Mechanism for distributed inode to path traversal in a striped volume system

A system for constructing a directory path to a specified path component, comprising:

• one or more processors;
• and
• memory comprising instructions that when executed by at least one of the one or more processors implement:
• a path traversal engine configured to:
• iteratively traverse a hierarchical directory structure to populate a cache data structure, of a local storage server node, with one or more entries corresponding to one or more path components until an inode of a specified path component is reached, an entry comprising an inode number of a target inode and an inode number of an immediate parent of the target inode, the cache data structure comprising a first entry derived from data of a first storage server node and a second entry derived from data of a second storage server node, the first storage server node and the second storage server node remote from the local storage server node, the iteratively traversing comprising performing a first traversal and zero or more other traversals until the inode of the specified path component is reached, the performing a first traversal comprising:
• identifying the target inode;
• responsive to determining that the inode number of the immediate parent of the target inode is not cached in the cache data structure:
• identifying a storage server that hosts a content metadata volume for the target inode;
• invoking the storage server to identify the inode number of the immediate parent of the target inode;
• receiving the inode number of the immediate parent of the target inode and the inode number of the target inode;
• and
• populating the cache data structure with the inode number of the target inode and the inode number of the immediate parent of the target inode;
• and
• construct a directory path from the target inode to the specified path component based upon one or more entries within the cache data structure without accessing a storage server node remote from the local storage server node.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions that when executed perform a method for:

• iteratively traversing a hierarchical directory structure to populate a cache data structure, of a local storage server node, with one or more entries corresponding to one or more path components until an inode of a specified path component is reached, an entry comprising an inode number of a target inode and an inode number of an immediate parent of the target inode, the cache data structure comprising a first entry derived from data of a first storage server node and a second entry derived from data of a second storage server node, the first storage server node and the second storage server node remote from the local storage server node, the iteratively traversing comprising performing a first traversal and zero or more other traversals until the inode of the specified path component is reached, the performing a first traversal comprising:
• identifying the target inode;
• responsive to determining that the inode number of the immediate parent of the target inode is not cached in the cache data structure:
• identifying a storage server that hosts a content metadata volume for the target inode;
• invoking the storage server to identify the inode number of the immediate parent of the target inode;
• receiving the inode number of the immediate parent of the target inode and the inode number of the target inode;
• and
• populating the cache data structure with the inode number of the target inode and the inode number of the immediate parent of the target inode;
• and
• constructing a directory path from the target inode to the specified path component based upon one or more entries within the cache data structure without accessing a storage server node remote from the local storage server node.

A storage server cluster comprising memory comprising instructions that when executed implement:

• a path traversal engine configured to:
• iteratively traverse a hierarchical directory structure to populate a cache data structure, of a local storage server node, with one or more entries corresponding to one or more path components until an inode of a specified path component is reached, an entry comprising an inode number of a target inode and an inode number of an immediate parent of the target inode, the cache data structure comprising a first entry derived from data of a first storage server node and a second entry derived from data of a second storage server node, the first storage server node and the second storage server node remote from the local storage server node, the iteratively traversing comprising performing a first traversal and zero or more other traversals until the inode of the specified path component is reached, the performing a first traversal comprising:
• identifying the target inode;
• responsive to determining that the inode number of the immediate parent of the target inode is not cached in the cache data structure:
• identifying a storage server that hosts a content metadata volume for the target inode;
• invoking the storage server to identify the inode number of the immediate parent of the target inode;
• receiving the inode number of the immediate parent of the target inode and the inode number of the target inode;
• and
• populating the cache data structure with the inode number of the target inode and the inode number of the immediate parent of the target inode;
• and
• construct a directory path from the target inode to the specified path component based upon one or more entries within the cache data structure without accessing a storage server node remote from the local storage server node.