Grid based file system

• US 8,176,099 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2007
• Issued: 05/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Surtani, Manik Ram, Ban, Bela
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleurantin, Jean B
• Assistant Examiner(s): GIRMA, ANTENEH B
• Application Number:
  US11/897,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20090063420A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,713 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/815
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1666 where the redundant component is memory or memory area
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/20 using active fault-masking, e.g. by switching out faulty elements or by switching in spare elements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2097 maintaining the standby controller/processing unit updated initialisation or re-synchronisation thereof G06F11/1658 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/172 Caching, prefetching or hoarding of files

Abstract

A method and apparatus for interfacing a drive with a tree-structured cluster as a library for a data grid storage system is described. In one embodiment, the tree-structured cluster of cache nodes is provided for storing data. The cluster is mounted as a drive or file system based on data stored in the cache nodes transparent to anyone using the drive or file system. A file system interface interfaces with the tree-structure cluster of cache nodes to presents data stored in the cache nodes.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

accessing, by a processing device of the computer, a tree-structured cluster of cache nodes for storing data, wherein all data of a data grid storage system is stored in the tree-structured cluster of cache nodes;

mounting the tree-structured cluster of cache nodes as a file system drive based on the data stored in the cache nodes so that the tree-structured cluster of cache nodes is transparent to a user of the file system drive, wherein the file system drive does not include original data duplicated in the tree-structured cluster of cache nodes;

providing a file system interface to the file system drive of the tree-structured cluster of cache nodes, wherein the file system interface presents data stored in the cache nodes as a library for the data grid storage system, and wherein a file of the file system drive is sliced into a plurality of portions, each portion stored in at least two cache nodes of the cluster;

receiving, via the file system interface, a query for a file of the file system drive;

retrieving data associated with the file from the cache nodes of the cluster, wherein retrieving the data further comprises;

determining whether portions of data are stored in a queried cache node;

inquiring other cache nodes in the cluster for the portions of data not stored in the queried cache node; and

replicating an instance of the portions of data from a cache node of the other cache nodes storing the portions of data to the queried cache node; and

assembling the retrieved data to form the queried file.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a file of the file system drive is sliced into a plurality of portions, each portion stored in at least two cache nodes of the cluster.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein one or more cache nodes reside on a network of computing systems.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

deleting the instance of the data from the cache node storing the data after the instance of the data has been copied to the queried cache node.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein each cache node of the cluster is associated with one or more other cache nodes in the cluster as a backup.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein one or more pools of cache nodes are formed in the cluster, wherein an instance of a cache node from a pool is replicated to one cache node in the same pool.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the cache nodes from a pool are located on different physical racks.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

a processing device communicably coupled to the memory, the processing device configured to;

access a tree-structured cluster of cache nodes for storing data, wherein all data of a data grid storage system is stored in the tree-structured cluster of cache nodes;

mount the tree-structured cluster of cache nodes as a file system drive based on the data stored in the cache nodes so that the tree-structured cluster of cache nodes is transparent to a user of the file system drive, wherein the file system drive does not include original data duplicated in the tree-structured cluster of cache nodes;

provide a file system interface to the file system drive of the tree-structured cluster of cache nodes, wherein the file system interface presents data stored in the cache nodes as a library for the data grid storage system, and wherein a file of the file system drive is sliced into a plurality of portions, each portion stored in at least two cache nodes of the cluster;

receive, via the file system interface, a query for a file of the file system drive;

retrieve data associated with the file from the cache nodes of the cluster, wherein retrieving the data further comprises;

determining whether portions of data are stored in a queried cache node;

inquiring other cache nodes in the cluster for the portions of data not stored in the queried cache node; and

replicating an instance of the portions of data from a cache node of the other cache nodes storing the portions of data to the queried cache node; and

assembling the retrieved data to form the queried file.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein a file of the file system drive is sliced into a plurality of portions, each portion stored in at least two cache nodes of the cluster.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein one or more cache nodes reside on a network of computing systems.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the server is to delete the instance of the data from the cache node storing the data after the instance of the data has been copied to the queried cache node.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein each cache node of the cluster is associated with one or more other cache nodes in the cluster as a backup.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein one or more pools of cache nodes are formed in the cluster, wherein an instance of a cache node from a pool is replicated to one cache node in the same pool.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the cache nodes from a pool are located on different physical racks.

15. A non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium including data that, when accessed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform a method comprising:

accessing, by a processing device of the computer, a tree-structured cluster of cache nodes for storing data, wherein all data of a data grid storage system is stored in the tree-structured cluster of cache nodes;

mounting the tree-structured cluster of cache nodes as a file system drive based on the data stored in the cache nodes so that the tree-structured cluster of cache nodes is transparent to a user of the file system drive, wherein the file system drive does not include original data duplicated in the tree-structured cluster of cache nodes;

providing a file system interface to the file system drive of the tree-structured cluster of cache nodes, wherein the file system interface presents data stored in the cache nodes as a library for the data grid storage system, and wherein a file of the file system drive is sliced into a plurality of portions, each portion stored in at least two cache nodes of the cluster;

receiving, via the file system interface, a query for a file of the file system drive;

retrieving data associated with the file from the cache nodes of the cluster, wherein retrieving the data further comprises;

determining whether portions of data are stored in a queried cache node;

inquiring other cache nodes in the cluster for the portions of data not stored in the queried cache node; and

replicating an instance of the portions of data from a cache node of the other cache nodes storing the portions of data to the queried cache node; and

assembling the retrieved data to form the queried file.

16. The non-transitory computer-accessible storage of claim 15 wherein a file of the file system drive is sliced into a plurality of portions, each portion stored in at least two cache nodes of the cluster.

17. The non-transitory computer-accessible storage of claim 15 wherein one or more cache nodes reside on a network of computing systems.

18. The non-transitory computer-accessible storage of claim 15 wherein the method further comprises:

deleting the instance of the data from the cache node storing the data after the instance of the data has been copied to the queried cache node.

19. The non-transitory computer-accessible storage of claim 15 wherein each cache node of the cluster is associated with one or more other cache nodes in the cluster as a backup.

20. The non-transitory computer-accessible storage of claim 15 wherein one or more pools of cache nodes are formed in the cluster, wherein an instance of a cache node from a pool is replicated to one cache node in the same pool.

21. The non-transitory computer-accessible storage of claim 20 wherein the cache nodes from a pool are located on different physical racks.