Implementing data management application programming interface access rights in a parallel file system

• US 7,120,650 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2001
• Issued: 10/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Daedalus Blue LLC
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Shmueli, Boaz, Schmuck, Frank, Loy, Irit, Marberg, John, Wyllie, James
• Primary Examiner(s): LEROUX, ETIENNE PIERRE
• Application Number:
  US09/887,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20020059309A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,933 Days
• Field of Search: 707/8, 707/102, 707/1, 707/2, 707/9, 707/10, 707/200, 713/300, 713/201, 370/351, 709/250, 709/232, 709/1, 709/219, 709/201, 709/224, 711/162, 395/680
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/148 File search processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1858 Parallel file systems, i.e. file systems supporting multiple processors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

In a cluster of computing nodes having shared access to one or more volumes of data storage using a parallel file system, a method for managing the data storage includes initiating a data management application in the cluster using a data management application programming interface (DMAPI) of the parallel file system. When a request submitted to the parallel file system is received on one of the nodes to perform an operation on a file in one of the volumes of data storage, a data management access right is obtained from the DMAPI responsive to the request The operation is performed on the file using the access right.

Claims

1. In a cluster of computing nodes having shared access to one or more volumes of data storage using a parallel file system, a method for managing the data storage, comprising:

creating a session of a data management (DM) application on a session node selected from among the nodes in the cluster by invoking a function of a data management application programming interface (DMAPI) of the parallel file system;

receiving a request submitted to the parallel file system by a user application on a source node in the cluster to perform an operation on a file in one of the volumes of data storage;

sending a notification of a DM event from the source node to the session node responsive to the request;

obtaining a data management access right from the DMAPI by processing the event at the session node; and

performing the operation on the file from the source node using the access right.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein creating the session of the data management application comprises initiating a data migration application, so as to free storage space on at least one of the volumes of data storage, and wherein receiving the request comprises generating an event responsive to the request, and wherein obtaining the data management access right comprises associating a DM token with the right at the session node for use invoking a DMAPI function to be applied to the file and associating the token with the event, and wherein performing the operation comprises migrating data at a plurality of the nodes simultaneously by presenting the token in connection with the DMAPI function.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein obtaining the data management access right comprises acquiring a data management lock on the file, so as to restrict other data management and file operations on the file while the lock is held.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the operation is a data management operation, and wherein acquiring the data management lock comprises holding the lock over a sequence of multiple kernel calls in the parallel file system.

5. A method according to claim 3, wherein the operation is a file operation, and wherein acquiring the data management lock comprises holding the lock for a single kernel call in the parallel file system.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the file operation is one of a plurality of file operations to be performed on the file, and wherein acquiring the data management lock comprises allowing the plurality of file operations to hold respective data management locks simultaneously without mutual conflict.

7. A method according to claim 3, wherein acquiring the data management lock comprises acquiring an exclusive lock.

8. A method according to claim 3, wherein acquiring the data management lock comprises acquiring a shared lock.

9. A method according to claim 3, wherein acquiring the data management lock comprises selecting the lock from a table of locks provided for both file operations and data management operations.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein performing the operation comprises calling a DMAPI function to perform a data management operation, and wherein acquiring the data management lock comprises acquiring, in a course of executing the DMAPI function, one of the locks provided for the file operations for the duration of the DMAPI function, so as to enable calling the DMAPI function without presenting a DM token.

11. A method according to claim 3, wherein acquiring the data management lock comprises providing the data management lock within a hierarchy of locks supported by the parallel file system.