IP Library Granted Patent US 11,232,072
Granted Patent B2
US 11,232,072 · App. 16/693,510 · Granted Jan 25, 2022

Method and apparatus for file system

Inventors: Jia Zhai (Beijing, CN); Yingchao Zhou (Beijing, CN); Wengang Wang (Beijing, CN); Jun Guo (Beijing, CN); Sen Zhang (Beijing, CN)
Assignee: EMC IP Holding Company LLC
G06F16/1727G06F3/0608G06F3/0665G06F3/0683
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,232,072
App. No.
16/693,510
Granted
Jan 25, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for a file system, the file system comprising at least a first logical storage area and a second logical storage area, a logical block of the first logical storage area and that of the second logical storage area being different in size, and in response to a request for creating a file, selecting a logical storage area for storing the file from the at least first logical storage area and second logical storage area; and storing the file in the selected logical storage area. According to the above various embodiments of the present invention, a direct and effective way may be used to support variable-length block size in a file system, without increasing metadata and positioning overheads.

Claims (27)

1. A method for managing a file system, the method comprising:

providing a file system that includes (i) a first logical storage area having a first logical block size and (ii) a second logical storage area having a second logical block size different from the first logical block size;

in response to a request to create a file, selecting one of the first logical storage area and the second logical storage area for storing the file;

storing the logical block size of the selected logical storage area in metadata associated with the file; and

storing the file in the selected logical storage area, including identifying a location for storing the file in the selected logical storage area, allocating a physical storage block with a corresponding size from a physical storage pool, writing contents of the file into the physical storage block, and storing, in a super block of the file system, a mapping table for recording a relationship between the logical storage area and the physical storage block.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein storing the logical block size of the selected logical storage area includes storing the logical block size for the entire file, including all logical blocks of the file.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the metadata associated with the file includes an inode associated with the file, and wherein storing the logical block size of the selected logical storage area in the metadata associated with the file includes storing the logical block size in the inode.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein selecting the logical storage area is based on a set of pre-defined parameters.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the set of pre-defined parameters includes a file type and/or a file size.

6. An apparatus for managing a file system, the apparatus including a processor constructed and arranged to:

provide a file system that includes (i) a first logical storage area having a first logical block size and (ii) a second logical storage area having a second logical block size different from the first logical block size;

in response to a request to create a file, select one of the first logical storage area and the second logical storage area for storing the file;

store the logical block size of the selected logical storage area in metadata associated with the file; and

store the file in the selected logical storage area, the processor further constructed and arranged to (i) identify a location for storing the file in the selected logical storage area, (ii) allocate a physical storage block with a corresponding size from a physical storage pool, (iii) write contents of the file into the physical storage block, and (iv) store, in a super block of the file system, a mapping table for recording a relationship between the logical storage area and the physical storage block.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the processor constructed and arranged to store the logical block size is further constructed and arranged to store the logical block size for the entire file, including all logical blocks of the file.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the metadata associated with the file includes an inode associated with the file, and wherein the processor constructed and arranged to store the logical block size of the selected logical storage area in the metadata associated with the file is further constructed and arranged to store the logical block size in the inode.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein selection of the logical storage area is based on a set of pre-defined parameters.

10. A computer program product including a set of non-transitory, computer-readable media having instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method of managing a file system, the method comprising:

providing a file system that includes (i) a first logical storage area having a first logical block size and (ii) a second logical storage area having a second logical block size different from the first logical block size;

in response to a request to create a file, selecting one of the first logical storage area and the second logical storage area for storing the file;

storing the logical block size of the selected logical storage area in metadata associated with the file; and

storing the file in the selected logical storage area, including identifying a location for storing the file in the selected logical storage area, allocating a physical storage block with a corresponding size from a physical storage pool, writing contents of the file into the physical storage block, and storing, in a super block of the file system, a mapping table for recording a relationship between the logical storage area and the physical storage block.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 , wherein storing the logical block size of the selected logical storage area includes storing the logical block size for the entire file, including all logical blocks of the file.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the metadata associated with the file includes an inode associated with the file.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein selecting the logical storage area is based on a set of pre-defined parameters.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the set of pre-defined parameters includes a file type and/or a file size.

15. The computer program product of claim 10 , wherein the metadata associated with the file includes an inode associated with the file, and wherein storing the logical block size of the selected logical storage area in the metadata associated with the file includes storing the logical block size in the inode.

Assignments (10)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053311/0169) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 060438/0742 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (052216/0758) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 060438/0680 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053546/0001) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING L.P. (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.); DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC. AND WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 071642/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AF REEL 052243 FRAME 0773 Recorded Nov 2, 2021
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 058001/0152 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 5, 2020
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 053311/0169 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 4, 2020
From: EMC CORPORATION
To: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 052840/0001 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 22, 2020
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053546/0001 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Mar 26, 2020
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
Reel/Frame 052243/0773 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (NOTES) Recorded Mar 24, 2020
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 052216/0758 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 10, 2020
From: ZHAI, JIA; ZHOU, YINGCHAO; WANG, WENGANG; GUO, JUN; ZHANG, SEN
To: EMC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 052068/0473 →