Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Roopesh C Battepati

David Matthew Kruse

Mathew George

Michael C Johnson

Ganesh Prasad

James T Pinkerton

Daniel Edward Lovinger

Mingdong Shang

Raymond Wang

Paul R Swan

Ziquan Zhu

Manoj Kadam

Henry Gabryjelski

Vladimir Petter

Thomas Ewan Jolly

Vyacheslav Kuznetsov

Tom Jolly

Vladimirs Petters

Paul J Leach

Scott Field

Thomas E Jolly

Examples described herein generally relate to a scalable multi-tier storage system. An entry may be added and/or deleted within the storage system. To delete an entry, the storage system may determine whether the entry corresponds to the file or the directory based on directory metadata, and request deletion of the directory metadata associated with the entry from the directory volume based on determining that the entry corresponds to the directory, and further requesting deletion of the file from a file volume based on a determination that the entry corresponds to the file. To add a file, the storage system may generate directory metadata associated with the entry in the directory volume based on a determination that the entry corresponds to the directory, and may further allocate file metadata in the file volume based on a determination that the entry corresponds to the file.

Scalable multi-tier storage structures and techniques for accessing entries therein

Examples described herein generally relate to maintaining a snapshot of a multitier distributed file system. A snapshot directory volume of a directory volume can be created at least in part by copying, to the snapshot directory volume, metadata of the directory volume. Based on a file access request, it can be determined whether the file has not been snapshotted. If not, a snapshot file record of the file, and associated with the snapshot directory volume.

Techniques for snapshotting scalable multitier storage structures

Examples of the present disclosure describe implementing bitmap-based data replication when a primary form of data replication between a source device and a target device cannot be used. According to one example, a temporal identifier may be received from the target device. If the source device determines that the primary replication method is unable to be used to replicate data associated with the temporal identifier, a secondary replication method may be initiated. The secondary replication method may utilize a recovery bitmap identifying data blocks that have changed on the source device since a previous event.

Data recovery using bitmap data structure

Systems and methods are disclosed for clients and servers operating in a scaled cluster environment. Efficiencies are introduced to the process of connecting a client to a clustered environment by providing the client with the ability to attempt a connection with multiple servers in parallel. Servers operating the in the clustered environment are also capable of providing persistent storage of file handles and other state information. Ownership of the state information and persistent handles may be transferred between servers, thereby providing clients with the opportunity to move from one server to another while maintaining access to resources in the clustered environment.

SMB2 scaleout

Disclosed herein is a system and method for automatically moving an application from one site to another site in the event of a disaster. Prior to coming back online the application is configured with information to allow it to run on the new site without having to perform the configuration actions after the application has come online. This enables a seamless experience to the user of the application while also reducing the associated downtime for the application.

Application transparent continuous availability using synchronous replication across data stores in a failover cluster

Described are embodiments directed at persistent handles that are used to retain state across network failures and server failovers. Persistent handles are requested by a client after a session has been established with a file server. The request for the persistent handle includes a handle identifier generated by the client. The server uses the handle identifier to associate with state information. When there is a network failure or a server failover, and a reconnection to the client, the handle identifier is used to identify replayed requests that if replayed would create an inconsistent state on the server. The replayed requests are then appropriately handled.

Transparent failover

A connection state system is described herein that allows a client to resume a connection with a server or a different replacement server by remotely storing client state information in association with a resume key. The system provides a resume key filter operating at the server that facilitates the storing of volatile server state information. The state information can include information such as oplocks, leases granted to a client, and in-flight operations on a file handle. The resume key filter driver sits above the file system, which allows multiple file access protocols to use the filter. Upon a failover event, such as a server going down or losing connectivity to a client, the system can bring up another server or the same server and reestablish state for file handles held by various clients using the resume key filter.

Providing transparent failover in a file system

Aspects of the subject matter described herein relate to providing file access in a multi-protocol environment. In aspects, a file server is operable to receive requests formatted according to two or more file access protocols. If a request is formatted according to a first file access protocol, the file server applies access rights associated with the file to an account associated with a requester to determine whether to grant access. If the request is formatted according to the second file access protocol, the file server may first attempt to find an account for the requester. If an account is not found, the file server may then grant access based on access rights associated with the file as applied to information in the request without consulting an account on the file server.

Growing community of inventors

Sammamish, WA, United States of America

Roopesh C Battepati