Patent ID: 8909885

Claim:
A method for providing a structure of a file system stored on a plurality of storage devices executing on a storage system, the file system capable of generating snapshots and providing fast sequential read access to a data container stored on the storage devices, the method comprising: arranging sequential portions of the data container into a plurality of regions on the storage devices, each region including a predetermined amount of storage space represented by blocks on the storage devices; organizing the plurality of regions as a plurality of active regions, each active region allocated for a different sequential portion of the data container and configured to store active file system data and snapshot data for the different sequential portion of the data container, wherein first blocks in a portion of the active region are marked as one of active for use in an active file system, for use in one or more snapshots, and free; and if an active block is marked as for use in the one or more snapshots, preserving the active block within the active region without overwriting the active block with new active data, and writing the new active data to free space within the active region.