SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FILE SYSTEM FIX-ON-PANIC FOR A COMPUTER OPERATING SYSTEM

A system and method for file system fix-on-panic for a computer operating system which comprises an enhancement to the UNIX.RTM. File System ("UFS") that increases total system availability by detecting file system errors and determining whether on-line repair is possible and then locking, repairing and unlocking the failed file system. Availability of the entire computer system is increased since the mean time to failure for independent threads is increased by the amount of time up to the next failure and the mean time to repair for dependent threads is reduced to only the amount of time necessary for the repair. The system and method disclosed allows for repairs to be made during use, may be called from the user level and allows for blocking of only particular threads.