Shared file system

A network of connected computing devices for implementing a shared storage distributed file system, the file system having a namespace, real-data, and metadata, the network comprising:

• a) a network storage device connected to a the network;
• b) a server computer that manages the namespace by retrieving and modifying directory files in response to namespace requests, including requests to add new filenames to directory files and to remove existing filenames from directory files;
• and
• c) a client computer in network communication with the server computer and the network storage device, wherein the client computer
• i) issues namespace requests to the server computer over the network communication,
• ii) reads and writes the real-data directly from the network storage device, and
• iii) creates, retrieves, and modifies the metadata.

An improved file system operating as part of a client computer comprising:

• a) a digital communication path to a storage device;
• b) a network communication path to a server computer operating a server software program that maintains a namespace by receiving a namespace request from the client computer, reading the directory file corresponding to the request from the storage device, modifying the directory file, and writing the directory file to the storage device;
• and
• c) a client software program that runs on the client computer that responds to file system requests from an application program concerning a file, wherein the client software
• i) obtains addressing metadata containing at least one pointer addressing real-data for the file,
• ii) uses the addressing metadata to locate real-data associated with the file on the storage device,
• iii) alters the addressing metadata for the file;
• and
• iv) submits namespace requests across the network communication path to the server computer.

An improved file system operating on a client computer and a server computer to access a storage device containing real-data and one or more direct pointers addressing the real-data, the improved file system comprising:

• a) a server software program residing on the server computer, the server software program
• i) maintains a namespace defining a directory structure of files on the storage device,
• ii) services namespace requests from the client computer, and
• iii) stores an indirect pointer within the namespace related to a file, the indirect pointer addressing at least one file related direct pointer on the storage device;
• and
• b) a client software program residing on the client computer, the client computer being located separately from the server computer and issuing namespace requests to the server computer, the client software program responds to file system requests from an application program concerning the file;
• the client software program further
• i) obtains the indirect pointer for the file from the server software program,
• ii) uses the indirect pointer to obtain the file related direct pointer directly from the storage device, and
• iii) uses the file related direct pointer to read and write real-data associated with the file directly from the storage device.

A client computer having an improved file system, the file system providing access to data stored on a storage device, comprising:

• a) a network connection to a server computer that is located separately from the client computer and that maintains a namespace defining a directory structure of files on the storage device, and
• b) client software residing and operating on the client computer that
• i) obtains allocation information concerning the allocation of storage on the storage device,
• ii) alters the allocation information for regular files during file allocation and de-allocation, and
• iii) submits namespace requests to the server computer over the network connection;
• wherein the alteration of the allocation information is performed in response to a request by an application program running on the client computer.

A network of connected computer devices comprising:

• a) a first computer running software for
• i) managing a namespace of files, and
• ii) servicing namespace requests, the namespace requests including requests to add filenames to the namespace, remove filenames from the namespace, and search the namespace;
• and
• b) a second computer located separately from the first computer and running software for
• i) submitting to the first computer namespace requests relating to a file request and
• ii) analyzing and altering metadata relating to the file request, the metadata including pointers to real-data.

A method for handling file requests by a file system comprising:

• a) receiving the file request at a client computer;
• b) requesting at the client computer that a server computer which manages a namespace for the file system perform a namespace search for the file of the request, the server computer being located separately from the client computer;
• c) analyzing and altering metadata relating to the location of real-data of the file request at the client computer;
• and
• d) saving on a storage device the metadata altered by the client computer.

A method for handling file requests by a file system comprising

• a) receiving the file request at a client computer;
• b) requesting at the client computer namespace data relating to the file request from a server computer, the server computer managing a namespace for the file system and the server computer also being located separately from the client computer;
• c) analyzing and altering metadata at the client computer, the metadata relating to the allocation information of storage on a storage device;
• and
• d) saving on the storage device the allocation information metadata altered by the client computer.

A computer product, comprising:

• a non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer program code embodied therein, said computer program code adapted to be executed to implement a method for handling file requests by a file system, the method comprising:
• a) receiving the file request at a client computer;
• b) requesting at the client computer that a server computer which manages a namespace for a file system perform a namespace search for the file of the request, the server computer being located separately from the client computer;
• c) analyzing and altering metadata relating to the location of real-data of the file request at the client computer;
• and
• d) saving the metadata altered by the client computer.