Persistent key-value repository with a pluggable architecture to abstract physical storage

• US 20060195450A1
• Filed: 04/13/2006
• Published: 08/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Srivastava, Alok K., Kumar, Raj, Joshi, Sameer, Chatterjee, Surojit, Creighton, Jonathan
• Granted Patent: US 7,617,218 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A system and techniques are described for managing key-value pairs using an architecture that does not restrict its users to any specific platform or storage subsystem. According to one aspect of the invention, the repository is portable in that the architecture need not change based on the environment and platform in which the repository is used. Rather, the portion of the architecture that is platform-specific is limited to plug-ins at a storage abstraction layer of the repository. The plug-ins expose the same storage abstraction interface to the other layers of the repository, but are implemented to interact with different platforms and storage subsystems. Consequently, in response to being ported from one platform to another, the repository may simply change the plug-in to invoke for persistent storage operations.

Claims

1-8. -8. (canceled)

9. A method for storing key-value pairs, the method comprising:

exposing a repository interface through which clients may make calls to store and access key-value pair information in a repository;

receiving a call from a client through a routine that implements a portion of said repository interface; and

based on said call, determining whether to establish a component of said repository that is associated with said client as a caching component responsible for managing a cache for said repository.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein:

the repository supports a plurality of access modes, including a caching access mode and a default access mode;

the step of receiving a call includes receiving a call that specifies one of the caching access mode and the default access mode; and

the method includes the step of establishing the component of said repository that is associated with said client as a caching component if said call specifies said caching access mode.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising the steps of:

in response to determining that said call specifies said default access mode, passing requests to read information from said repository that are received by said component from said client to a second caching component associated with a second client; and

causing said second component to respond to said requests by inspecting a cache, of information from said repository, that is managed by said second component.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said component and said second caching component reside on a single node.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of:

if the cache managed by the second caching component does not include information required by a particular request from said client, then said second caching component sending said request to a third component residing on a second node that is remote relative to said node.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein:

the plurality of access modes further include an installation access mode and a read only access mode;

clients use said installation access mode when initially creating said repository; and

clients use said read only access mode when booting from said repository.

15. A method for storing key-value pairs, the method comprising:

exposing a repository interface through which clients may make calls to store and access key-value pair information in a repository designed specifically for key-value pair information;

receiving one or more calls from a client through said repository interface;

wherein said one or more calls are received at said repository interface prior to allocating, on persistent storage, any structures for said repository for persistently storing said key-value pair information; and

based on said one or more calls, creating structures for persistently storing said key-value pair information on said persistent storage.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein:

said repository supports a plurality of access modes, including an installation access mode and a default access mode;

the step of receiving one or more calls includes receiving at least one call that specifies the installation access mode; and

the method includes the step of granting to said client said installation access mode and exclusive use of said repository while said client remains in said installation access mode.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein:

said plurality of access modes includes a read-only access mode; and

the method includes the steps of

receiving a request from a second client to perform an operation using read-only access mode;

circumventing concurrency control mechanisms of said repository during execution of said operation.

18-25. -25. (canceled)

26. A computer-readable medium carrying instructions for storing key-value pairs, the computer-readable medium comprising instructions for performing the steps of:

exposing a repository interface through which clients may make calls to store and access key-value pair information in a repository;

receiving a call from a client through a routine that implements a portion of said repository interface; and

based on said call, determining whether to establish a component of said repository that is associated with said client as a caching component responsible for managing a cache for said repository.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 26 wherein:

the repository supports a plurality of access modes, including a caching access mode and a default access mode;

the step of receiving a call includes receiving a call that specifies one of the caching access mode and the default access mode; and

the computer-readable medium includes instructions for performing the step of establishing the component of said repository that is associated with said client as a caching component if said call specifies said caching access mode.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 27 further comprising instructions for performing the steps of:

in response to determining that said call specifies said default access mode, passing requests to read information from said repository that are received by said component from said client to a second caching component associated with a second client; and

causing said second component to respond to said requests by inspecting a cache, of information from said repository, that is managed by said second caching component.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 wherein said component and said second caching component reside on a single node.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 29 further comprising instructions for performing the step of:

if the cache managed by the second caching component does not include information required by a particular request from said client, then said second caching component sending said request to a third component residing on a second node that is remote relative to said node.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 27 wherein:

the plurality of access modes further include an installation access mode and a read only access mode;

clients use said installation access mode when initially creating said repository; and

clients use said read only access mode when booting from said repository.

32. A computer-readable medium carrying instructions for storing key-value pairs, the computer-readable medium comprising instructions for performing the steps of:

exposing a repository interface through which clients may make calls to store and access key-value pair information in a repository designed specifically for key-value pair information;

receiving one or more calls from a client through said repository interface;

wherein said one or more calls are received at said repository interface prior to allocating, on persistent storage, any structures for said repository for persistently storing said key-value pair information; and

based on said one or more calls, creating structures for persistently storing said key-value pair information on said persistent storage.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 32 wherein:

said repository supports a plurality of access modes, including an installation access mode and a default access mode;

the step of receiving one or more calls includes receiving at least one call that specifies the installation access mode; and

the computer-readable medium includes instructions for performing the step of granting to said client said installation access mode and exclusive use of said repository while said client remains in said installation access mode.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 33 wherein:

said plurality of access modes includes a read-only access mode; and

the computer-readable medium includes instructions for performing the steps of receiving a request from a second client to perform an operation using read-only access mode;

circumventing concurrency control mechanisms of said repository during execution of said operation.