Systems and methods for adaptive copy on write

• US 8,200,632 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2011
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Schack, Darren P., Lemar, Eric M., Fachan, Neal T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mahmoudi, Tony
• Assistant Examiner(s): Uddin, Md. I
• Application Number:
  US13/007,498
• Publication Number:
  US 20110119234A1
• Time in Patent Office: 515 Days
• Field of Search: 707/638, 707/639, 707/649, 707/657, 707/637, 711/112, 711/113, 711/154, 711/161, 711/162, 711/202, 714/6, 714/766
• US Class Current: 707/639
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1435 using file system or storage system metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/128 Details of file system snapshots on the file-level, e.g. snapshot creation, administration, deletion use of snapshots for error detection or correction G06F11/14, G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/174 Redundancy elimination performed by the file system management of the data involved in backup or backup restore using de-duplication of the data G06F11/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data

Abstract

In one embodiment, a user or client device communicates with a distributed file system comprised of one or more physical nodes. The data on each of the physical nodes store metadata about files and directories within the file system. Some of the embodiments permit a user to take a snapshot of data stored on the file system. The snapshot may include a single file, a single directory, a plurality of files within a directory, a plurality of directories, a path on the file system that includes nested files and subdirectories, or more than one path on the file system that each includes nested files and directories. In some embodiments, systems and methods intelligently choose whether to use copy-on-write or point-in-time copy when saving data in a snapshot version of a file whose current version is being overwritten. In some embodiments, systems and methods allow snapshot users to return from a snapshot directory to the immediate parent directory from which the user entered into the snapshot.

Claims

1. A processor-implemented method of determining whether to use Copy-On-Write (COW) or Point-In-Time-Copy (PITC) for storing multiple versions of at least a portion of a file, the computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a request to modify at least a portion of a file;

determining, via execution of instructions by a processor, whether to perform a Point-In-Time-Copy operation, the determining whether to perform a Point-In-Time-Copy operation comprising;

determining whether the request to modify at least a portion of the file corresponds to at least one of a request to delete the file and a request to overwrite the file in its entirety;

if it is determined that the request to modify corresponds to a request to delete the file or to overwrite the file in its entirety, determining whether any blocks of the file have already had a Copy-On-Write operation performed on them; and

if it is determined that none of the blocks of the file have already had a Copy-On-Write operation performed on them, concluding that a Point-In-Time-Copy operation may be performed on the portion of the file; and

if it is determined to perform a Point-In-Time-Copy, performing a Point-In-Time Copy operation on the portion of the file; and

if it is determined not to perform a Point-In-Time-Copy, performing a Copy-On-Write operation on the portion of the file.

2. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to perform a Point-In-Time-Copy operation additionally comprises determining whether one or more additional conditions for performing a Point-In-Time-Copy operation are satisfied.

3. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein performing the Point-In-Time-Copy operation comprises allocating a new data block assigned to the current version of the file, transferring a corresponding data block from the current version of the file to a previous version of the file, and overwriting the new data block with a modified portion of the file.

4. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein performing the Copy-On-Write operation comprises allocating a new data block assigned to the previous version of the file, reading a value from a corresponding data block from the current version of the file, writing the value to the new data block, and overwriting the corresponding data block from the current version of the file with a modified portion of the file.

5. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to perform a Point-In-Time-Copy additionally comprises determining at least one of the following:

whether an entire cluster of contiguous blocks is being deleted, or whether an entire cluster of contiguous blocks is being overwritten.

6. The processor-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the number of contiguous blocks is sixteen.

7. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to perform a Point-In-Time-Copy additionally comprises determining whether performing a Point-In-Time-Copy operation would fragment the current version of the file.

8. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to perform a Point-In-Time-Copy additionally comprises:

if the portion of the file is a contiguous portion of the file, determining whether the contiguous portion is being entirely deleted or overwritten;

if the contiguous portion is being entirely deleted or overwritten, determining whether any blocks of the contiguous portion have already had a Copy-On-Write operation performed on them; and

if none of the blocks of the contiguous portion have already had a Copy-On-Write operation performed on them, concluding that a Point-In-Time-Copy operation may be performed on the contiguous portion.

9. The processor-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the contiguous portion is a sixteen block cluster.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon for determining, when the instructions are executed, whether to use Copy-On-Write (COW) or Point-In-Time-Copy (PITC) for storing multiple versions of at least a portion of a file, the instructions comprising:

receiving a request to modify at least a portion of a file;

determining whether to perform a Point-In-Time-Copy operation, the determining whether to perform a Point-In-Time-Copy operation comprising;

determining whether the request to modify at least a portion of the file corresponds to at least one of a request to delete the file and a request to overwrite the file in its entirety;

if it is determined that the request to modify corresponds to a request to delete the file or to overwrite the file in its entirety, determining whether any blocks of the file have already had a Copy-On-Write operation performed on them; and

if it is determined that none of the blocks of the file have already had a Copy-On-Write operation performed on them, concluding that a Point-In-Time-Copy operation may be performed on the portion of the file; and

if it is determined to perform a Point-In-Time-Copy, performing a Point-In-Time Copy operation on the portion of the file; and

if it is determined not to perform a Point-In-Time-Copy, performing a Copy-On-Write operation on the portion of the file.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein determining whether to perform a Point-In-Time-Copy operation additionally comprises determining whether one or more additional conditions for performing a Point-In-Time-Copy operation are satisfied.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein performing the Point-In-Time-Copy operation comprises allocating a new data block assigned to the current version of the file, transferring a corresponding data block from the current version of the file to a previous version of the file, and overwriting the new data block with a modified portion of the file.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein performing the Copy-On-Write operation comprises allocating a new data block assigned to the previous version of the file, reading a value from a corresponding data block from the current version of the file, writing the value to the new data block, and overwriting the corresponding data block from the current version of the file with a modified portion of the file.

14. A storage module having instructions stored thereon for determining, when the instructions are executed, whether to use Copy-On-Write (COW) or Point-In-Time-Copy (PITC) for storing multiple versions of at least a portion of a file, the storage module comprising:

a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon;

a processor capable of executing the instructions; and

a memory system for storing a copy of at least a portion of a file according to the instructions executed on the processor;

wherein the instructions comprise;

receiving a request to modify at least a portion of a file;

determining whether to perform a Point-In-Time-Copy operation, the determining whether to perform a Point-In-Time-Copy operation comprising;

determining whether the request to modify at least a portion of the file corresponds to at least one of a request to delete the file and a request to overwrite the file in its entirety;

if it is determined that the request to modify corresponds to a request to delete the file or to overwrite the file in its entirety, determining whether any blocks of the file have already had a Copy-On-Write operation performed on them; and

if it is determined that none of the blocks of the file have already had a Copy-On-Write operation performed on them, concluding that a Point-In-Time-Copy operation may be performed on the portion of the file; and

if it is determined to perform a Point-In-Time-Copy, performing a Point-In-Time Copy operation on the portion of the file; and

if it is determined not to perform a Point-In-Time-Copy, performing a Copy-On-Write operation on the portion of the file.

15. The storage module of claim 14, wherein determining whether to perform a Point-In-Time-Copy operation additionally comprises determining whether one or more additional conditions for performing a Point-In-Time-Copy operation are satisfied.

16. The storage module of claim 14, wherein performing the Point-In-Time-Copy operation comprises allocating a new data block assigned to the current version of the file, transferring a corresponding data block from the current version of the file to a previous version of the file, and overwriting the new data block with a modified portion of the file.

17. The storage module of claim 14, wherein performing the Copy-On-Write operation comprises allocating a new data block assigned to the previous version of the file, reading a value from a corresponding data block from the current version of the file, writing the value to the new data block, and overwriting the corresponding data block from the current version of the file with a modified portion of the file.

18. The storage module of claim 14, wherein determining whether to perform a Point-In-Time-Copy additionally comprises determining at least one of the following:

whether an entire cluster of contiguous blocks is being deleted, or whether an entire cluster of contiguous blocks is being overwritten.