Netapp, Inc.

Avere Systems, Inc.

Spinnaker Networks, Inc.

Network Appliance, Inc.

Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Michael Kazar

Richard N Sanzi, Jr

Peter Frank Corbett

Daniel S Nydick

Richard Parvin Jernigan, Iv

Fred Gohh

Robert Wyckoff Hyer, Jr

Toby Smith

Ronald P Bianchini, Jr

John Russell Boyles

Benjamin Speiser

Michael Robin Eisler

Srishylam Simharajan

Bruce Leverett

Alan Stuart Driscoll

Devang Kundanlal Shah

Vasilis J Apostolides

Joseph Nevi Hosteny, Iv

David Noveck

Peter Griess

Jason Bertschi

Robert M English

J Christopher Wagner

Andrew G Reynolds

David Jeffrey Graham

Tom Hicks

Balaji Ramani

Vani Vully

Narayana R Tummala

Emily Eng

E Rudolph Nedved

Benjamin T H Cox

Daniel Clash

Jeffrey Butler

Richard P Jernigan

Richard N Sanzi

Robert Wyckoff Hyer

Richard P Iv Jernigan

A method and apparatus for replicating a data container of a source storage server at the logical level in an unordered stream of individual data units are described. In certain embodiments, the replication operations can be performed without regard to the differences in geometry of physical persistent storage of the source and destination storage servers and without regard to the differences in data container format of the source and destination storage servers. An initial replication operation of the source data container is performed by transferring the data objects within the source data container to a replica data container in the destination storage server as an unordered stream of individual data units while preserving data object identifiers of the source data objects. Afterwards, incremental replication operations can be performed to capture modifications to the source data container over time after the initial replication operation.

Unordered idempotent logical replication operations

A file storage system for storing data of a file received from a client includes a back-end file server in which the data is stored. The system includes a cache appliance in communication with the file server, such that the appliance stores portions of the data or attributes of the file, and uses the stored data or attributes to process file system requests received from the client, and which reads and writes data and attributes to the back-end file server independently. A system for responding to a file system protocol request in regard to a back-end server includes a token server. The system includes a plurality of cache appliances in communication with the token server, each of which receives tokens from the token server to synchronize access to data and attributes caches of the cache appliances, and reading and writing data and attributes to the back-end servers when tokens are revoked, the cache appliance having persistent storage in which data are stored, and the token server having persistent storage in which tokens are stored. A storage system includes a plurality of backend servers. The system includes a token server which grants permission to read and write file attributes and data system, and includes a plurality of cache appliances in communication with at least one of the backend servers and the token server for processing an incoming NFS request to the one backend server. Each cache appliance comprises an NFS server which converts incoming NFS requests into cache manager operations; a token client module in communication with the token server having a cache of tokens obtained from the token server; a cache manager that caches data and attributes and uses tokens from the token client module to ensure that the cached data or attributes are the most recent data or attributes, and an NFS client which sends outgoing NFS requests to the back-end file server. Methods for storing data of a file received from a client.

File storage system, cache appliance, and method

A storage system includes a plurality of vdisks, with each vdisk containing a plurality of storage segments, and each segment providing a specific class of service (CoS) for storage. Each vdisk stores files with data and meta data distributed among its storage segments. A storage system includes a memory having multiple classes of service. The system includes an interface for storing a file as blocks of data associated with a class of service in the memory. The interface chooses the class of service for a block on a block by block basis for storage. A file system for storing a file. A file system for storing includes a plurality of vdisks. A method for storing a file.

Media aware distributed data layout

A system for storing data includes a plurality of clusters located remotely from each other in which the data is stored. Each cluster has a token server that controls access to the data with only one token server responsible for any piece of data. Each cluster has a plurality of Cache appliances. Each cluster has at least one backend file server in which the data is stored. The system includes a communication network through which the servers and appliances communicate with each other. A Cache Appliance cluster in which data is stored in back-end servers within each of a plurality of clusters located remotely from each other. A method for storing data.

System and method for storing data in clusters located remotely from each other

A storage system includes a plurality of vdisks, with each vdisk containing a plurality of storage segments, and each segment providing a specific class of service (CoS). Each vdisk stores files with data and meta data distributed among its storage segments. A storage system includes a memory having multiple classes of service. The system includes an interface for storing a file as blocks of data associated with a class of service in the memory. The interface chooses the class of service for a block on a block by block basis.

A storage system comprises a plurality of vdisks, with each vdisk containing a plurality of storage segments, and each segment providing a specific class of service (CoS). Each vdisk stores files with data and meta data distributed among its storage segments. A storage system includes a memory having multiple classes of service. The system includes an interface for storing a file as blocks of data associated with a class of service in the memory. The interface chooses the class of service for a block on a block by block basis.

A system for storing file data and directory data received over a network includes a network interface in communication with the network which receives NAS requests containing data to be written to files from the network. The system includes a first type of storage. The system includes a second type of storage different from the first type of storage. The system includes a policy specification n which specifies a first portion of one or more files' data which is less than all of the files' data is stored in the first type of storage and a second portion of the data which is less than all of the data of the files is stored in the second type of store. The system comprises a processing unit which executes the policy and causes the first portion to be stored in the first type of storage and a second portion to be stored in the second type of storage. A method for storing file data and directory data received over a network.

Method and apparatus for tiered storage

A technique for permitting multiple virtual file system having the same VFS identifier to be served by a single storage system. A data frame descriptor data structure is modified to include a storage pool index value that indexes into a storage pool array to identify a storage pool descriptor. The storage pool (SP) descriptor includes a SP ID, which is used in conjunction with a VFS ID to uniquely identify the VFS to which dirtied data is to be written.

Technique for permitting multiple virtual file systems having the same identifier to be served by a single storage system

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Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America

Michael Kazar