FILE SYSTEM PRIMITIVE PROVIDING NATIVE FILE SYSTEM SUPPORT FOR REMOTE STORAGE

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system using a hierarchy of storage devices from first local disks to archival off-line storage in order to decrease the overall cost of storing large amounts of data. SOLUTION: The storage devices may be managed in a hierarchy where data that is accessed only infrequently can be moved to an archival storage. This application relies on a tight integration of a hierarchical storage manager into the I/O system so that remotely stored attributes can be identified and tracked internally to the I/O system just like any other attributes. Implementations of the application may relay on a layered driver model where lower level drivers detect the existence of files with remotely stored attributes and then transfer control for processing I/O requests involving files with remotely stored attributes to higher level drivers. The higher level drivers then assume control to finish processing the I/O request. COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT