System and method for efficient cache management in a distributed file system

A computer file system comprising:

• cache means for storing file system object data in a storage means;
• cache management means for satisfying operating system requests for file system objects using said cache means, said cache management means being independent of operating system syntax and independent of distributed file system protocol, said cache management means implemented within a client computer system, said cache management means further comprising:
• means for intercepting an operating system request, from said first operating system, for a file system object stored in a remote server computer system operating under a second operating system in said distributed file system;
• means for transforming said request to remove operating system dependent syntax;
• means for testing a cache in a storage means of said client computer system for the presence of file system object data based on said transformed request;
• means for satisfying said file system object request from said cache, if said file system object data based on said transformed request is present in said cache;
• network means detachably connecting said cache management means to a file system object server;
• and
• remote file access means for accessing file system object requests through said network means.

A computer system cache apparatus for maintaining file system information, comprising:

• storage means for storing a plurality of file system object data entries;
• link means for linking each of said plurality of file system object data entries to a file volume;
• and
• second link means for linking each of said plurality of file system object data entries to either a location in local data storage, a directory cache in local memory, or a symbolic link in local memory, wherein said plurality of file system object data entries are independent of any file system object name and are referencable by multiple file system object parents each having different naming syntax.