File system query and method of use

• US 7,805,416 B1
• Filed: 09/30/2005
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Popov, Nikolay, Rago, Stephen A., Doohkan, Surrendranath R., Fridella, Stephen A., Gupta, Uday K., Compton, James T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pardo; Thuy N
• Application Number:
  US11/241,053
• Time in Patent Office: 1,824 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/100, 707/3, 707/754, 707/622, 707/694, 707/764, 707/770, 707/781, 713/176, 705/1
• US Class Current: 707/694
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/122 using management policies backup systems G06F11/1446; file migration policies for HSM systems G06F16/185
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/156 Query results presentation

Abstract

An improved policy enforcement architecture includes several components that improve the performance of policy enforcement in a hierarchical storage environment. A File System Query instruction permits a richer set of queries to be expressed by a policy engine, thereby permitting more complex policies to be implemented with ease. The File System result is generated at the file server, and only files of interest are forwarded to the policy engine. The file system query advantageously may be applied against a pre-generated index having one more characterizing attributes to further reduce the processing required to retrieve policy data. An Index Build instruction, added to a programming interface, allows a policy engine generate the characterizing indices in advance of use. Index maintenance techniques maintain consistency between the index and the file system to ensure that the policy can be enforced using accurate file information.

Claims

1. A method of generating a query result identifying a set of files in a file system stored on a non transitory computer readable medium having a shared file attribute characteristic in response to a file system query includes the step of:

decoding the file system query to identify the plurality of query components associated with the shared file attribute characteristic related to one or more file system access protocols wherein the file attribute related to one or more file system access protocol can be queried in a single call;

filtering file system data using the plurality of query components to provide the query result wherein the filtered file system data includes one or more files that matches all the query components of the file system query; and

sending the query result to a policy engine wherein the policy engine evaluates a metadata of the file system including the shared file attributes characteristic and based on the evaluation with regard to the criteria associated with a policy migrates the files in a file system from one storage device to another to enforce the policy.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute having the shared attribute characteristic is selected from a group of attributes of multiple different file system access protocols.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the file system query includes a query result format indicator and wherein the query result is returned in accordance with the query result format indicator.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the query result format is selected from a group including full file path name and file inode number.

5. A method of generating a query result identifying a set of files in a file system stored on a non transitory computer readable medium having a shared file attribute characteristic related to one or more file system access protocols in response to a file system query includes the step of:

decoding the file system query to identify the shared file attribute characteristic related to one or more file system access protocols wherein the file system query includes one or more query components;

identifying a pre-generated index associated with the shared file attribute characteristic wherein the pre-generated index includes one or more files sharing the attribute characteristic wherein the file attribute related to one or more file system access protocol can be queried in a single call;

responding to the file system query using the identified pre-generated index to generate a query response wherein the query response includes one or more files that matches all the query components of the file system query; and

sending the query result to a policy engine wherein the policy engine evaluates a metadata of the file system including the shared file attributes characteristic and based on the evaluation with regard to the criteria associated with a policy migrates the files in a file system from one storage device to another to enforce the policy.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the shared file attribute characteristic is selected from a group including file system attribute characteristics of multiple different file system access protocols.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the file system query includes an index identifier, and wherein the step of identifying a pre-generated index includes the step of using the index identifier to retrieve the pre-generated index.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the file system query includes an index identifier indicating that the pre-generated index comprises the full file system.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the file system query includes an index identifier indicating that an existing plurality of pre-generated indices should be searched to identify an applicable index to use as the pre-generated index.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the file system query includes a query result format indicator, and wherein the query response is returned in accordance with the query result format indicator.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the query result format is selected from a group including file name and inode.

12. The method according to claim 5, wherein the shared file attribute characteristic comprises a combination of plurality of discrete attribute characteristics.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein the shared attribute characteristic is a complex attribute comprised of a plurality of different attribute characteristics.

14. An apparatus comprising computer-readable memory including instructions encoded thereon for generating a query result identifying a set of files having a shared file attribute characteristic in response to a file system query includes:

decode logic for decoding the file system query to identify the plurality of query components associated with the shared file attribute characteristic related to one or more file system access protocols wherein the file attribute related to one or more file system access protocol can be queried in a single call;

a filter for filtering the file system data using the plurality of query components to provide the query result wherein the filtered file system data includes one or more files that matches all the query components of the file system query; and

a logic for sending the query result to a policy engine wherein the policy engine evaluates a metadata of the file system including the shared file attributes characteristic and based on the evaluation with regard to the criteria associated with a policy migrates the files in a file system from one storage device to another to enforce the policy.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the plurality of query components include queries associated with multiple different file system access protocols.

16. An apparatus comprising computer-readable memory including instructions encoded thereon for generating a query result identifying a set of files having a shared file attribute characteristic in response to a file system query includes the step of:

logic for decoding the file system query to identify the shared file attribute characteristic related to one or more file system access protocols wherein the file system query includes one or more query components;

an index associated with shared file attribute characteristic, the index storing pointers to files sharing the attribute characteristic wherein the file attribute related to one or more file system access protocol can be queried in a single call;

means for returning a query result using the index wherein the query result includes one or more files that matches all the query components of the file system query; and

means for sending the query result to a policy engine wherein the policy engine evaluates a metadata of the file system including the shared file attributes characteristic and based on the evaluation with regard to the criteria associated with a policy migrates the files in a file system from one storage device to another to enforce the policy.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the shared file attribute characteristic is a complex attribute characteristic comprising a plurality of different attribute characteristics, and the index is associated with one or more of the plurality of different attribute characteristics, and wherein the apparatus further includes:

a filter, coupled to the index, for filtering the index using the complex attribute characteristic.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the complex attribute characteristic comprises attribute characteristics from multiple different file system access protocols.

19. An application programming interface, stored in a computer readable medium of a file server, includes:

program code operable when executed in response to a file system query request to;

decode the file system query into a plurality of query components, each query component corresponding to one or more shared file attribute characteristics related to one or more file system access protocols wherein the file attribute related to one or more file system access protocol can be queried in a single call;

generate a query result including identifiers of files in the file system that share the file attribute characteristics associated with the query components wherein the query result includes one or more files that matches all the query components of the file system query; and

send the query result to a policy engine wherein the policy engine evaluates a metadata of the file system including the shared file attributes characteristic and based on the evaluation with regard to the criteria associated with a policy migrates the files in a file system from one storage device to another to enforce the policy.

20. The application programming interface of claim 19, wherein the plurality of query components correspond to attribute characteristics from multiple different file system access protocols.

21. An application programming interface, stored in a computer readable medium of a file server, includes:

program code operable when executed in response to a file system query

to;

decode the file system query to obtain an shared file attribute characteristic related to one or more file system access protocols wherein the file system query includes one or more query components wherein the file attribute related to one or more file system access protocol can be queried in a single call;

generate a query result including identifiers of files a of the file system that share the attribute characteristic, the query generated using at least one pre-generated index associated with the attribute characteristic wherein the pre-generated index includes one or more files sharing the attribute characteristic; and

send the query result to a policy engine wherein the policy engine evaluates a metadata of the file system including the shared file attributes characteristic and based on the evaluation with regard to the criteria associated with a policy migrates the files in a file system from one storage device to another to enforce the policy.

22. The application programming interface of claim 21, wherein the attribute characteristic is a complex attribute characteristic and where the program code to generate the query result includes program code to filter the file system using the complex attribute characteristics.

23. The application programming interface of claim 22, wherein the complex attribute characteristics include attribute characteristics from multiple different file system access protocols.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the file system query includes an index identifier identifying the pre-generated index.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the file system query includes an index identifier indicating that the pre-generated index comprises the full file system.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the file system query includes an index identifier indicating that an existing plurality of pre-generated indices should be searched to identify an applicable index to use as the pre-generated index.