US 10,503,692 B2Granted

Filter file system with inode number as primary database key

AssigneeQuantum Corporation

InventorsRoderick Wideman, Don Doerner, Michael Zeis

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Abstract

Example apparatus and methods identify files that are so small or so large that they compromise the efficient operation of a file system that uses re-assignable one-to-one inodes and inode numbers. Small files are aggregated into collections of files and large files are subdivided into collections of smaller files. Information for locating multiple related files with fewer lookups is generated and stored in a folder. An inode having a new type of inode number is then created. The new type of inode number encodes information for finding the folder. The encoded information may include a folder identifier that acts as a primary key into a database that is configured to locate a member of the aggregated or subdivided files with a single lookup. A filter file system may be updated with the new inode. The new inode number is unique within the filter file system and may not be re-assigned.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A method, comprising:

identifying a set of files stored in a first file system, where members of the set of files have file sizes less than a minimum file size;
selectively aggregating two or more members of the set of files into an aggregated group of files;
identifying a large file in the file system, where the large file has a file size greater than a maximum file size;
selectively subdividing the large file into a subdivided group of files;
identifying a first folder associated with the aggregated group of files, where the first folder has a first folder identifier, where the first folder identifier is configured as a primary key into a database, where the database stores an address for locating a member of the aggregated group of files, and where the first folder stores information for locating two or more members of the aggregated group of files;
identifying a second folder associated with the subdivided group of files,
where the second folder has a second folder identifier, where the second folder identifier is configured as another primary key into the database, where the database stores an address for locating a member of the subdivided group of files, and where the second folder stores information for locating two or more members of the subdivided group of files;
creating a first inode in a filter file system, where the first inode has a first inode number, where the first inode number encodes the first folder identifier;
updating the filter file system with the first inode;
creating a second inode in the filter file system, where the second inode has a second inode number, where the second inode number encodes the second folder identifier;
and
updating the filter file system with the second inode.

9 more elements

An apparatus, comprising:

a processor;
a memory;
a set of logics;
and
an interface to connect the processor, the memory, and the set of logics, the set of logics configured to:
identify files stored in a file system having members of files with file sizes less than a minimum file size;
selectively aggregate two or more members of a first set of files into an aggregation as an aggregated group of files;
identify a first folder associated with the aggregated group of files, where the first folder has a first folder identifier configured as a primary key into a database that stores an address for locating a member of the aggregated group of files;
build a first inode in the file system, the first inode having a first inode number that encodes information including the first folder identifier for locating the two or more members of the aggregation in a single operation;
update the file system with the first inode;
identify a large file in the file system, the large file having a file size greater than a maximum file size;
selectively sub-divide the large file into a second set of files as a subdivided group of files;
identify a second folder associated with the subdivided group of files, where the second folder has a second folder identifier configured as another primary key into the database, and stores information for locating two or more members of the subdivided group of files, wherein the database stores an address for locating a member of the subdivided group of files;
build a second inode in the file system, the second inode having a second inode number that encodes information including the second folder identifier for locating two or more members of the second set of files in a single operation;
and
update the file system with the second inode.

13 more elements

A filter file system, comprising:

a memory;
a processor;
a file aggregator that collects two or more files into a first file where the two or more files have file sizes less than a minimum file size;
a file divider that separates a large file having a file size greater than a maximum file size into two or more second files;
a database that stores addresses for locating the two or more files that were collected into the first file, and that stores addresses for locating the two or more second files produced from the large file;
and
an inode generator that produces inodes for the filter file system, wherein the inodes comprise an inode number that includes a portion that is configured as a primary key into a table in the database that stores addresses for locating the two or more files that were collected into the first file or for locating the two or more second files, and wherein the inode number includes two or more portions that are configured as primary keys into one or more tables in the database,
wherein the inodes comprise:
a first inode having a first inode number that encodes information including a first folder identifier of a first folder associated with an aggregated group of files for locating the two or more files of an aggregation in a single operation, and wherein the first folder identifier is configured as a primary key into the database that stores an address for locating the two or more files of the aggregated group of files;
and
a second inode having a second inode number that encodes information including a second folder identifier of a second folder associated with a subdivided group of files from the large file for locating the two or more second files in a single operation, and wherein the second folder identifier is configured as another primary key into the database and stores information for locating the two or more second files in the subdivided group of files;
and
wherein the inode generator further updates the filter file system with the first inode and the second inode.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/007,267Filed 27 Jan 2016 · us provisional application
Priority: 3 Feb 2015
Published: US 2016/0224578 A14 Aug 2016
Granted: 10 Dec 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

G06F 16/13
File systems; File servers: file access structures, e.g. distributed indices
G06F 16/16
File systems; File servers: file or folder operations, e.g. details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems
G06F 16/1734
Details of further file system functions: details of monitoring file system events, e.g. by the use of hooks, filter drivers, logs
G06F
Computing and data processing

Family

Application62/111,172Us provisional application · filed 3 Feb 2015
US 2016/0224578 A1Pre-grant publication · published 4 Aug 2016
US 10,503,692 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Timeline

Citations

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