Patent ID: 7395389
Filing Date: 2008-07-01
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. At a computer system including a first volume and one or more other volumes, the storage capacity of the first volume and a portion of at least one of the one or more other volumes logically combined, the logically combined storage capacity represented to applications at the computer system as the storage capacity of the first volume, access to the logically combined storage capacity being facilitated through reference to the first volume, a method for performing a file operation, the method comprising: an act of receiving a file operation command from an application, the file operation command indicating that a file operation is to be performed on a file perceived by the application to stored on the first volume; an act of accessing a file table entry for the file from a file table stored on the first volume, the file table entry including file metadata with links to a plurality of shadow copies of the file on a corresponding plurality of volumes respectively, the plurality of shadow copies including a shadow copy designated as the master shadow copy and one or more other shadow copies designated as secondary shadow copies; an act of accessing the master shadow copy and the one or more secondary shadow copies from corresponding appropriate volumes; an act of performing the file operation on at least one shadow copy; and an act of indicating to the application that the file operation was performed on the file perceived to be stored on the first volume.