Augmenting virtual directories

摘要

A method, article of manufacture, and apparatus for linking data. In some embodiments, this includes creating a virtual directory in a first server, creating a symbolic link for an object in the virtual directory, and storing the symbolic link in the first server. In some embodiments, the symbolic link is unknown to a client until the client requests access to the object.

主权项

1. A method for linking data, comprising:
receiving, at a first server, a request for a virtual machine disk file from a client, wherein the first server including a repository of virtual machine disks and file stub having file level junction information indicating corresponding locations to remote virtual machine disks residing on multiple additional servers, wherein the requested virtual machine disk file being at least one of the remote virtual machine disks; receiving, by the first server, a determination from a network database that the requested virtual machine disk file is stored on one or more of the multiple additional servers in response to the request, wherein the network database including location information of the virtual machine disks on the first server and the remote virtual machine disks on the multiple additional servers; creating, in a virtual directory on the first server, a symbolic link to the requested virtual machine disk file in response to the request and determination, wherein the symbolic link comprises a file level referral created using the file stub, wherein the virtual directory includes a plurality of containers each representing a directory level junction storing respective virtual machine disks in the repository; storing, by the first server, the symbolic link in the repository; accessing, by the first server, the virtual directory using the symbolic link to determine locations of different portions of the requested virtual machine disk file in response to the client request to access the requested virtual machine disk file; and transmitting, by the first server, the different portions of the virtual machine disk file to the client from the one or more of the multiple additional servers using the determined locations in response to the client request to access.