Patent ID: 6697846
Filing Date: 2004-02-24
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
An improved file system of the type in which an application program on a client computer requests regular files, and in which a file server having a file server storage device responds to requests for file server regular files from the client computer by communicating file server regular files stored on the file server storage device to the client computer, the file server being capable of maintaining file attributes, consistency, and lock status of the file server regular files, wherein the improvement comprises:a) a network attached storage device in communication with the client computer and storing shared storage real-data; b) shared storage meta-data files stored on the file server storage device as file server regular files; and c) a software program operating on the client computer for responding to requests concerning shared storage regular files from the application program, the software program determining the physical location of the shared storage real-data on the network attached storage device by analyzing the shared storage meta-data files stored and communicated by the file server.