Abstract: A computer system, including a memory a file system for managing files, a file system virtual memory interface for providing an interface between said memory and said file system, comprising a primary abstraction component and three sub-components supporting said primary abstraction component in said file system, wherein said primary abstraction component abstracts said memory for said file system, and a file system stackable storage access mechanism (SSAM) layer for providing an interface between said file system and a device, wherein said SSAM layer has first SSAM abstraction component and a second SSAM abstraction component and wherein said SSAM layer abstracts said device for said file systems.

Abstract: A computer system having a kernel interface that provides a file lock generation system for generating file interval locks and granting simultaneous access to these locks to application programs requesting access to file objects or portions thereof and provides a common interface to operations upon those objects. An interval is a starting location and length and the locking mechanism grants access to non-overlapping intervals independently.

Abstract: A computer system having a kernel interface that provides a technique for creating memory descriptors that provides a single way of representing memory objects and provides a common interface to operations upon those objects. The present invention allow programmers to create a kernel interface that provides a mechanism to achieve a cohesive de-coupled interface between file-systems and virtual memory in a distributed computer system. The present invention allows the kernel interface to be provided as four sub-components with a primary abstraction mechanism and three supporting mechanisms. The primary abstraction is a memory descriptor that presents a common interface to manifold memory objects. The set of supported objects is complete in that the file-system need not deal with any other representation of memory.

Abstract: In a computer system, a distributed storage system having a data coherency unit for maintaining data coherency across a number of storage devices sharing such data is described. The data coherency unit includes logic to monitor data transition states in each of the data storage devices to detect when the processing status of data being shared by two or more of the storage devices changes. The data coherency unit advantageously ensures a status change in shared data in one storage device is broadcast to other storage devices having copies of the data without having each storage device independently monitor adjourning storage devices to detect data state changes.

Abstract: In a computer system, a distributed storage system having a data coherency unit for maintaining data coherency across a number of storage devices sharing such data is described. The data coherency unit includes logic to monitor data transition states in each of the data storage devices to detect when the processing status of data being shared by two or more of the storage devices changes. The data coherency unit advantageously ensures a status change in shared data in one storage device is broadcast to other storage devices having copies of the data without having each storage device independently monitor adjourning storage devices to detect data state changes.