Patent ID: 7194467
Filing Date: 2007-03-20
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method of accessing data contained in a file object that is at least partially stored in an object-based secure disk (OBD) in an object-based distributed data storage system, said method comprising: allowing one or more executable applications operating in said data storage system to access said data using a corresponding mutual-exclusion (mutex) lock only when each said executable application is performing a write operation on said data in said file object and so long as said file object is in a fault-free state, wherein each said mutex lock allows a corresponding executable application to access said file object simultaneously with one or more other executable applications; further allowing each said executable application to perform a read operation on said data without using a corresponding read lock so long as said file object is in said fault-free state; invalidating all read capabilities and write capabilities granted to said one or more executable applications to perform said read and write operations respectively when said file object transitions from said fault-free state into a degraded state; and requiring each said executable application to acquire a corresponding read lock or write lock over a corresponding byte range of said data in said file object when performing a respective read or write operation on said data in said file object so long as said file object is in said degraded state.