File management system

• US 6,675,176 B1
• Filed: 09/17/1999
• Issued: 01/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Tsuchiya, Yoshihiro, Shinkai, Yoshitake
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Shahid Al
• Application Number:
  US09/397,865
• Time in Patent Office: 1,572 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1-6, 707/8, 707/10, 707/102, 707/200, 707/201, 707/202, 707/203, 707/513, 707/205, 707/500.1, 711/112, 711/114, 711/122, 711/157, 713/201, 714/5, 714/6, 714/7
• US Class Current: 707/823
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers

Abstract

A file management system is capable of storing the data with a higher usability (reliability) and a higher performance by structuring files for arranging in redundancy the data on a plurality of disk devices, and utilizing characteristics of a file management program (file system) recognizing a mutual relationship between sets of data stored in the plurality of disk devices. The file management system includes a plurality of disk devices 51, 52, 53 and 54, managed in the form of a disk pool, of which at least two disk devices are dynamically selected from the disk pool, for constituting a plurality of files for storing in redundancy any one set of data of user data and meta data for managing how the user data are used, and a file system 1, constituting a part of an operating system 3 of a host computer 2, for managing the plurality of disk devices as the disk pool and managing en bloc the files, based on the meta data.

Claims

1. A file management system comprising:

a plurality of disk devices, managed in the form of a disk pool, of which at least two disk devices are dynamically selected from said disk pool, constituting a plurality of files storing in redundancy any one set of data of user data and meta data for managing how the user data are used; and

a file system, constituting a part of an operating system of a host computer, managing said plurality of disk devices as said disk pool and managing en bloc the files, based on the meta data, wherein the meta data is stored on a file-basis with an address conversion table including a disk number of said disk device stored with the user data, and a disk block number corresponding to an intra-disk relative block number.

2. A file management system according to claim 1, wherein said file system, in the case of a file of less than one block, selects two of said plurality of disk devices in said disk pool, and makes the user data stored in the redundancy of a RAID level 1.

3. A file management system according to claim 2, wherein said file system, in the case of a file of over two blocks, selects three or more of said plurality of disk devices in said disk pool, and makes the user data stored in the redundancy of a RAID level 5.

4. A file management system according to claim 3, wherein said file system makes the meta data stored in predetermined two of said plurality of disk devices in said disk pool in the redundancy of the RAID level 1.

5. A file management system according to claim 1, wherein if a file block fault occurs in a target disk device when said file system accessing the file, a disk block group needed for recovering contents of the block with the fault is obtained from said address conversion table, the disk block group is read, the data of the block with the fault are recovered from the data read therefrom, the recovered data are written to a newly-allocated normal block in said same disk device, and the newly-allocated disk block number is reflected in said address conversion table.

6. A file management system according to claim 1, wherein if a fault of said disk device occurs, a disk block group needed for recovering contents of the block of said failed disk device is obtained from said address conversion table, the disk block group is read, the data of said failed disk device are recovered from the data read therefrom, the recovered data are written to a newly-allocated normal block in said other disk devices not used for the particular file, and the newly-allocated disk block numbers and the newly-allocated disk number are reflected in said address conversion table.

7. A file management system according to claim 1, wherein when restarted after system down, said file system reads sequentially the address conversion table in the meta data, recalculates the parity data with respect to the file in which an open indication flag is set, and writes back the recalculated parity data to the parity block in the file.

8. A file management system comprising:

a plurality of disk devices, managed in the form of a disk pool, of which at least two disk devices are dynamically selected from said disk pool, constituting a plurality of files storing in redundancy any one set of data of user data and meta data for managing how the user data are used; and

a file system, constituting a part of an operating system of a host computer, managing said plurality of disk devices as said disk pool and managing en bloc the files, based on the meta data, wherein said file system, in the case of file of less than one block, selects two of said plurality of disk devices in said disk pool, and makes the user data stored in the redundancy of a RAID level 1, wherein said file system, in the case of a file of over two blocks, selects three or more of said plurality of disk devices in said disk pool, and makes the user data stored in the redundancy of a RAID level 5, wherein said file system makes the meta data stored in predetermined two of said plurality of disk devices in said disk pool in the redundancy of the RAID level 1, wherein the meta data is stored on a file-basis with an address conversion table including a disk number of said disk device stored with the user data, and disk block number corresponding to an intra-disk relative block number.

9. A file management system according to claim 8, wherein if a block fault occurs in a target disk device when said file system accessing the file, a disk block group needed for recovering contents of the block with the fault is obtained from said address conversion table, the disk block group is read, the data of the block with the fault are recovered from the data read therefrom, the recovered data are written to a newly-allocated normal block in said same disk device, and the newly-allocated disk block number is reflected in said address conversion table.

10. A file management system according to claim 9, wherein said file system caches the user data when writing the data in order to restrain an occurrence of recalculation of the parity data, and delays an allocation of the disk block till the file is closed or said cache becomes full.

11. A file management system according to claim 10, wherein if a fault of said disk device occurs, a disk block group needed for recovering contents of the block of said failed disk device is obtained from said address conversion table, the disk block group is read, the data of said failed disk device are recovered from the data read therefrom, the recovered data are written to a newly-allocated normal block in said other disk devices not used for the particular file, and the newly-allocated disk block numbers and the newly-allocated disk number are reflected in said address conversion table.

12. A file management system according to claim 11, wherein when restarted after system down, said file system reads sequentially the address conversion table in the meta data, recalculates the parity data with respect to the file in which an open indication flag is set, and writes back the recalculated parity data to the parity block in the file.

13. A file management system comprising:

a plurality of disk devices, managed in the form of a disk pool, of which at least two disk devices are dynamically selected from said disk pool, constituting a plurality of files storing in redundancy any one set of data of user data and meta data for managing how the user data are used; and

a file system, constituting a part of an operating system of a host computer, managing said plurality of disk devices as said disk pool and managing en bloc the files, based on the meta data, wherein said file system caches the user data when writing the data in order to restrain an occurrence of recalculation of the parity data, and delays an allocation of the disk block till the file is closed or said cache becomes full.