Patent ID: 7987166

Claim:
A computer-implemented method comprising: renaming a data file of a computer system while permitting lock-free look-ups to the data file by utilizing a temporary record to which look-ups to the data file resolve while the data file is being renamed; looking up the data file in a lock free-manner while the data file is being atomically renamed, by, while traversing records of a containing construct of a record for the data file to locate the record for the data file: where a number of the records of the containing construct traversed so far exceeds a predetermined maximum number of records, reverting to a locking process to look up the data file; where a currently traversed record of the containing construct has already been traversed, returning failure of the look-up of the data file; where a currently traversed record of the containing construct does not match the data file, continuing traversal of the records of the containing construct; where a currently traversed record of the containing construct matches the data file and is a temporary record for the data file, waiting until the temporary record has been removed and restarting look-up of the data file; and, where a currently traversed record of the containing construct matches the data file and is the record for the data file, returning the record such that look-up of the data file has succeeded.