Namespace file system accessing an object store
AssigneeSimpliVity Corporation
InventorsArthur J. Beaverson, Paul Bowden
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Method and apparatus for providing a digitally signed file system wherein a namespace file system accesses an object store in which data, metadata and files are objects, each object having a globally unique and content-derived fingerprint and wherein object references are mapped by the fingerprints; the file system has a root object comprising a mapping of all object fingerprints in the file system, such that a change to the file system results in a change in the root object, and tracking changes in the root object provides a history of file system activity.
Claims36
A computer file system for naming and storing of files on one or more computer storage devices, the system comprising:
- a namespace file system accessing an object store, the system including a memory and a hardware processor in communication with the memory, the processor for executing program instructions for accessing the object store using object fingerprints, the object store holding files, data and metadata as objects, each object having a globally unique object fingerprint derived from the content of the object and used to access the object store, wherein:
- each file object comprising a mapping of object fingerprints for the data objects or metadata objects of the file and the file object having its own object fingerprint derived from the fingerprints of the objects in the file, and wherein the object store further includes:
- an inode map object comprising a mapping of file system inode numbers and object fingerprints enabling the inode numbers to stay constant while the object fingerprints change as the file content changes;
- and
- directory objects, each directory object comprising a mapping of inode numbers and file names;
- wherein each of the inode map object and directory object has its own object fingerprint derived from the content of the respective object.
A method comprising:
- a namespace file system accessing an object store, the object store holding files, data and metadata as objects, each object having an object fingerprint which is globally unique and derived from its content and used to access the object store;
- and
- each file object comprising a mapping of object fingerprints for the data objects or metadata objects of the file, and the file object having its own object fingerprint derived from the fingerprints of the objects in the file;
- and
- maintaining in the object store an inode map object comprising a mapping of file system inode numbers and object fingerprints enabling the inode numbers to stay constant while the object fingerprints change as the file content changes;
- and
- maintaining in the object store directory objects, each directory object comprising a mapping of inode numbers and file names;
- wherein each of the inode map object and directly object has its own object fingerprint derived from the content of the respective object.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.