Cloud computing system and data synchronization method

• US 10,162,871 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2013
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SK Telecom Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: SK Telecom Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Seung Min, Youn, Jong Pil
• Primary Examiner(s): Boccio, Vincent F
• Application Number:
  US13/871,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20130238553A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,069 Days
• Field of Search: 707610
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/14 Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in operation G06F11/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1402 Saving, restoring, recovering or retrying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2094 Redundant storage or storage space G06F11/2056 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2097 maintaining the standby controller/processing unit updated initialisation or re-synchronisation thereof G06F11/1658 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor

Abstract

A cloud computing system includes a plurality of small medium business (SMB) network system and a cloud hosting and storage system. Each of the SMB network systems includes a plurality of first client terminals and a physical network-attached storage (NAS) configured to store one or more original files accessible by at least one of the first client terminals. The cloud hosting and storage system is configured to generate a virtual NAS corresponding to the physical NAS in accordance with one or more requests for cloud hosting service made by the physical NAS through a network, and allocate a virtual storage space for the SMB network system. The virtual storage space is configured to store one or more backup files of the original files stored in the physical NAS.

Claims

1. A cloud computing system, comprising:

a plurality of Small Medium Business (SMB) network systems, wherein each of the SMB network systems includes

a plurality of client terminals and

a physical network attached storage (NAS) that stores a plurality of original files accessible by at least one of the plurality of client terminals through an intranet; and

a cloud hosting and storage system configured to

generate a virtual NAS corresponding to the physical NAS in accordance with a request for cloud hosting service made by the physical NAS through an internet,

allocate to the virtual NAS a virtual storage space for the SMB network system and

perform data synchronization between the physical NAS and the virtual NAS through the internet,

wherein the virtual storage space stores a plurality of backup files of the plurality of original files stored in the physical NAS,

wherein the physical NAS is configured to

store first identification information for identifying and authenticating members registered in the SMB network systems, and

transmit the first identification information to the cloud hosting and storage system,

wherein the cloud hosting and storage system is configured to

receive the first identification information from the SMB network systems,

generate second identification information which is identical to the first identification information, based on the received first identification information, and

store the generated second identification information, and

wherein the cloud hosting and storage system is configured to authenticate one of the members trying to access, by using a mobile terminal through the internet, the virtual NAS outside the SMB network systems with the second identification information,

wherein the physical NAS is configured to transmit, when one of the plurality of original files stored in the physical NAS is changed, the changed original file to the virtual NAS, and

wherein the virtual NAS is configured to synchronize, when one of the plurality of backup files in the virtual storage space of the virtual NAS is changed by the accessed mobile terminal of the authenticated member, the plurality of original files stored in the physical NAS with the changed backup file by transmitting the changed backup file to the physical NAS.

2. The cloud computing system of claim 1, wherein the physical NAS is configured to register the generated virtual NAS as a clone system of the physical NAS and provide all original files managed by the physical NAS to the virtual NAS to perform a data synchronization between the physical NAS and the virtual NAS.

3. The cloud computing system of claim 2, wherein the physical NAS is configured to register an IP address of the virtual NAS as an IP address of the clone system.

4. The cloud computing system of claim 1, wherein the physical NAS is configured to request, when an error occurs while an original file is being accessed, a backup file of the original file having the error from the virtual NAS, receive the requested backup file, and recover the original file having the error by using the received backup file.

5. The cloud computing system of claim 1, wherein the virtual NAS is configured to request, when an error occurs while a backup file is being accessed, an original file corresponding to the backup file having the error from the physical NAS, receive the original file, and recover the backup file having the error by using the received original file.

6. A data synchronization method performed by the cloud computing system including a plurality of Small Medium Business (SMB) network systems and a cloud hosting and storage system, each of the SMB network systems including a plurality of client terminals and a physical network attached storage (NAS) storing a plurality of original files accessible by one of the plurality of client terminals, the method comprising:

requesting, by the physical NAS, a cloud hosting service through an internet;

generating, by the cloud hosting and storage system, a virtual NAS corresponding to the physical NAS in accordance with the requesting for the cloud hosting service;

allocating, by the cloud hosting and storage system, a virtual storage space for backing up the plurality of original files stored in the physical NAS to the virtual NAS; and

performing, by the cloud hosting and storage system, data synchronization between the physical NAS and the virtual NAS by backing up the plurality of original files stored in the physical NAS to the virtual storage space of the virtual NAS through the internet,

wherein the physical NAS stores first identification information for identifying and authenticating members registered in the SMB network systems, and transmits the first identification information to the cloud hosting and storage system,

wherein the cloud hosting and storage system receives the first identification information from the SMB network systems, generate second identification information which is identical to the first identification information, based on the received first identification information, and store the generated second identification information,

wherein the cloud hosting and storage system authenticates one of the members trying to access, by using a mobile terminal through the internet, the virtual NAS outside the SMB network systems with the second identification information,

wherein, when one of the original files stored in the physical NAS is changed, the physical NAS transmits the changed original file to the virtual NAS, and

wherein, when one of a plurality of backup files in the virtual storage space of the virtual NAS is changed by the accessed mobile terminal of the authenticated member, the virtual NAS synchronizes the plurality of original files stored in the physical NAS with the changed backup file by transmitting the changed backup file to the physical NAS.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the data synchronization comprises:

sequentially comparing the plurality of original files stored in the physical NAS with the plurality of backup files stored in the virtual storage space of the virtual NAS in accordance with a file hierarchical structure; and

replacing, when the plurality of backup files are different from the original files, the plurality of backup files with the original files.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the data synchronization comprises:

registering, when the plurality of original files in the physical NAS are changed, the changed files to a list of changed files; and

replacing the plurality of backup files in the virtual NAS which correspond to the files registered to the list of the changed files with the changed files.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the data synchronization comprises:

requesting, when an error occurs while an original file is being accessed in the physical NAS, the corresponding backup file from the virtual NAS, and recovering the original file having the error in the physical NAS with the corresponding backup file received from the virtual NAS; and

requesting, when an error occurs while a backup file is being accessed in the virtual NAS, the corresponding original file from the physical NAS, and recovering the backup file having the error in the virtual NAS with the corresponding original file received from the physical NAS.

10. A cloud computing system comprising:

a plurality of Small Medium Business (SMB) network systems, wherein each of the SMB network systems includes a physical network attached storage (NAS) having a shared storage region that is configured to store a plurality of original files accessible by a plurality of client terminals through an intranet; and

a cloud storage system configured to receive information on the shared storage region through an internet and allocate a virtual storage space in a cloud storage corresponding to the received information on the shared storage region,

wherein the physical NAS is configured to

store first identification information for identifying and authenticating members registered in the SMB network systems, and

transmit the first identification information to the cloud hosting and storage system,

wherein the cloud hosting and storage system is configured to

receive the first identification information from the SMB network systems,

generate second identification information which is identical to the first identification information, based on the received first identification information, and

store the generated second identification information, and

wherein the cloud storage system is configured to authenticate one of the members trying to access, by using a mobile terminal through the internet, the virtual NAS outside the SMB network systems with the second identification information,

wherein the physical NAS is configured to transmit, when at least one of the plurality of original files stored in the physical NAS is changed, the changed original file to the virtual NAS, and

wherein the virtual NAS is configured to synchronize, when one of a plurality of backup files in the virtual storage space of the virtual NAS is changed by the accessed mobile terminal of the authenticated member, the plurality of original files stored in the physical NAS with the changed backup file by transmitting the changed backup file to the physical NAS through the internet.

11. The cloud computing system of claim 10, wherein the cloud storage system

allocates the virtual storage space in the cloud storage corresponding to the received information of the shared storage region, and

synchronizes, when the plurality of original files stored in the shared storage region or the plurality of backup files stored in the virtual storage space are changed, the plurality of original files stored in the shared storage region and the plurality of backup files stored in the virtual storage space.

12. The cloud computing system of claim 10,

wherein the plurality of client terminals comprise a client sub-terminal configured to access the cloud storage through the internet and to change the one of the plurality of backup files stored in the virtual storage space of the cloud storage, and

wherein the cloud storage system provides, when a request for access to the one of the plurality of backup files stored in the virtual storage space is received from the client sub-terminal, the requested backup file.

13. The cloud computing system of claim 10,

wherein the cloud storage system searches, in the virtual storage space, for a first backup file corresponding to a first original file having an error upon a request for the first backup file from the physical NAS, and provides the searched first backup file to the physical NAS, and

wherein the cloud storage system receives, when an error occurs while a second backup file is being accessed by one of the plurality of client terminals, a second original file corresponding to the second backup file from the physical NAS, and provides the received second original file to the client terminal.