Netapp, Inc.

Naresh Sivakumar

Dnyaneshwar Nagorao Pawar

Bipul Raj

Albert E Yong

A system and method for providing a substantially constant-time copy operation for file system objects managed by a storage server begins by generating a snapshot of at least a portion of a data set managed by the storage server. The system then performs a copy operation in the storage server to generate a copy of the data set separate from the snapshot, on a set of block locations containing a predetermined reference value. During the copy operation to generate the copy of the data set separate from the snapshot, the system can receive from a requester a first read request directed to the copy of the data set that the copy operation is to generate. In response to the first data request, the system provides data from the snapshot to the requester by the storage server.

Method and system for providing substantially constant-time execution of a copy operation

A system and method for providing a substantially constant-time copy operation for file system objects managed by a network storage server begins by generating a new file based on metadata in a source file. The system then generates a snapshot of the source file or the logical volume in which the source file resides. The system then copies each of the indirect blocks of the source file to a corresponding location in the destination file. During the copy process, a modified set of file system operations can be executed on the destination metadata container. In response to a read request directed to a target block in the destination file, the system determines if target block has been copied. If the block has not been copied, the system provides a data segment from the corresponding data block in the snapshot. Write requests are processed by generating a new data block and adding a reference to the new data block to the target location in the destination metadata container. During the copy process, the system checks each block reference before copying to determine if the block reference has been modified by a write operation. If the block was modified, the system skips copying that particular block reference. The system provides additional operations to execute truncate and append operations during the copy process.

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Bengaluru, India

Naresh Sivakumar