Patent ID: 8620970
Filing Date: 2013-12-31
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method for converting a first filesystem in a network storage server to a second filesystem, the method comprising: generating, in response to an upgrade or revert command from a transformer module to convert a requested portion of the first filesystem, a new logical data structure representing a new logical organization of physical storage resources of the network storage server for the second filesystem in free space of an original logical data structure representing an original logical organization of the physical storage resources associated with the first filesystem in the network storage server, the first filesystem and second filesystem each including a set of procedures by which the network storage server can manage data storage, the second filesystem storing and managing units of user data in data blocks that are a smallest unit of user data that can be independently manipulated by the second filesystem, the original logical data structure formatted according to a first format corresponding to the first filesystem, the new logical data structure formatted according to a second format corresponding to the second filesystem; determining the data block size of the first filesystem and the data block size of the second filesystem, wherein the second format corresponding to the second filesystem has a data block size that is larger than a data block size of the first format corresponding to the first filesystem, or has a data block size that is not an exact multiple of the data block size of the first format, or both; in response to determining the data block size of the second filesystem is an exact multiple of the data block size of the first filesystem, adjusting the storage of the data block of the first system into a compatible multiple of data blocks of the second filesystem; in response to determining the data block size of the second filesystem is not an exact multiple of the data block size of the first filesystem, copying data from the first filesystem space to the second filesystem; and incorporating data from the original logical data structure into the new logical data structure in the second format to convert the first filesystem to the second filesystem, wherein the second filesystem is of a different filesystem version or filesystem type from the first filesystem, and wherein the second filesystem is available to serve data requests during the incorporating.