Abstract: An example file server manager disclosed herein receives a registration for a distributed file server, where the distributed file server is hosted in a virtualization environment and includes a cluster of file server virtual machines configured to provide access to a file system. The file server manager further synchronizes metadata with the distributed file server, the metadata including identification of each of the file server virtual machines of the cluster of file server virtual machines, the metadata including information regarding the file system and receiving a management request for the distributed file server. The file server manager further formats the management request for the virtualization environment based on the metadata and utilizing information from the registration to access the distributed file server with the formatted management request.

Abstract: Examples of systems described herein may manage durable handles for seamless failover. Durable handles may be stored in a persistent volume group. The persistent volume group may be moved, together with all or a portion of file share data, to another computing node responsive to an indication of a failure event. To accommodate asynchronous write shares, asynchronous write operations may also be provided to the target computing node. The asynchronous write operations may be processed before reconnecting clients to the file share.

Abstract: Examples described herein are generally directed towards generating, allocating, and assigning consistent file server user identifiers (IDs) (also described herein as a global identifier (GID)) domains subscribed to by file server(s) within a distributed file server environment. In operation, a virtualized file server of a distributed file server system may scan for and identify a trusted domain subscribed to by the virtualized file server. The virtualized file server may allocate to the trusted domain a range of file server user IDs. The virtualized file server may store a mapping between local user security identifiers (SIDs) in the trusted domain and a respective file server user IDs within the allocated range. The virtualized file server may provide the mapping to a replication target, such as during a replication, migration, and/or a disaster recovery event.

Abstract: Examples described herein are generally directed towards file server access controls, and more specifically towards a mechanism to create consistent access control lists for local users across different file servers in a distributed file server environment. In operation, a local user system SID (e.g., external SID) may be generated for a first user of a first file server. A global ID based on attributes associated with the user of the first file server may also be generated. The global ID for the user may be stored in metadata associated with an access control list (ACL) for a file accessible through the first file server. Data, including the file may be migrated to a second file server. Based on receiving an access request at the second file server associated with the user based on the external ID, the external ID for the user may be translated into the global ID, and used to determine access to the file.

Abstract: A replication policy management and scheduling technique of a Files service is configured for deployment in multi-site data replication environments. The technique involves policy management for data distribution and/or data consolidation (concentration) where multiple sources, e.g., file system (FS) clusters or sites, replicate the data to a central target FS site, e.g., in a spoke and hub arrangement typical of remote office/branch office environments. The technique also involves creation and configuration of a main replication policy by a customer at a central resource manager configured to interact and manage the FS sites, each of which includes one or more file server virtual machines.

Abstract: A replication policy management and scheduling technique of a Files service is configured for deployment in multi-site data replication environments. The technique involves policy management for data distribution and/or data consolidation (concentration) where multiple sources, e.g., file system (FS) clusters or sites, replicate the data to a central target FS site, e.g., in a spoke and hub arrangement typical of remote office/branch office environments. The technique also involves creation and configuration of a main replication policy by a customer at a central resource manager configured to interact and manage the FS sites, each of which includes one or more file server virtual machines.

Abstract: An elastic request handling technique limits a number of threads used to service input/output (I/O) requests of a low-latency I/O workload received by a file system server executing on a cluster having a plurality of nodes deployed in a virtualization environment. The limited number of threads (server threads) is constantly maintained as “active” and running on virtual central processing units (vCPUs) of a node. The file system server spawns and organizes the active server threads as one or more pools of threads. The server prioritizes the low-latency I/O requests by loading them onto the active threads and allowing the requests to run on those active threads to completion, thereby obviating overhead associated with lock contention and vCPU migration after a context switch (i.e., to avoid rescheduling a thread on a different vCPU after execution of the thread was suspended).

Abstract: Examples of a virtualized file server that persistently stores file system event data records are described. The virtualized file server may include an audit framework with a connector publisher that is configured to publish the event data records and other information for consumption by other services using a message system. The event data records may include data related to various operations on the file system executed by the VFS. The VFS may persistently store event data records according to a data retention policy and/or until an event data record is consumed by one or more particular services.

Abstract: An example file server manager updates a selected share of a destination distributed file server based on a snapshot of at least a portion of a selected share of a source distributed file server. The selected share of the destination distributed file server is updated while the source distributed file server serves client requests for storage items of the selected share of the source distributed file server. The file server manager receives a request to failover from the source distributed file server to the destination distributed file server and configures the destination distributed file server to service read and write requests for storage items of the selected share of the destination distributed file server. The file server manager further redirects client requests for storage items of the selected share of the source distributed file server to the destination distributed file server by updating active directory information.

Abstract: Examples described herein are generally directed towards file server access controls, and more specifically towards a mechanism to create consistent access control lists for local users across different file servers in a distributed file server environment. In operation, a local user system SID (e.g., external SID) may be generated for a first user of a first file server. A global ID based on attributes associated with the user of the first file server may also be generated. The global ID for the user may be stored in metadata associated with an access control list (ACL) for a file accessible through the first file server. Data, including the file may be migrated to a second file server. Based on receiving an access request at the second file server associated with the user based on the external ID, the external ID for the user may be translated into the global ID, and used to determine access to the file.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to scope-based lock management for shared resources of a distributed computing system. A scope-based lock manager may grant a request for a lock of a shared resource of the distributed computing system, where the lock request includes a scope of the lock and a target having the scope. The target may define entities able to access the shared resource when locked. The scope and target of the lock are stored at a lock database including scopes and targets associated with additional locks of additional shared resources of the distributed computing system. The scope based lock manager may determine when a computing node of the distributed computing system has failed and remove the lock from the lock database responsive to a determination that the target of the lock is hosted on the computing node.

Abstract: An example file server manager disclosed herein receives a registration for a distributed file server, where the distributed file server is hosted in a virtualization environment and includes a cluster of file server virtual machines configured to provide access to a file system. The file server manager further synchronizes metadata with the distributed file server, the metadata including identification of each of the file server virtual machines of the cluster of file server virtual machines, the metadata including information regarding the file system and receiving a management request for the distributed file server. The file server manager further formats the management request for the virtualization environment based on the metadata and utilizing information from the registration to access the distributed file server with the formatted management request.

Abstract: A unified namespace technique provides coherent access to unstructured data across different data access protocols having different logical constructs that are stored and managed on a storage system. A control plane infrastructure operates in connection with storage services to provide support for a vast array of storage platforms including file servers of a file system and object storage servers of an object store. Metadata associated with a data access transaction is processed separately and natively by a protocol stack of a particular storage service according to a particular data access protocol. The processed metadata is stored native to the access protocol in a metadata store associated with the particular storage service and is made available to the protocol stacks of the other storage services. Processed metadata is made available to the protocol stacks via an event notification logging service implemented as a message bus.

Abstract: A file server manager disclosed herein accesses information regarding a selected share of a source distributed file server for replication, where the selected share stores at least a portion of a namespace of storage items and is hosted by a first file server virtual machine of the source distributed file server. The file server manager accesses a mapping between virtual machines of the source distributed file server and virtual machines of the destination distributed file server and replicates the selected share to a second file server virtual machine of the destination distributed file server based on the mapping. The file server manager directs a request to read a first storage item to the destination distributed file server and directs a request to write to a second storage item to the source distributed file server while the destination distributed file server services the request to read the first storage item.

Abstract: A unified namespace technique provides coherent access to unstructured data across different data access protocols having different logical constructs that are stored and managed on a storage system. A control plane infrastructure operates in connection with storage services to provide support for a vast array of storage platforms including file servers of a file system and object storage servers of an object store. Metadata associated with a data access transaction is processed separately and natively by a protocol stack of a particular storage service according to a particular data access protocol. The processed metadata is stored native to the access protocol in a metadata store associated with the particular storage service and is made available to the protocol stacks of the other storage services. Processed metadata is made available to the protocol stacks via an event notification logging service implemented as a message bus.

Abstract: A technique extends a file system infrastructure of a storage system to provide a custom namespace within a pathname of a logical construct configured to invoke semantically interpretative context as a command embedded in a data access protocol request issued by a client and directed to the logical construct served by the storage system, without alteration to the data access protocol. The extension includes a “plug-in” engine of a data access protocol server executing on a network protocol stack of the storage system. The engine operates to extract a pathname from the request to determine whether the custom namespace incorporating the command is present and directed to the logical construct. If so, the engine semantically interprets the command within a context of the custom namespace to essentially convert the command to one or more predefined operations directed to the logical construct. The storage system then performs the operations and returns the results to the client.

Abstract: Data analytics systems are described herein which may provide requests for file tiering to one or more file servers. The data analytics systems may receive metadata and/or event data from one or more file servers and may utilize the metadata and/or event data to select files for tiering. In some examples, files may be selected using a sliding window methodology. In some examples, files may be selected in part based on user behavior with the files in the file system. In some examples, file analytics systems may send requests to retry tiering operations which failed. The retry requests may be sent in a manner that is based on the error which caused the failure.

Abstract: Examples described herein include virtualized environments including a virtualized file server. Examples of file server virtual machine managers are described which may setup and/or configure file server virtual machines in accordance with a target number of connections and/or a target throughput for the virtualized file server. The virtualized file server may be scaled up, scaled down, scaled in, and/or scaled out.

Abstract: Examples described herein include virtualized environments including a virtualized file server. Examples of file server virtual machine managers are described which may setup and/or configure file server virtual machines in accordance with a target number of connections and/or a target throughput for the virtualized file server. The virtualized file server may be scaled up, scaled down, scaled in, and/or scaled out.

Abstract: An elastic request handling technique limits a number of threads used to service input/output (I/O) requests of a low-latency I/O workload received by a file system server executing on a cluster having a plurality of nodes deployed in a virtualization environment. The limited number of threads (server threads) is constantly maintained as “active” and running on virtual central processing units (vCPUs) of a node. The file system server spawns and organizes the active server threads as one or more pools of threads. The server prioritizes the low-latency I/O requests by loading them onto the active threads and allowing the requests to run on those active threads to completion, thereby obviating overhead associated with lock contention and vCPU migration after a context switch (i.e., to avoid rescheduling a thread on a different vCPU after execution of the thread was suspended).