Data path accelerator with variable parity, variable length, and variable extent parity groups

A method of providing file services, comprising:

• receiving a file request from a client, said request received by a first processing module;
• accessing metadata to locate file data corresponding to said file request, said metadata stored in a metadata cache provided to said first processing module;
• queuing one or more storage transaction requests to a storage interface, said storage transaction requests queued by said first processing module;
• caching a distributed parity group as a cached distributed parity group, said cached distributed parity group retrieved as a result of said storage transaction requests in a data cache operably connected to a data engine, said data engine operating asynchronously with respect to said first processing module;
• using a parity engine in said data engine to compute parity for said cached distributed parity group;
• queuing one or more network transaction requests to a network interface, said network transaction requests queued by said first processing module upon completion of said at least one storage transaction request;
• and
• sending at least a portion of said cached distributed parity group to said client according to said network transaction request, wherein said sending operation is performed asynchronously, with respect to said first processing module, by said data engine and said network interface.

An apparatus, comprising:

• means for receiving a file request from a client, accessing metadata to locate disk addresses of data blocks of a distributed parity group and a parity block of said distributed parity group corresponding to said file request, and queuing one or more storage transaction requests, each storage transaction request providing information regarding said disk addresses and cache addresses;
• means for caching said distributed parity group as a cached distributed parity group in response to said storage transaction requests;
• and
• means for computing parity for said cached distributed parity group.