Method and system for responding to file system requests

A method for responding to file system requests received from a network comprising the steps of:

• receiving, at network elements of a file server, file system requests having file IDs comprising V, a volume identifier specifying the file system being accessed, and R, an integer, specifying the file within the file system being accessed, each network element having a mapping function that for every value of V, specifies one or more elements from a plurality of disk elements of the file server that store the data specified by volume V;
• and
• routing the requests from the network elements, via a switching fabric of the file server, connected to the network elements and the disk elements, to said one or more disk elements of the plurality of disk elements connected to the switching fabric,
• each request being routed by a remote procedure call mechanism comprising a plurality of connections, each connection connecting a single network element with a single disk element.