Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090327303 | INTELLIGENT ALLOCATION OF FILE SERVER RESOURCES - A solution provides an efficient process for a user to complete operations within a file server system. A user's future requests, such as reading or writing files, are predicted based on previous operations. An effective amount of a file server's resources are allocated to accommodate the predicted future requests, thereby reducing the amount of required system time for performing operations corresponding to a file server memory. | 12-31-2009 |
20090327360 | EFFICIENT FILE MANAGEMENT THROUGH GRANULAR OPPORTUNISTIC LOCKING - Improved methods and systems for granular opportunistic locking mechanisms (oplocks) are provided for increasing file caching efficiency. Oplocks can be specified with a combination of three possible granular caching intentions: read, write, and/or handle. An oplock can be specified with an identifier that indicates a client/specific caller to avoid breaking the original oplock due to an incompatibility from other requests of the same client. An atomic oplock flag is added to create operations that allow callers to request an atomic open with an oplock with a given file. | 12-31-2009 |
20100185704 | CLIENT-BASED CACHING OF REMOTE FILES - A lease system is described herein that allows clients to request a lease to a remote file, wherein the lease permits access to the file across multiple applications using multiple handles without extra round trips to a server. When multiple applications on the same client (or multiple components of the same application) request access to the same file, the client specifies the same lease identifier to the server for each open request or may handle the request from the cache based on the existing lease. Because the server identifies the client's cache at the client level rather than the individual file request level, the client receives fewer break notifications and is able to cache remote files in more circumstances. Thus, by providing the ability to cache data in more circumstances common with modern applications, the lease system reduces bandwidth, improves server scalability, and provides faster access to data. | 07-22-2010 |
20120102272 | EFFICIENT FILE MANAGEMENT THROUGH GRANULAR OPPORTUNISTIC LOCKING - Improved methods and systems for granular opportunistic locking mechanisms (oplocks) are provided for increasing file caching efficiency. Oplocks can be specified with a combination of three possible granular caching intentions: read, write, and/or handle. An oplock can be specified with an identifier that indicates a client/specific caller to avoid breaking the original oplock due to an incompatibility from other requests of the same client. An atomic oplock flag is added to create operations that allow callers to request an atomic open with an oplock with a given file. | 04-26-2012 |
20120143999 | CLIENT-BASED CACHING OF REMOTE FILES - A lease system is described herein that allows clients to request a lease to a remote file, wherein the lease permits access to the file across multiple applications using multiple handles without extra round trips to a server. When multiple applications on the same client (or multiple components of the same application) request access to the same file, the client specifies the same lease identifier to the server for each open request or may handle the request from the cache based on the existing lease. Because the server identifies the client's cache at the client level rather than the individual file request level, the client receives fewer break notifications and is able to cache remote files in more circumstances. Thus, by providing the ability to cache data in more circumstances common with modern applications, the lease system reduces bandwidth, improves server scalability, and provides faster access to data. | 06-07-2012 |
20120144019 | MULTICHANNEL CONNECTIONS IN FILE SYSTEM SESSIONS - A multi-connection information system is described herein that uses multiple connections to connect to a resource in a single file system session in a way that is controllable from protocols above a transport layer. The system also allows a single connection to be shared by multiple sessions. Sessions can be bound to multiple connections to enable communication over multiple transports. During the initial negotiation of a session, a client and a server determine whether multiple connections are supported between the client and the server within a session. After establishing an initial connection, additional connections can be established and bound to the existing session. The multiple connections can be used for failover and/or load balancing. The multi-connection information system provides a protocol for discovering a capability to establish multiple channels within a session and information about the available connections between two particular resources. | 06-07-2012 |
20120151249 | PROVIDING TRANSPARENT FAILOVER IN A FILE SYSTEM - A connection state system is described herein that allows a client to resume a connection with a server or a different replacement server by remotely storing client state information in association with a resume key. The system provides a resume key filter operating at the server that facilitates the storing of volatile server state information. The state information can include information such as oplocks, leases granted to a client, and in-flight operations on a file handle. The resume key filter driver sits above the file system, which allows multiple file access protocols to use the filter. Upon a failover event, such as a server going down or losing connectivity to a client, the system can bring up another server or the same server and reestablish state for file handles held by various clients using the resume key filter. | 06-14-2012 |
20120254396 | PROVIDING A WITNESS SERVICE - Described are embodiments directed at providing a witness service that sends notifications with a resource state to clients. Embodiments provide a protocol that includes various messages for registering and receiving notifications regarding the state of a resource. The protocol may include a message for requesting node information from a first node in a cluster. The node information identifies nodes in the cluster that provide a witness service, which monitors a resource. The protocol includes a message that is used to register with the witness service for notifications regarding a state, or state change, of a network or cluster resource. The protocol also includes messages for sending notifications with state information of the resource. | 10-04-2012 |
20130007518 | TRANSPARENT FAILOVER - Described are embodiments directed at persistent handles that are used to retain state across network failures and server failovers. Persistent handles are requested by a client after a session has been established with a file server. The request for the persistent handle includes a handle identifier generated by the client. The server uses the handle identifier to associate with state information. When there is a network failure or a server failover, and a reconnection to the client, the handle identifier is used to identify replayed requests that if replayed would create an inconsistent state on the server. The replayed requests are then appropriately handled. | 01-03-2013 |
20130066941 | CLUSTERED CLIENT FAILOVER - An application instance identifier is employed with various systems and methods in order to provide a requestor with continuous access to a resource when operating in a client clustered environment. A requestor residing on a first client in may attempt to access a resource. The first client sends a request to access the resource. The request may be associated with an application instance identifier that identifiers the requestor. At some point, the first client fails and the requestor is associated with a second client via a failover mechanism. The second client sends a second request to access the resource on behalf of the requestor. The second request is associated with the requestor's application instance identifier. The application instance identifier is used to identify the second request as belonging to the same requestor as the first request, thereby granting the second request to access the resource while avoiding a conflict situation. | 03-14-2013 |
20130067095 | SMB2 SCALEOUT - Systems and methods are disclosed for clients and servers operating in a scaled cluster environment. Efficiencies are introduced to the process of connecting a client to a clustered environment by providing the client with the ability to attempt a connection with multiple servers in parallel. Servers operating the in the clustered environment are also capable of providing persistent storage of file handles and other state information. Ownership of the state information and persistent handles may be transferred between servers, thereby providing clients with the opportunity to move from one server to another while maintaining access to resources in the clustered environment. | 03-14-2013 |
20130254272 | CLIENT-BASED CACHING OF REMOTE FILES - A lease system is described herein that allows clients to request a lease to a remote file, wherein the lease permits access to the file across multiple applications using multiple handles without extra round trips to a server. When multiple applications on the same client (or multiple components of the same application) request access to the same file, the client specifies the same lease identifier to the server for each open request or may handle the request from the cache based on the existing lease. Because the server identifies the client's cache at the client level rather than the individual file request level, the client receives fewer break notifications and is able to cache remote files in more circumstances. Thus, by providing the ability to cache data in more circumstances common with modern applications, the lease system reduces bandwidth, improves server scalability, and provides faster access to data. | 09-26-2013 |
20130254492 | ACCESS REQUESTS WITH CACHE INTENTIONS - A lease system is described herein that allows clients to request a lease to a remote file, wherein the lease permits access to the file across multiple applications using multiple handles without extra round trips to a server. When multiple applications on the same client (or multiple components of the same application) request access to the same file, the client specifies the same lease identifier to the server for each open request or may handle the request from the cache based on the existing lease. Because the server identifies the client's cache at the client level rather than the individual file request level, the client receives fewer break notifications and is able to cache remote files in more circumstances. Thus, by providing the ability to cache data in more circumstances common with modern applications, the lease system reduces bandwidth, improves server scalability, and provides faster access to data. | 09-26-2013 |
20130304821 | PROVIDING A WITNESS SERVICE - Described are embodiments directed at providing a witness service that sends notifications with a resource state to clients. Embodiments provide a protocol that includes various messages for registering and receiving notifications regarding the state of a resource. The protocol may include a message for requesting node information from a first node in a cluster. The node information identifies nodes in the cluster that provide a witness service, which monitors a resource. The protocol includes a message that is used to register with the witness service for notifications regarding a state, or state change, of a network or cluster resource. The protocol also includes messages for sending notifications with state information of the resource. | 11-14-2013 |
20140244688 | ACCESS REQUESTS WITH CACHE INTENTIONS - A lease system is described herein that allows clients to request a lease to a remote file, wherein the lease permits access to the file across multiple applications using multiple handles without extra round trips to a server. When multiple applications on the same client (or multiple components of the same application) request access to the same file, the client specifies the same lease identifier to the server for each open request or may handle the request from the cache based on the existing lease. Because the server identifies the client's cache at the client level rather than the individual file request level, the client receives fewer break notifications and is able to cache remote files in more circumstances. Thus, by providing the ability to cache data in more circumstances common with modern applications, the lease system reduces bandwidth, improves server scalability, and provides faster access to data. | 08-28-2014 |
20140372521 | TRANSPARENT FAILOVER - Described are embodiments directed at persistent handles that are used to retain state across network failures and server failovers. Persistent handles are requested by a client after a session has been established with a file server. The request for the persistent handle includes a handle identifier generated by the client. The server uses the handle identifier to associate with state information. When there is a network failure or a server failover, and a reconnection to the client, the handle identifier is used to identify replayed requests that if replayed would create an inconsistent state on the server. The replayed requests are then appropriately handled. | 12-18-2014 |