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Scalable network-attached storage system

  • US 20030145086A1
  • Filed: 01/29/2002
  • Published: 07/31/2003
  • Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2002
  • Status: Abandoned Application
First Claim
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1. ) A means of building a Scalable Network-Attached Storage system where control of the data storage elements of said system is distributed over the computer elements of said system, so allowing said computer elements to access and control said data elements in a shared fashion whereby:

  • a) Control of the data-storage sub-elements of a data storage element can reside in different computer elements, so allowing large numbers of computer elements to be used in the Scalable Network-Attached Storage system, and so allowing said system to be easily and economically expanded in size and performance and reconfigured to needs;

    b) Control of any such data storage sub-element can be replicated in several computer elements in such a way that these several computer elements can access said data sub-elements;

    c) Allocation to the set of computer elements of said control of access to said data elements and data sub-elements is initially established by a software functionality according to a set of user and computer generated policy rules; and

    where said software functionality adjusts said distribution of access control across said computer elements on a periodic basis, depending on metrics measured periodically throughout the Scalable Network-Attached Storage system d) Computer elements are specifically designated as the initial contact point for a client computer to the Scalable Network-Attached storage system, which designated computer elements have a software facility to determine that computer element having control of the data storage element that said client computer wishes to access and by means of said software facility re-direct said client computer to communicate directly with that computer element;

    e) Where the software facility of paragraph c) in claim

         1) above detects the addition of new computer elements to the Scalable Network-Attached Storage system via the periodic metrics transmitted to said software facility by said new computer element; and

    thereby said software facility re-maps the allocation to said computer elements of access control of said data storage elements to make use of said new computer element; and

    where the loss of a computer element through failure or removal is detected by a loss of periodic metric data, so causing said software facility to re-map the allocation to the remaining computer elements of access control of those data storage elements previously controlled by said lost computer element;

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