FILE SERVER APPARATUS

• US 20180013827A1
• Filed: 01/30/2015
• Published: 01/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: KAMEI, Hitoshi, TAKATA, Masanori, TSUCHIYA, Akiyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 10,805,394 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0868 Data transfer between cache memory and other subsystems, e.g. storage devices or host systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1024 Latency reduction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/263 Network storage, e.g. SAN or NAS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/314 In storage network, e.g. network attached cache
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/463 File
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/466 Metadata, control data
• 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 file server apparatus includes a second file system volume including cache data of a first file system volume stored in a shared file storage apparatus. The file server apparatus determines the operation type indicated by an access request to the first file system volume from a client. When the operation type is directory operation, the file server sends an instruction of directory operation to the shared file storage apparatus, and then transmits a completion response to the client. When the operation type is file operation, the file server apparatus executes a file operation in the second file system volume, transmits a completion response to the client, and then transmits a file operation instruction to the shared file storage apparatus.

Claims

1. A file server apparatus configured to share a first file system volume stored in a shared file storage apparatus with another file server apparatus, and mediate accesses from a client to the first file system volume, the file server apparatus comprising:

a second file system volume including cache data of the first file system volume; and

a controller configured to;

receive an access request to the first file system volume from the client;

determine an operation type indicated by the access request;

transmit, when the operation type is directory operation, a completion response of the directory operation to the client after transmitting an instruction of the directory operation in the first file system volume to the shared file storage apparatus; and

transmit, when the operation type is file operation, an instruction of the file operation in the first file system volume to the shared file storage device after executing the file operation in the second file system volume and transmitting a completion response of the file operation to the client.

2. The file server apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the controller is configured to:

make an inquiry to the shared file storage apparatus concerning a target directory of the directory operation in the first file system volume; and

determine permission/prohibition of the directory operation based on a response to the inquiry.

3. The file server apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein, when the directory operation is prohibited and the target directory in the first file system volume is different from a corresponding target directory in the second file system volume, the controller is configured to match the target directory in the second file system volume with the target directory in the first file system volume.

4. The file server apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein, the controller is configured to execute synchronization processing for incorporating update data for the second file system volume in the first file system volume into the second file system volume when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

5. The file server apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, the controller is configured to:

store temporarily information on file operations in a list;

select sequentially the file operations in the list;

determine permission/prohibition of each of the selected file operations based on information on a file operation object of each of the selected file operations in the first file system volume; and

instruct the shared file storage apparatus to perform a file operate determined as permitted.

6. The file server apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the controller is configured to move an object of a file operation determined as prohibited to a specified directory.

7. A method of controlling a file server apparatus configured to share a first file system volume stored in a shared file storage apparatus with another file server apparatus, and mediate accesses from a client to the first file system volume, the method comprising:

receiving an access request to the first file system volume from the client;

determining an operation type indicated by the access request;

transmitting, when the operation type is a directory operation, a completion response of the directory operation to the client after transmitting an instruction of the directory operation in the first file system volume to the shared file storage apparatus;

transmitting, when the operation type is file operation, an instruction of the file operation in the first file system volume to the shared file storage device after executing the file operation in the second file system volume and transmitting a completion response of the file operation to the client.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

making an inquiry to the shared file storage apparatus concerning a target directory of the directory operation in the first file system volume; and

determining permission/prohibition of the directory operation based on a response to the inquiry.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising

Matching, when the directory operation is prohibited and the target directory in the first file system volume is different from a corresponding target directory in the second file system volume, the target directory in the second file system volume with the target directory in the first file system volume.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising

executing synchronization processing for incorporating update data for the second file system volume in the first file system volume into the second file system volume when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

11. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

storing temporarily information on file operations in a list;

selecting sequentially the file operations in the list;

determining permission/prohibition of each of the selected file operations based on information on a file operation object of each of the selected file operations in the first file system volume; and

instructing the shared file storage apparatus to perform a file operate determined as permitted.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising

moving an object of a file operation determined as prohibited to a specified directory.

13. A file sharing system comprising:

a shared file storage apparatus storing a first file system volume;

a plurality of file server apparatuses configured to share the first file system volume, and mediate accesses from a plurality of clients to the first file system volume;

wherein each of the plurality of file server apparatuses is configured to;

store a second file system volume including cache data of the first file system volume;

receive an access request to the first file system volume from a client;

determine an operation type indicated by the access request;

transmit, when the operation type is directory operation, a completion response of the directory operation to the client after transmitting an instruction of the directory operation in the first file system volume to the shared file storage apparatus; and

transmit, when the operation type is file operation, an instruction of the file operation in the first file system volume to the shared file storage device after executing the file operation in the second file system volume and transmitting a completion response of the file operation to the client.