Electrical computers and digital processing systems: memory – Storage accessing and control – Specific memory composition
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-07
2003-12-30
Kim, Matthew (Department: 2186)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: memory
Storage accessing and control
Specific memory composition
C709S229000, C709S245000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06671773
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is related to file system requests. More specifically, the present invention is related to file system requests that are routed based on their file IDs in a system that has a plurality of network elements and disk elements that together appear as a single system that can respond to any request.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many uses exist for scaling servers so that an individual server can provide nearly unbounded space and performance. The present invention implements a very scalable network data server.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to a system for responding to file system requests having file IDs comprising V, a volume identifier specifying the file system being accessed, and R, an integer, specifying the file within the file system being accessed. The system comprises D disk elements in which files are stored, where D is greater than or equal to 1 and is an integer. The system comprises a switching fabric connected to the D disk elements to route requests to a corresponding disk element. The system comprises N network elements connected to the switching fabric. Each network element has a mapping function that for every value of V, specifies one or more elements from the set D that store the data specified by volume V, where N is greater than or equal to 1 and is an integer and N+D is greater than or equal to 3, which receives the requests and causes the switching fabric to route the requests by their file ID according to the mapping function.
The present invention pertains to a method for responding to file system requests. The method comprises the steps of receiving file system requests having file IDs comprising V, a volume identifier specifying the file system being accessed, and R, an integer, specifying the file within the file system being accessed at network elements. Each network element has a mapping function that, for every value of V, specifies one or more elements from the set D that store the data specified by volume V. Then there is the step of routing the requests to a switching fabric connected to the network elements based on the file system request's ID according to the mapping function to disk elements connected to the switching fabric.
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Bianchini, Jr. Ronald P.
Gohh Fred
Kazar Michael L.
Nydick Daniel S.
Sanzi, Jr. Richard N.
Choi Woo H.
Kim Matthew
Schwartz Ansel M.
Spinnaker Networks, LLC
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