US 2014/0280394 A1Published application

Multi-Threaded Message Passing Journal

AssigneeQuantum Corporation

InventorStephen P. Lord

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Abstract

Example apparatus and methods protect state in a file system using a message-passing multi-threaded journal. One example apparatus stores, in memory, data and metadata affected by a file system transaction. The apparatus may run a thread that receives the file system transaction from the file system and that produces a set of atomic operations configured to complete the file system transaction. The apparatus may also run a thread that records a set of journal entries associated with the set of atomic operations to protect the file system while the atomic operations complete. The journal entries may be written on a non-volatile computer-readable medium. The apparatus may also run a thread that co-ordinates usage of space on the computer-readable medium. Rather than synchronizing journal activity with locks, the threads running on the example apparatus may synchronize their activity using message passing.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method implementing a multi-threaded message passing journal, the method comprising:

controlling messaging between transaction threads associated with the multi-threaded message passing journal and a reservation thread associated with the multi-threaded message passing journal;
controlling messaging between the transaction threads and a sequencing thread associated with the multi-threaded message passing journal,
controlling messaging between the sequencing thread and a reservation thread, and
controlling messaging between the transaction threads and a completion thread,
where the transaction threads are configured to receive a file system transaction, to produce a set of atomic operations corresponding to the file system transaction, and to produce a set of journal entries corresponding to the set of atomic operations,
where the reservation thread is configured to manage space in storage where the set of journal entries are to be stored to protect the file system during execution of the file system transaction,
where the sequencing thread is configured to interact with device threads that performs input/output of the set of journal entries to the storage, and
where the completion thread is configured to track metadata items that have been modified in memory and that are only protected by journal entries in the storage and to monitor completion of the set of atomic operations.

5 more elements

An apparatus, comprising:

a processor;
a memory configured to store data and metadata affected by a file system transaction;
a set of logics;
and
an interface that connects the processor, the memory, and the set of logics;
the set of logics comprising:
a first logic configured to accept the file system transaction from the file system and to produce a set of atomic operations configured to complete the file system transaction;
a second logic configured to produce a set of journal entries associated with the set of atomic operations and to control recording the set of journal entries on a computer-readable medium, and
a third logic configured to co-ordinate usage of space on the computer-readable medium for the first logic and the second logic,
where the first logic, the second logic, and the third logic communicate using message passing, and where synchronization of the first logic, the second logic, and the third logic depends on message passing.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.