Patent ID: 6453354
Filing Date: 2002-09-17
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
In a network file server system having at least a first data mover computer coupled to a data network for servicing data access requests from at least one network client, and at least a second data mover computer coupled to the first data mover computer for servicing data access requests from the first data mover computer, at least one file system in data storage being accessible to the second data mover computer, a method of operating the first data mover computer to use a connection-oriented protocol for maintaining a connection with the client for permitting the client to access the file system, said method comprising:the first data mover computer using the connection-oriented protocol to obtain client context information and to respond to a session setup request from the client by authenticating the client, and then the first data mover computer responding to a file system connection request from the client by forwarding the client context information and the file system connection request to the second data mover computer, and then the first data mover computer maintaining a connection between the first data mover computer and the second data mover computer when the client accesses the file system and the first data mover computer passes file access requests from the client to the second data mover computer and returns responses to the file access requests from the second data mover computer to the client; wherein each of the session setup request, the file system connection request, and the file access requests is a respective separate request from the client to the first data mover computer.