Patent ID: 8095542

Claim:
A method, implemented in a computer system, of accessing a file content unit stored on a content addressable storage system, comprising: receiving a request to access the file content unit, wherein the request provides the logical identifier for the file content unit, wherein the logical identifier is a file system location in a file system; accessing a first content unit corresponding to a directory of the file system in a directory path containing the file content unit, wherein the first content unit is different from the file content unit; reading metadata stored in the first content unit; determining a content address of the file content unit using the first content unit, wherein determining the content address of the file content unit includes using the metadata stored in the first content unit to map to a content address of at least one other content unit, that is different from the first content unit and the file content unit, and using additional information correlating the content address of the file content unit with information indicating where the file content unit is logically stored as a logical unit identified by the logical identifier, wherein the content address of the file content unit is computed, at least in part, from at least a portion of content of the file content unit, wherein the metadata in the first content unit identifies the at least one other content address for the at least one other content unit, and wherein the at least one other content address is computed, at least in part, from at least a portion of content of the at least one other content unit; and accessing the file content unit via the content address of the file content unit.