Persistent file handle object container memory expiry

A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer useable instruction codes executable to perform operations for managing persistent file handles for a server and a client memory, the operations of the computer program product comprising:

• a) starting an expiry timer and creating a Persistent File Handle (PHDL) object container for storing information including extended file attributes for a file based on an association between the file and the PHDL object container, a client's permissions for the file, and an absence of conflicts between the file and other open files in a file system;
• b) storing in the PHDL object container a per-file PHDL-container generation number (CGN), a volume-level share generation number (SGN), a new SGN updated with a current timestamp value, a previous SGN which is a volume-level last known SGN value, and a timeout max value for the expiry timer, wherein a SGN is a volume-level timestamp of a volume migration or an online creation in relation to the expiry timer;
• c) creating a PHDL iterator to update the SGNs for every volume exported to clients, creation of the volume online, or at a restarting of a network-share service on the server, wherein each SGN relates to a well-known key value of the expiry timer;
• and
• d) triggering a clean-up of stale PHDL object containers from a server memory based on a difference of the new SGN and the previous SGN being greater than the timeout max value else preserving the PHDL object container and updating the well-known key value.

A system for managing persistent file handles for a server and a client memory, comprising:

• a) an expiry timer and a Persistent File Handle (PHDL) object container for storing information including extended file attributes for a file based on an association between the file and the PHDL object container, a client's permissions for the file, and an absence of conflicts between the file and other open files in a file system;
• b) a per-file PHDL-container generation number (CGN) register, a volume-level share generation number (SGN) register, a new SGN register updated with a current timestamp value, a previous SGN register for a volume-level last known SGN value, and a timeout max value register for the expiry timer, where each generation number (GN) register stores a timestamp of a volume migration or an online creation in relation to the expiry timer;
• c) a PHDL iterator configured to update the SGNs for every volume exported to clients, creation of the volume online, or at a restarting of a network-share service on the server, wherein each SGN relates to a well-known key value of the expiry timer stored therein;
• and
• d) a clean-up module configured to trigger a clean-up of stale PHDL object containers based on a difference of the new SGN and the previous SGN being greater than the timeout max value else configured for preserving the PHDL object container and updating the well-known key value.