Patent ID: 7734733

Claim:
An apparatus comprising a memory, one or more network interfaces, one or more processors; and logic encoded in one or more computer readable media, the logic comprising computer executable instructions operative to cause the one or more processors to implement: a connection state machine operative to monitor connectivity to one or more remote file server cache nodes; maintain state indications of the connectivity to one or more remote file server cache nodes; a wide area file system module operative to emulate a file server to one or more client nodes; access, responsive to requests of the one or more client nodes, file objects and obtain corresponding leases from one or more remote file server cache nodes; store the file objects received from the one or more remote file server cache nodes in a local cache for access by the one or more client nodes; maintain a mapping of file objects stored in a local cache to corresponding remote file server cache nodes; forward requests for file system operations from the one or more client nodes to corresponding remote file server cache nodes; wherein the wide area file system module is further operative to: responsive to a loss of connectivity to a first remote file server cache node, perform file system operations requested by the one or more client nodes locally in the local cache; track the file system operations in one or more data structures; and responsive to regaining connectivity to the first remote file server cache node, synchronize the file system operations tracked in the one or more data structures with the first remote file server cache node.