Solaris MC File System Framework

The Solaris MC cluster operating system contains a new distributed file system framework that may be widely applicable for distributed file systems. The file system's object-oriented interfaces replace the vnode interface as the framework for file system integration. Unlike vnodes, the new interfaces provide strong support for file system extensions and allow customization for a given platform. The Solaris MC file system is based on the Spring file and virtual memory interfaces, but goes beyond Spring in three important areas. It is compatible with a commercial OS (Solaris), it provides support for high availability, and it is designed for high performance. The Solaris MC files system demonstrates how significant innovation, such as using distributed objects at the operating system level, can be achieved in an existing commercial system. This innovation is achieved while preserving compatibility with existing applications.