File consistency in shared storage using partial-edit files

• US 10,831,719 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2017
• Issued: 11/10/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Ribeiro, Gabriel, Gaillard, Jonathan, Rachabathuni, Sailesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Uddin, Mohammed R
• Application Number:
  US15/689,427
• Publication Number:
  US 20190065526A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,169 Days
• Field of Search: 707827, 707822, 707831, 707704
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1774 Locking methods, e.g. locking methods for file systems allowing shared and concurrent access to files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1824 implemented using Network-attached Storage [NAS] architecture distributed or networked storage systems G06F3/067; protocols for distributed storage of data in a network H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/183 Provision of network file services by network file servers, e.g. by using NFS, CIFS network file access protocols H04L67/1097
• 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: G11B 27/02 Editing, e.g. varying the order of information signals recorded on, or reproduced from, record carriers

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for managing partial-edit files for shared storage applications. A network-attached storage device (NAS) includes a non-volatile memory module, a network interface, and control circuitry configured to connect to a first client over a network connection using the network interface, receive, from the first client, a request to access a first portion of an existing file stored in the non-volatile memory module, create a first partial-edit file based on the existing file, receive modifications associated with the first portion of the existing file from the first client, modify the first partial-edit file according to the received modifications, and at least partially overwrite the existing file with at least a portion of the first partial-edit file.

Claims

1. A network-attached storage device (NAS) configured to enable concurrent modification of a stored file without using distributed locks, the NAS comprising:

a non-volatile memory module;

a network interface; and

control circuitry coupled to the non-volatile memory module and to the network interface and configured to;

connect to a first client over a network connection using the network interface;

receive, from the first client, a request to access a first portion of an existing file stored in the non-volatile memory module;

create, in the non-volatile memory module of the NAS, a first partial-edit file based on at least the first portion of the existing file;

receive, from the first client, modifications associated with the first portion of the existing file;

modify the first partial-edit file according to the received modifications; and

at least partially overwrite the existing file with at least a portion of the first partial-edit file.

2. The NAS of claim 1, wherein:

the control circuitry is further configured to receive, from the first client, a request to create the first partial-edit file; and

said creating the first partial-edit file is performed in response to the request to create the first partial-edit file.

3. The NAS of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to provide, to the first client, partial-edit file identifier information associated with the first partial-edit file.

4. The NAS of claim 3, wherein the first partial-edit file is not accessible to clients communicatively coupled to the NAS without the partial-edit file identifier information.

5. The NAS of claim 1, wherein the first partial-edit file is not referenced in a file allocation table maintained by the control circuitry.

6. The NAS of claim 1, wherein:

the control circuitry is further configured to determine that a version of the existing file associated with the first partial-edit file matches a current version of the existing file; and

said at least partially overwriting the existing file is based on the determination.

7. The NAS of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to delete the first partial-edit file after said at least partially overwriting the existing file.

8. The NAS of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

connect to a second client using the network interface;

receive, from the second client, a request to access a second portion of the existing file;

create a second partial-edit file based on the existing file in the non-volatile memory module of the NAS prior to said at least partially overwriting the existing file with the at least a portion of the first partial-edit file;

receive, from the second client, modifications associated with the second portion of the existing file; and

modify the second partial-edit file according to the modifications associated with the second portion of the existing file.

9. The NAS of claim 8, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

in response to said at least partially overwriting the existing file, update version information associated with the existing file to indicate an updated version; and

determine that a version of the existing file associated with the second partial-edit file differs from the updated version.

10. The NAS of claim 9, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to, in response to the determination that the version of the existing file associated with the second partial-edit file differs from the updated version, send a notification to the second client indicating that the existing file has changed.

11. The NAS of claim 1, wherein:

the request, from the first client, to access the first portion of the existing file comprises a target location in the existing file; and

the first partial-edit file created in the non-volatile memory module of the NAS comprises a partial portion of the existing file that includes the target location.

12. A computing device comprising:

a data storage module;

a network interface; and

control circuitry coupled to the data storage module and to the network interface and configured to;

connect to a data storage server over a network connection using the network interface, the data storage server configured to enable concurrent modification of a stored file without using distributed locks;

send, to the data storage server, a request for a portion of a file stored at the data storage server;

send a request to the data storage server to create, at a non-volatile memory of the data storage server, a partial-edit file based on at least the portion of the file;

receive, from the data storage server, the portion of the file;

store the portion of the file in the data storage module;

generate modifications to the portion of the file stored in the data storage module;

send, to the data storage server, the modifications to modify the partial-edit file at the data storage server; and

send, to the data storage server, a request to commit the partial-edit file.

13. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to receive, from the data storage server, partial-edit file identifier information identifying the partial-edit file.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein said sending the modifications to the data storage server comprises sending a command to the data storage server including the modifications and the partial-edit file identifier information.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the command is a representational state transfer (REST) application programming interface (API) command.

16. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to receive, from the data storage server, a response indicating that a version of the file that is associated with the partial-edit file is different than a current version of the file maintained at the data storage server.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to, in response to the response from the data storage server, force a commitment of the partial-edit file.

18. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to, in response to the response from the data storage server, save the partial-edit file as a new file.

19. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to, in response to the response from the data storage server, save the partial-edit file as a new version of the file.

20. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to, after sending the request to commit the partial-edit file, send a request to delete the partial-edit file.

21. A data storage server configured to enable concurrent modification of a stored file without using distributed locks, the data storage server comprising:

means for non-volatile storage comprising a user data space and a partial-edit file space separate from the user data space;

means for network communication; and

control circuitry coupled to the means for non-volatile storage and to the means for network communication, the control circuitry configured to;

maintain a client-viewable file system that references files stored in the user data space;

connect to a client over a network connection using the means for network communication;

receive, from the client, a new file not previously stored in the means for non-volatile storage;

create a partial-edit file in the partial-edit file space based on the new file in the means for non-volatile storage of the data storage server;

receive, from the client, modifications associated with the new file;

modify the partial-edit file in the partial-edit file space according to the received modifications;

copy the modified partial-edit file to the user data space as part of a new file system file; and

add, to the file system, a reference to the new file system file.

22. The data storage server of claim 21, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to receive, from the client, a request to create the partial-edit file, wherein said creating the partial-edit file is performed in response to the request to create the partial-edit file.

23. The data storage server of claim 21, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to provide, to the client, partial-edit file identifier information associated with the partial-edit file.

24. The data storage server of claim 21, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to delete the partial-edit file after said copying the modified partial-edit file to the user data space.