Method for forming virtual network storage
First Claim
1. A method for forming a virtual network storage by uniting a plurality of network storages into one so that accesses to said plurality of network storages to be done just like accesses to one network storage, said method comprising the steps of:
- receiving a request from a client;
transferring said received request to first and second network storages;
receiving a response from said first network storage in response to said transferred request;
receiving a response from said second network storage in response to said transferred request;
combining responses from said first and second network storages; and
sending said combined response to said client.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Disclosed is a method for forming such a virtual network storage with use of general network storages and through the processings by a network storage accessing protocol without using any of dedicated network storages, concentrated management servers, and distributed directories, wherein the virtual network storage, when receiving a READDIR request from a client in step 301, transfers the received READDIR request to each network storage in step 302, then receives READDIR responses from the network storages. The virtual network storage then combines the READDIR responses from the network storages and sends the result to the client.
This solves problems that increasing the number of network storages causes a centralized management server to become a bottleneck that would hinder the improvement of the system scalability and using dedicated network storages disables employment of existing network storages for forming such a virtual network storage.
111 Citations
19 Claims
-
1. A method for forming a virtual network storage by uniting a plurality of network storages into one so that accesses to said plurality of network storages to be done just like accesses to one network storage, said method comprising the steps of:
-
receiving a request from a client;
transferring said received request to first and second network storages;
receiving a response from said first network storage in response to said transferred request;
receiving a response from said second network storage in response to said transferred request;
combining responses from said first and second network storages; and
sending said combined response to said client. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6)
-
-
2. A method for forming a virtual network storage by uniting a plurality of network storages into one so that accesses to said plurality of network storages to be done just like accesses to one network storage, said method comprising the steps of:
-
receiving a request from a client;
transferring said received request to each of said plurality of network storages;
receiving responses from said plurality of network storages in response to said transferred requests;
determining whether or not each of said received responses is successful;
combining only successful responses of said determined responses; and
sending said combined response to said client.
-
-
3. A method for forming a virtual network storage by uniting a plurality of network storages into one so that accesses to said plurality of network storages to be done just like accesses to one network storage, said method comprising the steps of:
-
receiving a request from a client;
transferring said request to each of said plurality of network storages;
receiving responses from said plurality of network storages in response to said transferred requests;
determining whether or not each of said received responses is successful; and
sending one successful response selected from among successful responses determined in said above step.
-
-
7. A method for forming a virtual network storage by uniting a plurality of network storages into one so that accesses to said plurality of network storages to be done just like accesses to one network storage, said method comprising the steps of:
-
detecting an operation state of each of a plurality of network storages;
generating an entry that includes error information for each detected error;
receiving a request from a client;
generating a response message in response to said access request by combining the entry information of a network storage operating normally among said plurality of network storages and the entry information that includes said generated error information; and
sending said generated response message to said client.
-
-
8. A method for forming a virtual network storage by uniting a plurality of network storages into one so that accesses to said plurality of network storages to be done just like accesses to one network storage, said method comprising the step of:
managing the consistency among entry information of said plurality of network storages. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
-
13. A method for forming a virtual network storage by uniting a plurality of network storages into one so that accesses to said plurality of network storages to be done just like accesses to one network storage, said method comprising the steps of:
-
generating a virtual entry that denotes specific one of said plurality of network storages included in said virtual network storage;
determining whether or not a request from a client is addressed to said virtual entry; and
transferring said request from said client to said specific network storage when said client request is addressed to said virtual entry.
-
-
14. A method for forming a virtual network storage by uniting a plurality of network storages into one so that accesses to said plurality of network storages to be done just like accesses to one network storage;
wherein said method comprising the step of;
balancing the load of accesses to said plurality of network storages. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
-
18. A method for forming a virtual network storage by uniting a plurality of network storages into one so that accesses to said plurality of network storages to be done just like accesses to one network storage, said method comprising the step of:
storing information required to operate said virtual network storage in each of said plurality of network storages united into said virtual network storage.
-
19. A method for forming a virtual network storage by uniting a plurality of network storages into one so that accesses to said plurality of network storages to be done just like accesses to one network storage, said method comprising the steps of:
-
registering the identifier of each of said plurality of network storages;
registering information for accessing each of said plurality of network storages; and
registering information for managing said plurality of network storages.
-
Specification