Distributed File System Inode Intents for Concurrent Transactions

The patent applies preliminary action by storing update intents in inodes before actually performing file system operations. When a node intends to update a file system object, it first writes an update intent record to the inode, which includes the operation type and target inode sequence. This preliminary recording allows the system to later verify whether operations were completed successfully, resolving the consistency issue while maintaining concurrent access capability.

The patent implements feedback mechanisms where nodes check update intents in inodes to determine the status of file system operations. By reading the update intent records and comparing them against actual operation completion status, the system receives feedback about whether operations succeeded or failed. This feedback loop enables automatic recovery actions (retry or rollback) to maintain consistency while allowing concurrent access to proceed.

The patent stores update intents in inodes as a preliminary record before executing file system operations. This preliminary action ensures that even if a node fails during operation execution, the intent record remains in the inode. Other nodes can later read this intent record to understand what operation was supposed to be performed and whether it was completed, preventing loss of transaction information.

The update intent record stored in the inode acts as an intermediary between the failed node's incomplete operation and the recovering nodes. Instead of directly tracking operation status across distributed nodes (which is complex and error-prone), the patent uses the inode as a mediator that stores and communicates the operation intent and status. This intermediary mechanism preserves transaction information across node failures without requiring complex inter-node communication protocols.

The patent extracts the transaction safety mechanism from external centralized components (databases or journaling systems) and embeds it directly into the file system metadata structure (the inode). Instead of maintaining separate centralized databases or journaling systems to track operation status, the patent stores update intents directly in the inodes themselves. This extraction eliminates the need for complex external systems while maintaining transaction safety.

The inode structure becomes self-service by containing its own update intent information. Rather than requiring external centralized databases to track and manage file system operation status, the inode itself stores the update intent records that enable consistency verification and recovery. This self-service approach eliminates the need for complex external management systems while maintaining transaction safety.