Patent ID: 7599941

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of managing client requests to a file system distributed among a plurality of storage servers each including a processor, the method comprising: initiating a client session for a client request for accessing one or more files in the file system by connecting to a virtual IP address associated with a master server of the plurality of storage servers, the master server elected by the plurality of storage servers to advertise the virtual IP address; generating a client to storage server binding decision based on file system to storage server mappings, statistics of a statistics database of the master server, the statistics collected by the plurality of storage servers and grouped into categories including server statistics relating to server load statistics, client statistics relating to client information, and storage statistics relating to file system and input/output (IO) configuration statistics, network parameters associated with the client, and a type of file system being accessed; redirecting the client session to one of the plurality of storage servers based on the generated binding decision and without modification of client network file protocols used by the client, including achieving the client session redirection for a network file system (NFS) providing NFS access by manufacturing an appropriate symbolic link and forcing the client's automounter to establish a connection to the selected storage server, for a common internet file system (CIFS) providing CIFS access by masquerading as a distributed file system (DFS) root server and returning a DFS junction redirect forcing the client to establish a connection to the selected storage server, and for a hypertext transfer protocol providing HTTP access by returning an HTTP redirect forcing the client to establish a connection to the selected storage server.