Comparison of file system snapshots stored in a remote storage system using a network file system command
A method for performing a comparison between first and second points in time snapshots of a file system entity, the method may include: (I) receiving by a storage system a command that was sent from a host computer, the command is network file system protocol compliant, wherein the command comprises (i) an operation code, and (ii) information about a virtual path, the virtual path that comprises (ii.a) first fields that comprise snapshot comparison parameters indicative of the first and second points in time snapshots of the file system entity, and (ii.b) a second field of a content that indicates that the command is a request to compare between the first and second points in time snapshots of the file system entity; (II) identifying, by a file system application hosted by the storage system and in response to the content of the second field of the virtual path, the command as including a request to compare between the first and second points in time snapshots of the file system entity; (III) comparing by the file system application the first and second points in time snapshots of the file system entity to provide a comparison result that is network file system protocol compliant; and (IV) sending by the storage system the comparison result to the host computer.
1. A method for performing a comparison between first and second points in time snapshots of a file system entity, the method comprises:
receiving by a storage system a command that was sent from a host computer, the command is network file system protocol compliant, wherein the command comprises (i) an operation code, and (ii) information about a virtual path, the virtual path that comprises (ii.a) first fields that comprise snapshot comparison parameters indicative of the first and second points in time snapshots of the file system entity, and (ii.b) a second field of a content that indicates that the command is a request to compare between the first and second points in time snapshots of the file system entity;
identifying, by a file system application hosted by the storage system and in response to the content of the second field of the virtual path, the command as including a request to compare between the first and second points in time snapshots of the file system entity;
comparing by the file system application the first and second points in time snapshots of the file system entity to provide a comparison result that is network file system protocol compliant; and
sending by the storage system the comparison result to the host computer.
2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the network file protocol does not comprise a snapshot comparison operation code for requesting a comparison between different points in time snapshots of the file system entity.
3. The method according to claim 1 comprising ignoring the operation code of the command.
4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the comparison result embeds a text file.
5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the file system entity is the file system.
6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the file system entity is a directory of the file system.
7. The method according to claim 1 comprising receiving by the storage system multiple commands that were sent from the host computer, each of the multiple commands is network file system protocol compliant, wherein each of the multiple commands comprises an operation code, and wherein the information about the virtual path is distributed between the multiple commands.
8. A non-transitory computer readable medium that stores instructions that once executed by the computer cause the computer of a storage system to execute the stages of:
receiving a command that was sent from a host computer to a storage system, the command is network file system protocol compliant, wherein command comprises (i) an operational code, and (ii) information about a virtual path that comprises (ii.a) first fields that comprise snapshot comparison parameters indicative of the first and second points in time snapshots of the file system entity, and (ii.b) a second field of a content that indicates that the command is a request to compare between the first and second points in time snapshots of the file system entity;
identifying, in response to the content of the second field of the virtual path, the command as including a request to compare between the first and second points in time snapshots of the file system entity;
comparing by the file system application the first and second points in time snapshots of the file system entity to provide a comparison result that is network file system protocol compliant; and
sending the comparison result to the user device.
9. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 8 wherein the network file protocol does not comprise a snapshot comparison operation code for requesting a comparison between different points in time snapshots of the file system entity.
10. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 8 that stores instructions for ignoring the operation code of the command.
11. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 8 wherein the comparison result is embeds a text file.
12. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 8 wherein the file system entity is the file system.
13. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 8 wherein the file system entity is a directory of the file system.
14. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 8 that stores instructions for receiving by the storage system multiple commands that were sent from the host computer, each of the multiple commands is network file system protocol compliant, wherein each of the multiple commands comprises an operation code, and wherein the information about the virtual path is distributed between the multiple commands.
15. A storage system that comprises:
a file system interface that is arranged to receive a command that was sent from a host computer to a storage system, the command is network file system protocol compliant, wherein command comprises (i) an operational code, and (ii) information about a virtual path that comprises (ii.a) first fields that comprise snapshot comparison parameters indicative of the first and second points in time snapshots of the file system entity, and (ii.b) a second field of a content that indicates that the command is a request to compare between the first and second points in time snapshots of the file system entity; and
a computer that is arranged to:
identify, in response to the content of the second field of the virtual path, the command as including a request to compare between the first and second points in time snapshots of the file system entity;
compare the first and second points in time snapshots of the file system entity to provide a comparison result that is network file system protocol compliant; and
wherein the file system interface is further arranged to send the comparison result to the user device.
16. The storage system according to claim 15 wherein the network file protocol does not comprise a snapshot comparison operation code for requesting a comparison between different points in time snapshots of the file system entity.
17. The storage system according to claim 15 that stores instructions for ignoring the operation code of the command.
18. The storage system according to claim 15 wherein the comparison result embeds a text file.
19. The storage system according to claim 15 wherein the file system entity is the file system.
20. The storage system according to claim 15 wherein the file system entity is a directory of the file system.
21. The storage system according to claim 15 wherein the file system interface may be arranged to receive multiple commands that were sent from the host computer, each of the multiple commands is network file system protocol compliant, wherein each of the multiple commands comprises an operation code, and wherein the information about the virtual path is distributed between the multiple commands.