VIRTUAL DISK STORAGE TECHNIQUES

摘要

This document describes techniques for storing virtual disk payload data. In an exemplary configuration, each virtual disk extent can be associated with state information that indicates whether the virtual disk extent is described by a virtual disk file. Under certain conditions the space used to describe a virtual disk extent can be reclaimed and state information can be used to determine how read and/or write operations directed to the virtual disk extent are handled. In addition to the foregoing, other techniques are described in the claims, figures, and detailed description of this document.

主权项

1. A computer-readable storage medium including instructions that upon execution by a processor cause the processor to:
instantiate a virtual disk including a virtual disk extent, the virtual disk extent being dissociated from a virtual disk file; allocate, based on state information associated with the virtual disk, a section of the virtual disk file to describe the virtual disk extent without overwriting a preexisting bit pattern within the section of the virtual disk file; and modify the state information associated with the virtual disk extent to indicate that the virtual disk extent is described by the virtual disk file.