File System Metadata Capture and Restore

摘要

Example apparatus and methods create and maintain a functional mirror of file system metadata for an active file system. The functional mirror may be implemented as a set of database tables that allow a journal functionality for information received from the active file system. Example apparatus and methods also restore the file system metadata from the functional mirror. Mirror creation and maintenance can operate in parallel. Mirror maintenance and metadata restore can also operate in parallel. The functional mirror may be created primarily using a systematic, system-wide, multi-threaded crawler approach whose results are updated using an event-driven approach that accounts for changes that may make obsolete information acquired during the crawler approach. The metadata may be restored using a systematic, system-wide, multi-threaded crawler approach acting together with an event-driven approach that restores certain files out of order as they are needed.

主权项

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:
systematically locating inodes in an active file system and placing inbound scanner data associated with a located inode in a metadata update data store; detecting events that change inodes in the active file system and placing inbound transaction data concerning a changed inode or the event that changed the changed inode in the metadata update data store; selectively updating a metadata dump data store from the metadata update data store as a function of the inbound scanner data; and selectively updating the metadata dump data store from the metadata update data store as a function of the inbound transaction data, where locating inodes, detecting events, and selectively updating the metadata dump data store operate at least partially in parallel to populate the metadata dump data store with metadata sufficient to restore the metadata of the active file system.