Patent ID: 7676687
Filing Date: 2010-03-09
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method for limiting file access of a failed node in a multi-node computer system having one or more disk subsystems therein, the method comprising: in response to an indication of node failure, initiating a fencing operation to fence the failed node from a group of disks to which the failed node initially has access by sending, from a file system manager of the failed node, a fencing command to each of the one or more disk subsystems that includes therein at least one disk from the group of disks; if the fencing command fails to limit access by the failed node to each disk in the group of disks, sending the fencing command to another node in the multi-node computer system having access to at least one of the group of disks to which the failed node has not been prevented access; and if the fencing command sent to the another node still fails to limit access by the failed node to each disk in the group of disks, sending the fencing command to at least one or more additional nodes in the multi-node computer system having access to at least one of the group of disks to which the failed node has not been prevented access, until access by the failed node to all of the disks in the group of disks has been limited or until the fencing command has been sent to all nodes in the multi-node computer system.