Techniques for copying on write
AssigneeNovell, Inc.
InventorGosukonda Naga Venkata Satya Sudhakar
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Techniques for copying on write are provided. Snapshots are managed and maintained for a source volume via sparse files. Metadata defines the sparse files and operations of a file system are used to create, define, and manipulate the metadata.
Claims20
A method implemented and residing within a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that is executed by one or more processors of a network to perform the method, comprising:
- detecting a write operation to a first block of data on a source volume;
- accessing metadata associated with a sparse file of a file system to locate a second block within the sparse file;
- copying the first block of data to the second block within the sparse file;
- and
- updating the first block of data on the source volume by processing the write operation.
A method implemented and residing within a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that is executed by one or more processors of a network to perform the method, comprising:
- configuring a snapshot service to use a sparse file as a snapshot volume for a source volume;
- and
- managing, via the snapshot service, the sparse file via a file system that supports the sparse file as the snapshot volume for the source volume, the snapshot volume representing a particular state of the source volume being maintained via the sparse file.
A multiprocessor-implemented system, comprising:
- a snapshot service implemented in and residing within a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and to execute on one or more processors of a network;
- and
- a file system implemented in and residing within a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and to execute on one or more processors of the network;
- the snapshot service configured to manage one or more snapshots of a source volume via sparse files that are created and managed via operations of the file system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.