access to the file managed by the acquired snapshot when receiving a file access request from a computer to the rewritten file which is stored in a volume for which a file system not having a snapshot is created.

7. A file server according to claim 6,

wherein the file is migrated from the volume for which a file system having a snapshot is created to the volume for which a file system not having a snapshot is created, and is managed by a first snapshot which is acquired when the file is stored in the volume for which the file system having the snapshot is created,

wherein the file is not modified during a time period from a time point when the file is migrated to a time point when a second snapshot is acquired, and

wherein the processor executes the snapshot management information modification control for acquiring the second snapshot when receiving the snapshot acquisition request from the computer with the file kept unmodified, and modifying the snapshot management information by using the acquired second snapshot,

the file rewrite control for copying the file storage location management information at a time point when the second snapshot is acquired, and performing the rewriting for the unmodified file, and

a link management control for creating a link to a file which is managed by the first snapshot in a volume for which a file system having the second snapshot is created, and managing the created link by using the second snapshot.

8. A file server according to claim 6,

wherein the file is migrated from the volume for which a file system having a snapshot is created to the volume for which a file system not having a snapshot is created, and is managed by a first snapshot which is acquired when the file is stored in the volume for which the file system having the snapshot is created,

wherein the file is modified during a time period from a time point when the file is migrated to a time point when a second snapshot is acquired, and

wherein the processor executes the snapshot management information modification control for acquiring the second snapshot when receiving the snapshot acquisition request from the computer after the file is modified, and modifying the snapshot management information by using the acquired second snapshot,

the file rewrite control for copying the file storage location management information at a time point when the second snapshot is acquired, and performing the rewriting for the modified file, and

a file management control for copying the modified file to the volume for which a file system having a snapshot is created, and managing the copied file by using the second snapshot.

9. A file server according to claim 6,

wherein the file is migrated from the volume for which a file system having a snapshot is created to the volume for which a file system not having a snapshot is created, and is managed by a first snapshot which is acquired when the file is stored in the volume for which the file system having the snapshot is created,

wherein the file is deleted during a time period from a time point when the file is migrated to a time point when a second snapshot is acquired, and

wherein the processor executes the snapshot management information modification control for acquiring the second snapshot when receiving the snapshot acquisition request from the computer after the file is deleted, and modifying the snapshot management information by using the acquired second snapshot, and

a file management control for avoiding to perform the rewriting for the deleted file while copying the file storage location management information at a time point when the second snapshot is acquired, and to manage the deleted file by using the second snapshot.

10. A method for managing files in a file-sharing system that has a storage device that has one or more volumes, and a file server that manages files stored in the volumes by using one or more file systems created for the volumes, a unified file system which virtually integrates the file systems, and snapshots of at least one of the file systems which are acquired at one or more time points,

wherein the storage device and the file server are communicably coupled to each other,

the method comprising:

by the file server, storing snapshot management information which includes mount paths of the snapshots, and represents the snapshots acquired at respective time points;

by the file server, storing file storage location management information which includes file paths of the files, and represents storage locations of the files when the unified file system manages the files;

acquiring a snapshot for a file system having the snapshot when receiving a snapshot acquisition request including a mount path of the snapshot from a computer, and modifying the snapshot management information by using the acquired snapshot;

copying the file storage location management information at a time point when the snapshot is acquired, and rewriting file paths of files included in the copied file storage location management information by using a mount path of the acquired snapshot; and

performing a file access to the file managed by the acquired snapshot when receiving a file access request from a computer to the rewritten file which is stored in a volume for which a file system not having a snapshot is created.

11. A method for managing files according to claim 10,

wherein the file is migrated from the volume for which a file system having a snapshot is created to the volume for which a file system not having a snapshot is created, and is managed by a first snapshot which is acquired when the file is stored in the volume for which the file system having the snapshot is created,

wherein the file is not modified during a time period from a time point when the file is migrated to a time point when a second snapshot is acquired,

wherein the file server acquires the second snapshot when receiving the snapshot acquisition request from the computer with the file kept unmodified, and modifies the snapshot management information by using the acquired second snapshot,

wherein the file server copies the file storage location management information at a time point when the second snapshot is acquired, and performs the rewriting for the unmodified file, and

wherein the file server creates a link to a file which is managed by the first snapshot in a volume for which a file system having the second snapshot is created, and manages the created link by using the second snapshot.

12. A method for managing files according to claim 10,

wherein the file is migrated from the volume for which a file system having a snapshot is created to the volume for which a file system not having a snapshot is created, and is managed by a first snapshot which is acquired when the file is stored in the volume for which the file system having the snapshot is created,

wherein the file is modified during a time period from a time point when the file is migrated to a time point when a second snapshot is acquired,

wherein the file server acquires the second snapshot when receiving the snapshot acquisition request from the computer after the file is modified, and modifies the snapshot management information by using the acquired second snapshot,

wherein the file server copies the file storage location management information at a time point when the second snapshot is acquired, and performs the rewriting for the modified file, and

wherein the file server copies the modified file to the volume for which a file system having a snapshot is created, and manages the copied file by using the second snapshot.

13. A method for managing files according to claim 10,

wherein the file is migrated from the volume for which a file system having a snapshot is created to the volume for which a file system not having a snapshot is created, and is managed by a first snapshot which is acquired when the file is stored in the volume for which the file system having the snapshot is created,

wherein the file is deleted during a time period from a time point when the file is migrated to a time point when a second snapshot is acquired,

wherein the file server acquires the second snapshot when receiving the snapshot acquisition request from the computer after the file is deleted, and modifies the snapshot management information by using the acquired second snapshot, and

wherein the file server avoid to perform the rewriting for the deleted file while copying the file storage location management information at a time point when the second snapshot is acquired, and to manage the deleted file by using the second snapshot.