System that maintains objects created and modified within designated directories on a per-client basis in a network filesystem

• US 9,524,396 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2009
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brown, William B., Hsiao, Duen-wen
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Loan T
• Application Number:
  US12/425,376
• Publication Number:
  US 20100268738A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,805 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/119 Details of migration of file systems migration mechanisms in storage systems G06F3/0647
• 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 16/18 File system types
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/20 of structured data, e.g. relational data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

Systems that maintain objects created and modified within designated directories on a per-client basis in a network filesystem include a file server having a local processor, memory operably connected to the local processor, a filesystem including main directories loaded into the memory, and a list of operations loaded into the memory; at least one client operably connected to the server having a remote processor and memory operably connected to the remote processor; wherein the file server has designated at least one of the main directories as a per-client writable directory; and wherein the file server has exported the filesystem read-only to at least one client.

Claims

1. A method of maintaining objects created and modified within designated directories on a per-client basis in a network filesystem comprising:

exporting, from a file server having a filesystem including main directories, the filesystem read-only to at least one client;

responsive to a client requesting to read a file, the server identifying from the main directory the requested file;

determining, by the server, whether the requested file has a per-client alternate file;

responsive to determining that a per-client alternate file exists, the server checking a private directory for the requesting client for a per-client alternate file; and

responsive to the server determining that a per-client alternate file exists in the private directory for the requested file, the server returning the per-client alternate file to the client.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to the server determining that a per-client alternate file does not exist in the private directory for the requested file, the server returning the requested file to the client from the main directory.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

checking a filehandle corresponding to the requested file for a flag indicating that the requested file has a per-client alternate file; and

in response to detecting the flag, checking the private directory for the requesting client for a per-client alternate file.

3. A method of maintaining objects created and modified within designated directories on a per-client basis in a network filesystem comprising:

exporting, from a file server having a filesystem including main directories, the filesystem read-only to at least one client;

responsive to a client requesting to write a file, the server determining if the file is designated to be in a per-client writable directory;

responsive to the server determining the requested file is designated to be in a per-client writable directory, the server determining whether a private directory for the client exists;

responsive to determining that a private directory for the client exists, the server writing the requested file to the filesystem in the private directory; and

flagging the file in the main directories as having a per-client alternate.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising, responsive to the server determining that a private directory for the client does not exist, the server creating a private directory in the file system for the client before writing the requested file to the filesystem.

11. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining by the server whether the requested file exists in the private directory of the client; and

responsive to determining that the file does not exist in the private directory of the client, copying a file from the main directory to the private directory and writing the requested file to the private directory from the copied file.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising adding by the server an entry in a control file of the private directory a mapping of the file written to the private directory to the file copied from the main directory.

5. A system that maintains objects created and modified within designated directories on a per-client basis in a network file system comprising:

a file server having a file system including main directories, wherein the file server is configured to export the filesystem read-only to at least one client;

wherein responsive to a client requesting to read a file, the server is configured to identify from the main directory the requested file and determine whether the requested file has a per-client alternate file;

responsive to determining that a per-client alternate file exists, the server is configured to check a private directory for the requesting client for a per-client alternate file; and

wherein responsive to the server determining that a per-client alternate file exists in the private directory for the requested file, the server configured to return the per-client alternate file to the client.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

wherein responsive to the server determining that a per-client alternate file does not exist in the private directory for the requested file, the server is configured to return the requested file to the client from the main directory.

16. The system of claim 5, wherein the file server is configured to:

check a filehandle corresponding to the requested file for a flag indicating that the requested file has a per-client alternate file; and

in response to detecting the flag, check the private directory for the requesting client for a per-client alternate file.

7. A system that maintains objects created and modified within designated directories on a per-client basis in a network filesystem comprising:

a file server having a file system including main directories wherein the file server is configured to export the filesystem read-only to at least one client;

wherein responsive to a client requesting to write a file, the server is configured to determine if the file is designated to be in a per-client writable directory;

wherein responsive to the server determining the requested file is designated to be in a per-client writable directory, the server is configured to determine whether a private directory for the client exists;

responsive to determining that a private directory for the client exists, the server is configured to write the requested file to the filesystem in the private directory; and

wherein the server is configured to flag the file in the main directories as having a per-client alternate.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein responsive to the server determining that a private directory for the client does not exist, the server configured to create a private directory in the file system for the client before writing the requested file to the filesystem.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the server is configured to:

determine whether the requested file exists in the private directory of the client; and

responsive to determining that the file does not exist in the private directory of the client, copy a file from the main directory to the private directory and write the requested file to the private directory from the copied file.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the server is configured to add an entry in a control file of the private directory of a mapping of the file written to the private directory to the file copied from the main directory.

9. A computer program product for maintaining objects created and modified within designated directories on a per-client basis in a network filesystem comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

first program instructions to designate at least one main directory on a file server having a plurality of main directories comprising a file system as a per-client writable directory;

second program instructions to export the file system read-only to at least one client operably connected to the file server;

third program instructions for the file server, responsive to a client requesting to read a file, to identify from the main directory the requested file;

fourth program instructions for the file server to determine whether the requested file has a per-client alternate file;

fifth program instructions for the file server to check, responsive to determining that a per-client alternate file exists, a private directory for the requesting client for a per-client alternate file; and

sixth program instructions for the file server to, responsive to determining that a per-client alternate file exists in the private directory for the requested file, return the per-client alternate file to the client.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising seventh program instructions for the file server to return the requested file to the client from the main directory responsive to the file server determining that a per-client alternate file for the requested file does not exist in the private directory for the client.

17. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising:

seventh program instructions for the file server to check a filehandle corresponding to the requested file for a flag indicating that the requested file has a per-client alternate file; and

eighth program instructions for the file server to, in response to detecting the flag, check the private directory for the requesting client for a per-client alternate file.