Moving data from file on storage volume to alternate location to free space
First Claim
1. A method in connection with a computing device having a storage volume, a file system managing the storage volume, and a plurality of files stored on the storage volume by the file system and accessed by such file system, each file being defined to include data and metadata relating to the data, at least a portion of the data of the file having been removed from the file and stored at one of a plurality of alternate locations such that the data does not occupy substantially any space on the volume and the file is in a reduced, ghosted form, the computing device further having for each of the plurality of alternate locations a corresponding ghosting manager, each ghosting manager for being employed to communicate with the alternate location corresponding thereto, the method for reconstituting a ghosted file for use and comprising a single ghosting filter on the computing device, wherein the single ghosting filter performs the steps of:
- locating ghosting information in the metadata of the ghosted file;
locating within the ghosting information an identification of a particular ghosting manager of the computing device, the identified ghosting manager being responsible for the ghosted file;
communicating to the identified ghosting manager a request to obtain data of the ghosted file from the corresponding alternate location, whereby the identified ghosting manager does in fact obtain such requested data from such alternate location;
receiving the requested data of the ghosted file from the identified ghosting manager; and
reconstituting the received data to the ghosted file,whereby the single ghosting filter is generic to all of the ghosting managers of the computing device.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
To reconstitute a ghosted file for use, a single ghosting filter on a computing device locates ghosting information in the metadata of the ghosted file and locates within the ghosting information an identification of a particular ghosting manager of the computing device, where the identified ghosting manager is responsible for the ghosted file. Thereafter, the ghosting filter communicates to the identified ghosting manager a request to obtain data of the ghosted file from a corresponding alternate location, and the identified ghosting manager does in fact obtain such requested data from such alternate location. Upon receiving the requested data of the ghosted file from the identified ghosting manager, then, the ghosting filter reconstitutes the received data to the ghosted file. The single ghosting filter is generic to all of the ghosting managers of the computing device.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method in connection with a computing device having a storage volume, a file system managing the storage volume, and a plurality of files stored on the storage volume by the file system and accessed by such file system, each file being defined to include data and metadata relating to the data, at least a portion of the data of the file having been removed from the file and stored at one of a plurality of alternate locations such that the data does not occupy substantially any space on the volume and the file is in a reduced, ghosted form, the computing device further having for each of the plurality of alternate locations a corresponding ghosting manager, each ghosting manager for being employed to communicate with the alternate location corresponding thereto, the method for reconstituting a ghosted file for use and comprising a single ghosting filter on the computing device, wherein the single ghosting filter performs the steps of:
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locating ghosting information in the metadata of the ghosted file; locating within the ghosting information an identification of a particular ghosting manager of the computing device, the identified ghosting manager being responsible for the ghosted file; communicating to the identified ghosting manager a request to obtain data of the ghosted file from the corresponding alternate location, whereby the identified ghosting manager does in fact obtain such requested data from such alternate location; receiving the requested data of the ghosted file from the identified ghosting manager; and reconstituting the received data to the ghosted file, whereby the single ghosting filter is generic to all of the ghosting managers of the computing device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method in connection with a computing device having a storage volume, a file system managing the storage volume, and a plurality of files stored on the storage volume by the file system and accessed by such file system, each file being defined to include data and metadata relating to the data, at least a portion of the data of the file having been removed from the file and stored at one of a plurality of alternate locations such that the data does not occupy substantially any space on the volume and the file is in a reduced, ghosted form, the computing device further having for each of the plurality of alternate locations a corresponding ghosting manager, each ghosting manager for being employed to communicate with the alternate location corresponding thereto, the method for reconstituting a ghosted file for use and comprising:
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locating ghosting information in the metadata of the ghosted file; locating within the ghosting information an identification of a particular ghosting manager of the computing device, the identified ghosting manager being responsible for the ghosted file; communicating to the identified ghosting manager a request to obtain data of the ghosted file from the corresponding alternate location, whereby the identified ghosting manager does in fact obtain such requested data from such alternate location; receiving the requested data of the ghosted file from the identified ghosting manager; and reconstituting the received data to the ghosted file. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A computing device having:
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a storage volume; a file system managing the storage volume; and a plurality of files stored on the storage volume by the file system and accessed by such file system, each file being defined to include data and metadata relating to the data, at least a portion of the data of the file having been removed from the file and stored at one of a plurality of alternate locations such that the data does not occupy substantially any space on the volume and the file is in a reduced, ghosted form, the computing device further having for each of the plurality of alternate locations a corresponding ghosting manager, each ghosting manager for being employed to communicate with the alternate location corresponding thereto, each ghosted file on the computing device having ghosting information in the metadata thereof, the ghosting information including an identification of a particular ghosting manager of the computing device, the identified ghosting manager being responsible for the ghosted file, whereby each ghosted file may be reconstituted by locating within the ghosting information thereof an identification of a particular ghosting manager of the computing device, the identified ghosting manager being responsible for the ghosted file, and communicating to the identified ghosting manager a request to obtain data of the ghosted file from the corresponding alternate location, the identified ghosting manager in fact obtaining such requested data from such alternate location and the obtained data being reconstitute to the ghosted file. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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Specification