Method and apparatus for encapsulating a virtual filer on a filer

• US 8,782,232 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2008
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Muhlestein, Mark, Banga, Gaurav
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Rupal
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Van Kim T
• Application Number:
  US12/165,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20080281967A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,206 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/221, 709/226, 709238-240, 709/250, 709/212, 709/214, 709/216, 709/219
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A method for operating a server first assigns a plurality of storage volumes to one or more storage devices. A plurality of sub-volumes is established within a namespace of each of the plurality of storage volumes. An instance of a virtual server is created, the virtual server having a plurality of assigned sub-volumes, the assigned sub-volumes chosen from different storage volumes of the plurality of storage volumes. A file system function is shared between the server and the instance of the virtual server, the file system function using at least one of the plurality of assigned sub-volumes.

Claims

1. A method for operating a data storage system having a processor and a memory, comprising:

executing an operating system by a computer of the data storage system;

creating a plurality of vfilers to execute under the operating system, wherein each vfiler of the plurality of vfilers is a logical partition of network resources and storage resources of the data storage system;

assigning a first resource available to the operating system to a selected vfiler of the plurality of vfilers by providing a first pointer to a first soft object representative of the first resource;

removing the first resource assigned to the selected vfiler and providing a second pointer to a second soft object representative of a second resource to assign the second resource to the selected vfiler;

receiving a request, having a handle, for a data container associated with the selected vfiler;

performing a boundary check utilizing the handle to determine whether the operating system services the request, the boundary request configured to determine whether the selected vfiler owns the data container or whether the selected vfiler owns a portion of the data container;

in response to determining the selected vfiler owns the data container or owns the portion of the data container, servicing the request on the data container; and

in response to determining that the selected vfiler does not own the data container or does not own the portion of the data container, denying the request.

2. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

using a first network resource as the first resource and using a second network resource as the second resource.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

using a first network address as the first resource and using a second network address as the second resource.

4. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

storing the first pointer in a vfiler context data structure of the selected vfiler.

5. The method as in claim 4, further comprising:

storing the first pointer in a field of the vfiler context data structure, and after removing the first pointer, storing the second pointer in the field.

6. The method as in claim 4, further comprising:

having a field in the vfiler context data structure that holds a universally unique identifier (UUID) associated with the selected vfiler.

7. The method as in claim 4, further comprising:

having a field in the vfiler context data structure that holds a list of the plurality of vfilers.

8. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

using a plurality of sub-volumes assigned to the selected vfiler to not be accessible by other vfilers, the plurality of resources including the first resource and the second resource.

9. The method as in claim 1, wherein a first identifier associated with the handle is stored in a file system identification data structure indicating that the selected vfiler owns the data container.

10. The method as in claim 9, further comprising:

using a hash table as the file system identification data structure.

11. The method as in claim 9, further comprising:

using a file system identification (fsid), as the first identifier, wherein the fsid accesses an entry in the file system identification data structure.

12. The method as in claim 9, further comprising:

using a qtree identifier as a second identifier associated with the handle, a combination of the first identifier and the second identifier to indicate the selected vfiler owns the portion of the data container.

13. The method as is claim 1, further comprising:

referencing an inode data structure by the handle.

14. The method as in claim 1,

wherein the portion of the data container is a sub-volume of a storage volume stored on a persistent data storage device.

15. A data storage system having a processor and a memory, comprising:

an operating system to execute on a computer of the data storage system;

a plurality of vfilers to execute under the operating system, wherein each vfiler of the plurality of vfilers is a logical partition of network resources and storage resources of the data storage system;

a first resource available to the operating system and assigned to a selected vfiler of the plurality of vfilers by a first pointer to a first soft object representative of the first resource;

the first resource removed from the selected vfiler and a second resource assigned to the selected vfiler by providing a second pointer to a second soft object representative of the second resource; and

the processor configured to;

receive a request, having a handle, for a data container associated with the selected vfiler,

perform a boundary check utilizing the handle to determine whether the selected vfiler owns the data container or whether the selected vfiler owns a portion of the data container,

service the request on the data container in response to determining the selected vfiler owns the data container or owns the portion of the data container, and

deny the request in response to determining that the selected vfiler does not own the data container or does not own the portion of the data container.

16. The data storage system as in claim 15, further comprising:

a first network resource used as the first resource and a second network resource used as the second resource.

17. The server as in claim 15 further comprising:

a first network address used as the first resource and a second network address used as the second resource.

18. The server as in claim 15, further comprising:

a vfiler context data structure to store the first pointer.

19. The server as in claim 18, further comprising:

a field in the vfiler context data structure to store the first pointer, and after removing the first pointer, the field to store the second pointer.

20. The server as in claim 18, further comprising:

a field in the vfiler context data structure that holds a universally unique identifier (UUID) associated with the selected vfiler.

21. The server as in claim 18, further comprising:

a field in the vfiler context data structure that holds a list of the vfilers.

22. The server as in claim 15, further comprising:

a plurality of sub-volumes assigned to the selected vfiler to not be accessible by other vfilers, the plurality of sub-volumes including the first resource and the second resource.

23. The server as in claim 15, further comprising:

a file system identification data structure to indicate if the selected vfiler owns one or more of a plurality of storage volumes, wherein the storage volumes are data containers.

24. The server as in claim 23, further comprising:

a hash table used as a file system identification data structure.

25. The server as in claim 23, further comprising:

a file system identification used as an entry into the file system identification data structure.

26. The server as is claim 15, further comprising:

an inode data structure referenced by the handle.

27. The server as in claim 15, further comprising:

a hash table to indicate if the selected vfiler owns a sub-volume, wherein the sub-volume is the portion of the data container.

28. The server as in claim 15, further comprising:

a storage system function used as the file system function.

29. The data storage system as in claim 15, wherein a first identifier associated with the handle is a file system identifier and a second identifier associated with the handle is a qtree identifier, wherein the first identifier indicates that the selected vfiler owns the data container and a combination of the first identifier and the second identifier indicates that the selected vfiler owns the portion of the data container, and wherein the handle is a reference to an inode data structure utilized within the file system.

30. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing executable program instructions executed by a processor, comprising:

program instructions that execute an operating system by a computer of a data storage system;

program instructions that create a plurality of vfilers to execute under the operating system, wherein each vfiler of the plurality of vfilers is a logical partition of network resources and storage resources of the data storage system;

program instructions that assign a first resource, available to the operating system, to a selected vfiler of the plurality of vfilers by providing a first pointer to a first soft object representative of the first resource;

program instructions that remove the first resource assigned to the selected vfiler and program instructions that provide a second pointer to a second soft object representative of a second resource to assign the second resource to the selected vfiler;

program instructions that receive a request, having a handle, for a data container associated with the selected vfiler;

program instructions that perform a boundary check utilizing the handle to determine whether the selected vfiler owns the data container or whether the selected vfiler owns a portion of the data container;

in response to determining the selected vfiler owns the data container or owns the portion of the data container, program instructions that service the request on the data container; and

in response to determining that the selected vfiler does not own the data container or does not own the portion of the data container, program instructions that deny the request.

31. A method for operating a data storage system having a processor and memory, comprising:

executing an operating system by a computer of the data storage system;

creating a plurality of vfilers to execute under the operating system, wherein each vfiler of the plurality of vfilers is a logical partition of network resources and storage resources of the data storage system;

creating, for each vfiler of the plurality of vfilers, a vfiler context data structure that holds information associated with the logical partition of network resources and storage resources of the vfiler;

assigning a first resource, available to the operating system, to a selected vfiler of the plurality of vfilers by providing a first pointer to a first soft object representative of the first resource, the first pointer stored in a selected vfiler context data structure associated with the selected vfiler;

removing the first resource assigned to the selected vfiler and providing a second pointer to a second soft object representative of a second resource to assign the second resource to the selected vfiler, the second pointer stored in the selected vfiler context data structure associated with the selected vfiler

receiving a request, having a handle, for a data container associated with the selected vfiler;

performing a boundary check to determine whether the selected vfiler owns the data container;

in response to determining that the selected vfiler own the data container, servicing the request on the data container;

in response to determining that the selected vfiler does not own the data container performing the boundary check to determine whether the selected vfiler owns a portion of the data container;

in response to determining the selected vfiler owns the portion of the data container, servicing the request on the data container; and

in response to determining that the selected vfiler does not own the portion of the data container, denying the request.

32. The method as in claim 31, further comprising:

writing the vfiler context data structure to a storage device.

33. The method as in claim 31, wherein the data container is a volume.

34. The method as in claim 31, where the portion of the data container is a qtree.

35. The method as in claim 31, further comprising:

determining that the selected vfiler owns the data container based on a first identifier of the handle associated with the received request;

determining that the selected vfiler owns the portion of the data container based on a combination of the first identifier of the handle and a second identifier of the handle.