Universal file access architecture for a heterogeneous computing environment

• US 7,606,868 B1
• Filed: 03/30/2006
• Issued: 10/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vmware LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Le, Bich Cau, Czezatke, Christian, Deuel, Robert Frederick
• Primary Examiner(s): LAZARO, DAVID R
• Application Number:
  US11/395,082
• Time in Patent Office: 1,300 Days
• Field of Search: 709/211, 709/202, 709/203, 709217-219, 709/226, 709/208, 707/200, 707/10, 718/1
• US Class Current: 709/211
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers

Abstract

An architecture and system are described that provide a unified file access service within in a managed computing environment composed of diverse networks, computing devices, and storage devices. The service provides mechanisms for remotely accessing the file systems of any managed computer or disk snapshot, independently of the computer'"'"'s current state (powered on, suspended or powered off), its location within the environment, its hardware type (virtual vs. physical), its operating system type, and its file system formats. The system isolates centralized FPAs from the details of clients, proxies and storage elements by providing a service that decomposes offloaded file system access into two steps. A FPA or a requester acting on behalf of the FPA first expresses the disk set or the computer containing the file systems it wishes to access, along with requirements and preferences about the access method. The service figures out an efficient data path satisfying the FPA'"'"'s needs, and then automatically configures a set of storage and computing resources to provide the data path. The service then replies with information about the resources and instructions for using them. The FPA then accesses the requested file systems using the returned information.

Claims

1. An offloaded file processing software architecture comprising:

a master system, the master system in communication with a plurality of client computers, the plurality of client computers include a virtual machine having a virtual disk, the virtual disk configured to store a file system of the virtual machine;

a plurality of physical slave systems, each comprising different configurations and each are in communication with the master system; and

a plurality of virtual slave systems, each comprising different configurations, each are in communication with the master system, and each includes a file driver to connect to the file system of the virtual machine,

wherein said master system, in response to receiving a service request from a requester, is operable to execute a command issued by said service request, wherein said command involves operations performed by at least one of said plurality of slave systems and an offloaded file processing activity performed with respect to a disk set derived from said service request,

wherein if the service request from the requester includes a request to access the file system of the virtual machine when the virtual machine is off, the master system uses one of the plurality of virtual slave systems to connect to the file system of the virtual machine through the file driver loaded in the one of the plurality of virtual slave systems to access the file system of the virtual machine.

2. The software architecture as described in claim 1 wherein said requester is a file processing application (FPA).

3. The software architecture described in claim 1 wherein said service request identifies a client computer associated with said disk set and wherein further said master system, transparent to said requester, is operable to automatically determine volumes and file systems residing on said disk set, is further operable to automatically determine volume formats and file system formats used by said disk set and automatically determine existence and a state of said client computer.

4. The software architecture as described in claim 3 wherein said state of said client computer is selected between powered-on and powered-off.

5. The software architecture as described in claim 4 wherein said master system is further operable to perform the following operations transparent to said requester:

if said client computer is determined to be existent and powered-on, then;

determining a mechanism for generating a snapshot of said disk set;

taking a snapshot of said disk set using said mechanism; and

determining a network address of said snapshot; and

if said client computer is determined to be non-existent or powered-off, then determining a network address of said disk set for accessing thereof.

6. The software architecture as described in claim 3 wherein said master system is further operable to perform the following operations transparent to said requester:

automatically determining a hardware type of said client computer; and

automatically determining a hardware type of said disk set, wherein said hardware type is selected between physical and virtual.

7. The software architecture as described in claim 3 wherein said master system in executing said command performs the following:

transparent to said requester, selecting a slave system of said plurality of slave systems that is compatible with a file system of said disk set;

transparent to said requester, establishing on said slave system a network file system mapped to a file system of said disk set;

communicating a network address of said network file system to said requester; and

allowing said requester to manipulate said network file system using a file sharing protocol that is independent of said file system of said disk set and is independent of a protocol of a computer system of said requester.

8. The software architecture as described in claim 3 wherein said service request further comprises an operation to be performed on said disk set and wherein further said master system in executing said command performs the following:

selecting a slave system of said plurality of slave systems that is compatible with a file system of said disk set;

causing said slave system to execute said operation on said disk set; and

returning a message to said requester indicating a result of said operation.

9. The software architecture as described in claim 3 wherein said service request further comprises a location of a file processing application (FPA) and wherein further said master system in executing said command performs the following:

transparent to said requester, selecting a slave system of said plurality of slave systems that is both compatible with a file system of said disk set and also compatible with a required environment for said FPA;

establishing said FPA on said slave system;

executing said FPA on said slave system which operates on said disk set; and

returning a message to said requester indicating a result of said executing said FPA.

10. The software architecture described in claim 1 wherein said service request specifically identifies said disk set wherein further said master system, transparent to said requester, is operable to automatically determine a client computer associated with said disk set, is operable to automatically determine volumes and file systems residing on said disk set, is further operable to automatically determine volume formats and file system formats used by said disk set and automatically determine existence and a state of said client computer.

11. The software architecture as described in claim 1 wherein said master system and at least one of said slave systems are integrated into a same system.

12. An offloaded file processing software architecture comprising:

a master system, the master system in communication with a plurality of client computers, the plurality of client computers include a virtual machine having a virtual disk, the virtual disk configured to store a file system of the virtual machine;

a plurality of physical slave systems coupled to said master system; and

a plurality of virtual slave systems coupled to said master system, each of the plurality of virtual slave systems includes a file driver to connect to the file system of the virtual machine, wherein said master system is operable to receive a service request from a requester, said service request identifying a command and information from which a disk set is derived, said master system, in response to receiving said service request, operable to perform the following operations transparent to said requester;

determining requirements for accessing said disk set;

selecting a selected slave system of said plurality of slave systems based on said requirements; and

executing said command using said selected slave system wherein said executing causes said disk set, or a snapshot thereof, to be accessed based on said requirements,

wherein if the service request from the requester includes a request to access the file system of the virtual machine when the virtual machine is off, the master system uses the selected virtual slave system to connect to the file system of the virtual machine through the file driver loaded in the selected virtual slave system to access the file system of the virtual machine.

13. The software architecture of claim 12 wherein said requester is a file processing application (FPA).

14. The software architecture of claim 12 wherein said determining requirements for accessing said disk set comprises:

automatically determining volumes and file systems residing on said disk set;

automatically determining volume and file system formats used on said disk set; and

automatically determining existence and a state of a client computer associated with said disk set, wherein said state is selected between powered-on and powered-off.

15. The software architecture of claim 14 wherein said determining requirements for accessing said disk set further comprises:

if said client computer is determined to be existent and powered-on, then;

determining a mechanism for generating a snapshot of said disk set;

taking said snapshot of said disk set using said mechanism; and

determining a network address of said snapshot; and

if said client computer is determined to be non-existent or powered-off, then determining a network address of said disk set for access thereof.

16. The software architecture of claim 15 wherein said determining requirements for accessing said disk set further comprises:

automatically determining a hardware type of said client computer and automatically determining a hardware type of said disk set wherein said hardware type is selected between physical and virtual.

17. The software architecture of claim 12 wherein said service request further comprises an identification of said client computer that is common to said requester and wherein further said determining requirements for accessing said disk set further comprises translating said identification of said client computer that is common to said requester to a network address of said client computer.

18. The software architecture of claim 12 wherein said master system in executing said command performs the following:

establishing, on said selected slave system, a network file system mapped to a file system of said disk set;

communicating a network address of said network file system to said requester; and

allowing said requester to manipulate said network file system using a file sharing protocol that is independent of said file system of said disk set.

19. The software architecture of claim 12 wherein said service request further comprises an operation to be performed on said disk set and wherein further master system in executing said command performs the following:

causing said selected slave system to perform said operation on said disk set; and

returning a message to said requester indicating a result of said operation.

20. The software architecture of claim 12 wherein said service request further comprises a location of a file processing application (FPA), wherein said selected slave system is also compatible with a required environment for said FPA and wherein further said master system in executing said command performs the following:

establishing said FPA on said selected slave system;

executing said FPA on said selected slave system which operates on said disk set; and

returning a message to said requester indicating a result of said executing said FPA.

21. The software architecture as described in claim 12 wherein said master system and at least one of said slave systems are integrated into a same system.

22. An offloaded file processing software system for a heterogeneous computer network, said architecture comprising:

a primary system, the primary system in communication with a plurality of client computers, the plurality of client computers include a virtual machine having a virtual disk, the virtual disk configured to store a file system of the virtual machine;

a plurality of secondary systems coupled to said primary system; and

wherein said primary system is operable to receive a service request from a requester, said service request identifying a command and information from which a disk set is derived, said primary system, in response to receiving said service request, operable to perform the following operations;

transparently to said requester, determining requirements for accessing said disk set;

selecting a selected secondary system of said plurality of slave systems based on said requirements; and

using said selected secondary system and said command to facilitate an offloaded file processing activity wherein said requirements are transparent to said requester,

wherein if the service request from the requester includes a request to access the file system of the virtual machine when the virtual machine is off, the primary system uses the selected secondary system that includes a file driver to connect to the file system of the virtual machine, to connect to the file system of the virtual machine through the file driver to access the file system of the virtual machine.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein said using said selected secondary system and said command to facilitate an offloaded file processing activity comprises:

establishing, on said selected secondary system, a network file system mapped to a file system of said disk set;

communicating a network address of said network file system to said requester; and

allowing said requester to manipulate said network file system using a file sharing protocol that is independent of said file system of said disk set.

24. The system of claim 22 wherein said service request further comprises an operation to be performed on said disk set and wherein further said using said selected secondary system and said command to facilitate an offloaded file processing activity comprises:

causing said selected secondary system to perform said operation on said disk set; and

returning a message to said requester indicating a result of said operation.

25. The system of claim 22 wherein said service request further comprises a location of a file processing application (FPA), wherein said selected secondary system is compatible with a required environment for said FPA and wherein further said using said selected secondary system and said command to facilitate an offloaded file processing activity comprises:

establishing said FPA on said selected secondary system;

executing said FPA on said selected secondary system which operates on said disk set; and

returning a message to said requester indicating a result of said executing said FPA.

26. The system of claim 22 wherein said determining requirements for accessing said disk set comprises:

automatically determining volumes and file systems residing on said disk set;

automatically determining volume formats and file system formats used on said disk set; and

automatically determining existence and a state of said client computer, wherein said state is selected between powered-on and powered-off.

27. An offloaded file processing software system for a heterogeneous computer network, said architecture comprising:

a primary system, the primary system in communication with a plurality of client computers, the plurality of client computers include a virtual machine having a virtual disk, the virtual disk configured to store a file system of the virtual machine;

a plurality of secondary systems coupled to said primary system; and

wherein said primary system is operable to receive a service request from a requester, said service request identifying a command and information from which a disk set is derived, said primary system, in response to receiving said service request, operable to perform the following operations;

transparently to said requester, determining requirements for accessing said disk set, wherein said determining requirements for accessing said disk set comprises;

automatically determining volumes and file systems residing on said disk set;

automatically determining volume formats and file system formats used on said disk set; and

automatically determining existence and a state of a client computer associated with said disk set, wherein said state is selected between powered-on and powered-off;

selecting a selected secondary system of said plurality of secondary systems based on said requirements; and

using said selected secondary system and said command to facilitate an offloaded file processing activity wherein said requirements are transparent to said requester,

wherein if the service request from the requester includes a request to access the file system of the virtual machine when the virtual machine is off, the primary system uses the selected secondary system that includes a file driver to connect to the file system of the virtual machine, to connect to the file system of the virtual machine through the file driver to access the file system of the virtual machine.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein said using said selected secondary system and said command to facilitate an offloaded file processing activity comprises:

establishing, on said selected secondary system, a network file system mapped to a file system of said disk set;

communicating a network address of said network file system to said requester; and

allowing said requester to manipulate said network file system using a file sharing protocol that is independent of said file system of said disk set.

29. The system of claim 27 wherein said service request further comprises an operation to be performed on said disk set and wherein further said using said selected secondary system and said command to facilitate an offloaded file processing activity comprises:

causing said selected secondary system to perform said operation on said disk set; and

returning a message to said requester indicating a result of said operation.

30. The system of claim 27 wherein said service request further comprises a location of a file processing application (FPA), wherein said selected secondary system is compatible with a required environment for said FPA and wherein further said using said selected secondary system and said command to facilitate an offloaded file processing activity comprises:

establishing said FPA on said selected secondary system;

executing said FPA on said selected secondary system which operates on said disk set; and

returning a message to said requester indicating a result of said executing said FPA.

31. The system of claim 27 wherein said requester is a file processing application (FPA).

32. The system of claim 27 wherein said primary system and at least one of said secondary systems are integrated into a same system.