ACCESSING A BLOCK BASED VOLUME AS A FILE BASED VOLUME

• US 20170068686A1
• Filed: 09/07/2015
• Published: 03/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Infinidat Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Jacob Broido
• Inventors: BROIDO, JACOB
• Application Number:
  US14/846,859
• Publication Number:
  US 20170068686A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/183 Provision of network file services by network file servers, e.g. by using NFS, CIFS network file access protocols H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/188 Virtual file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0607 by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0661 Format or protocol conversion arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

A method for accessing a block level volume by a file level client, the method may include receiving, by a network attached storage (NAS) interface of a storage system, a file level command that is associated with a virtual pathname that is indicative that the file level command is aimed to a given block level volume and not to a file of a file system; translating, by the storage system, the file level command to a block level command for accessing the given block level volume; accessing, by the storage system, the given block level volume to provide a block level response; converting, by the storage system, the block level response to a file level response; and sending to the file level client the file level response

Claims

1. A method for accessing a block level volume by a file level client, the method comprises:

receiving, by a network attached storage (NAS) interface of a storage system, a file level command that is associated with a virtual pathname that is indicative that the file level command is aimed to a given block level volume and not to a file of a file system;

translating, by the storage system, the file level command to a block level command for accessing the given block level volume;

accessing, by the storage system, the given block level volume to provide a block level response;

converting, by the storage system, the block level response to a file level response; and

sending to the file level client the file level response.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the block level volume was written in a response to a reception of a block level write command received via a storage access network (SAN) interface of the storage system.

3. The method according to claim 1 comprising receiving via a storage access network (SAN) interface of the storage system a block level command from a block level client for accessing the given block level volume;

accessing, by the storage system, the given block level volume to provide a block level response; and

sending to the block level client the block level response.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the receiving of the file level command is followed by forwarding the file level command to a translator of the storage system for translating the file level command to the block level command for accessing the given block level volume.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the receiving of the file level command is preceded by performing a loopback mount command for mounting the file.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the translating of the file level command to the block level command comprises accessing a lookup table for providing, in response to the virtual pathname, a volume identifier of the block level volume.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the translating of the file level command to the block level command comprises applying a predefined function for providing, in response to the virtual pathname, a volume identifier of the block level volume.

8. The method according to claim 1 comprising receiving, by the translator, translation information for translating virtual pathnames to block level volumes.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium that stores instructions that once executed by a storage system cause the storage system to:

receive a file level command that was sent through a network attached storage (NAS) interface of the storage system and is associated with a virtual pathname that is indicative that the file level command is aimed to a given block level volume and not to a file of a file system;

translate the file level command to a block level command for accessing the given block level volume;

access the given block level volume to provide a block level response;

convert the block level response to a file level response; and

send to the file level client the file level response.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 9 wherein at least a portion of the block level volume was written in a response to a reception of a block level write command received via a storage access network (SAN) interface of the storage system.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 9 that stores instructions for:

receiving via a storage access network (SAN) interface of the storage system a block level command from a block level client for accessing the given block level volume;

accessing, by the storage system, the given block level volume to provide a block level response; and

sending to the block level client the block level response.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 9 wherein the receiving of the file level command is followed by forwarding the file level command to a translator of the storage system for translating the file level command to the block level command for accessing the given block level volume.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 9 wherein the receiving of the file level command is preceded by performing a loopback mount command for mounting the file.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 9 wherein the translating of the file level command to the block level command comprises accessing a lookup table for providing, in response to the virtual pathname, a volume identifier of the block level volume.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 9 wherein the translating of the file level command to the block level command comprises applying a predefined function for providing, in response to the virtual pathname, a volume identifier of the block level volume.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 9 that stores instructions for receiving by the translator translation information for translating virtual pathnames to block level volumes.

17. A storage system that comprises a network attached storage (NAS) interface, a translator and storage units that store multiple block level volumes;

wherein the NAS interface is configured to receive a file level command that is associated with a virtual pathname that is indicative that the file level command is aimed to a given block level volume and not to a file of a file system;

wherein the translator is configured to translate the file level command to a block level command for accessing the given block level volume, to access the given block level volume, to receive a block level response and to convert the block level response to a file level response; and

wherein the NAS interface is configured to send to the file level client the file level response.

18. The storage system according to claim 17 further comprising a storage access network (SAN) interface;

wherein at least a portion of the block level volume was written in a response to a reception of a block level write command received via the SAN interface.

19. The storage system according to claim 17 further comprising a storage access network (SAN) interface;

wherein the SAN interface is configured to receive a block level command from a block level client for accessing the given block level volume;

wherein the controller is configured to access the given block level volume to provide a block level response; and

wherein the SAN interface is configured to send to the block level client the block level response.

20. The storage system according to claim 17 wherein the SAN interface is configured to forward the file level command to the translator.

21. The storage system according to claim 17 wherein the translator is configured to access a lookup table for providing, in response to the virtual pathname, a volume identifier of the block level volume.

22. The storage system according to claim 17 wherein the translator is configured to translate the file level command to the block level command by applying a predefined function for providing, in response to the virtual pathname, a volume identifier of the block level volume.

23. The storage system according to claim 17 wherein the translator is configured to receive translation information for translating virtual pathnames to block level volumes.