Patent ID: 7512673
Filing Date: 2009-03-31
Classification: G06F,H04L,H04W

Abstract:
1. A method of processing a user request to perform an operation on a user file, comprising: receiving one or more user requests to perform a specified operation on a specified user file; selecting, from among a group of rules, a rule applicable to the specified user file; each rule in the group of rules including at least one parameter specifying, for files to which the rule is applicable, how to distribute storage of portions of each such file over a plurality of the file servers in a group of file servers; and performing the specified operation in accordance with the selected rule, including, when the specified operation changes the size of the specified user file, sending commands to a plurality of the file servers so as to continue to distribute storage of the specified user file in accordance with the selected rule including commands to add one or more file portions to the user file if the specified operation increases the size of the specified user file by more than a predetermined amount; wherein the rules in the group of rules are ordered, and each rule in the group of rules has an associated range of files to which the rule is applicable, wherein the range of files for a particular rule in the group of rules is specified by a specification selected from the group consisting essentially of A) files not falling within the range of any higher order rule and having a file path matching a specified file path, B) files not falling within the range of any higher order rule and comprising a file of a specified file type, C) files not falling within the range of any higher order rule and having a specified owner.