Identifying files in change logs using file content location identifiers

• US 9,965,505 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2014
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Avati, Anand, Suryanarayan, Amar Tumballi
• Primary Examiner(s): Channavajjala, Srirama
• Application Number:
  US14/219,255
• Publication Number:
  US 20150269214A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,511 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1844 Management specifically adapted to replicated file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1865 Transactional file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1873 Versioning file systems, temporal file systems, e.g. file system supporting different historic versions of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2228 Indexing structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2272 Management thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2322 using timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2358 Change logging, detection, and notification replication G06F16/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/835 Timestamp

Abstract

Systems and methods for identifying files in change logs using file content location identifiers. An example method may comprise: detecting a file system operation associated with a file; and creating a change log record comprising an identifier of a first data structure referencing a first physical location of contents of the file before the file system operation, and an identifier of a second data structure referencing a second physical location of the contents of the file after the file system operation.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

detecting, by a processing device, a hard link creation operation with respect to a file;

creating, by the processing device, a change log record to reflect the hard link creation operation, the change log record comprising a first identifier of a first index node and a second identifier of a second index node, wherein the first index node references a first physical location of contents of the file before the hard link creation operation and the second index node references a second physical location of the contents of the file after the hard link creation operation;

appending the change log record to a change log file;

creating a file name alias comprising the identifier of the second index node; and

performing a file system operation by accessing the file using the file name alias.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the change log record further comprises a name of the file.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the change log record further comprises a timestamp.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

rolling over the change log file after expiration of a defined time period.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying metadata associated with the file.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the change log record further comprises an identifier of a parent file system object associated with the file.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second index node references a plurality of disk blocks that store the contents of the file.

8. A system, comprising:

a memory; and

a processing device, operatively coupled to the memory, to;

detect a hard link creation operation with respect to a file;

create a change log record to reflect the hard link creation operation, the change log record comprising a first identifier of a first index node and a second identifier of a second index node, wherein the first index node references a first physical location of contents of the file before the hard link creation operation and the second index node references a second physical location of the contents of the file after the hard link creation operation;

append the change log record to a change log file;

create a file name alias comprising the identifier of the second index node; and

perform a file system operation by accessing the file using the file name alias.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the change log record further comprises a name of the file.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the change log record further comprises a timestamp.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the processing device is further to:

roll over the change log file after expiration of a defined time period.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the processing device is further to:

modify metadata associated with the file.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the change log record further comprises an identifier of a parent file system object associated with the file.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the second index node references a plurality of disk blocks that store the contents of the file.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to:

detect, by the processing device, a hard link creation operation with respect to a file;

create, by the processing device, a change log record to reflect the hard link creation operation, the change log record comprising a first identifier of a first index node and a second identifier of a second index node, wherein the first index node references a first physical location of contents of the file before the hard link creation operation and the second index node references a second physical location of the contents of the file after the hard link creation operation;

append the change log record to a change log file;

create a file name alias comprising the identifier of the second index node; and

perform a file system operation by accessing the file using the file name alias.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the change log record further comprises a name of the file.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the change log record further comprises a timestamp.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising executable instructions to cause the processing device to:

roll over the change log file after expiration of a defined time period.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising executable instructions to cause the processing device to:

modify metadata associated with the file.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the change log record further comprises an identifier of a parent file system object associated with the file.