Patent ID: 8195760

Claim:
A method for managing files by a file switch in a file storage system, each file associated with a file type, the method comprising: aggregating, by the file switch, a plurality of storage volumes including at least one native mode volume and at least one extended mode volume into a global namespace; allowing, by the file switch, client access to files in the at least one native mode volume indirectly via the aggregated global namespace; maintaining, by the file switch, a set of rules for storing files in a plurality of file servers including at least a metadata server and a storage server, the rules defining at least one file type to be stored in the metadata server; and storing, by the file switch, a file based at least in part on the file type associated with the file according to the set of rules, whereby the file is stored in the metadata server only if the file type associated with the file is a file type to be stored in the metadata server.