Methods and apparatus for high-speed access to and sharing of storage devices on a networked digital data processing system
First Claim
1. A digital data processing method comprisingresponding to a request for access to a peripheral device by at least initiating transfer of data designated by that request over a communications pathway that does not include a node that controls access to the peripheral device;
- the initiating step including at least initiating transfer of the data using administrative information obtained from the node pertaining to storage of data on the peripheral device;
wherein responding to the request comprises a bypass, interceding in response to the request for access to the peripheral device applied thereby to the node that controls such access to the peripheral device.
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Abstract
A digital data processing system with improved access to information stored on a peripheral device is provided. A bypass mechanism, which executes on at least a first node (e.g., a client node), intercedes in the response to at least selected input/output, or access, requests generated by that node. The bypass transfers data designated by such requests between the first node and a peripheral device (e.g., a disk drive) over a third communications pathway, in lieu of transferring that data via a second node (e.g., a server node) and a first communications pathway (e.g., a network) between the first and second node and a second communications pathway between the second node and peripheral device. Such transfers by the bypass, however, are made using the administrative information maintained by the file system relating to storage of such data on the peripheral device.
62 Citations
37 Claims
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1. A digital data processing method comprising
responding to a request for access to a peripheral device by at least initiating transfer of data designated by that request over a communications pathway that does not include a node that controls access to the peripheral device; -
the initiating step including at least initiating transfer of the data using administrative information obtained from the node pertaining to storage of data on the peripheral device; wherein responding to the request comprises a bypass, interceding in response to the request for access to the peripheral device applied thereby to the node that controls such access to the peripheral device.
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2. A digital data processing method comprising
responding to a request (“ - first access request”
) by a first node for access to a peripheral device by at least initiating transfer of data designated by that request between the first node and the peripheral device over a communications pathway that does not include a second node that controls access by at least the first node to the peripheral device;the initiating step including at least initiating transfer of the data using administrative information obtained from the second node pertaining to storage of data on the peripheral device; wherein responding to the request comprises a bypass, interceding in response to the request for access by the first node to the peripheral device applied thereby to the second node that controls such access to the peripheral device. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
- first access request”
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14. A digital data processing method accessing a peripheral device, the method comprising
intercepting, with a filter driver executing on a first node, a request (“ - first access request”
) by that node for access to the peripheral device,at least initiating transfer of the data designated by that request between the first node and the peripheral device using file mapping obtained from a second node; wherein the initiating step includes at least initiating transfer of data designated by the first access request between the first node and the peripheral device over a communications pathway that differs from that over which a file system executing on at least one of the first and second nodes would transfer data in response to the first access request. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
- first access request”
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22. A digital data processing method of accessing a peripheral device, the method comprising
responding to a request (“ - first access request”
) by a first node for access to the peripheral device by bypassing, at least in part, a file system that would otherwise respond to the first access request by transferring data designed thereby the between the first node and the peripheral device over a communications pathway that includes a second node that controls access by the first node and one or more other nodes to the peripheral device;the responding step including at least initiating transfer of data designated by the first access request between the first node and the peripheral device over a communications pathway that does not include the second node; the initiating step including at least initiating transfer of the data using administrative information obtained from the second node pertaining to storage of data on the peripheral device. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
- first access request”
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25. A bypass for use in a first node to improve access to information stored on a peripheral device, the bypass comprising
a first filter driver executing within and coupled to a file system of the first node, the filter driver responding to a request (“ - first access request”
) generated within the first node for access to the peripheral device by at least initiating transfer of data designated by that request between the first node and the peripheral device using administrative information obtained from a second node that controls access by the first node and one or more other nodes to the peripheral device,the filter driver at least initiating the transfer via a communications pathway that does not include the second node; wherein responding to the request comprises a bypass, interceding in response to the request for access by the first node to the peripheral device applied thereby to the second node that controls access to the peripheral device. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
- first access request”
Specification