Methods and systems for assisting information processing by using storage system

• US 20090313260A1
• Filed: 06/16/2008
• Published: 12/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Mimatsu, Yasuyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,015,146 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/31 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures

Abstract

In a networked information system, a portion of the information processing is offloaded from servers to a storage system to reduce network traffic and conserve server resources. The information system includes a storage system storing files or objects and having a function which automatically extracts portions of text from the files and transmits the extracted text to the servers. The text extraction is responsive to file requests from the servers. The extracted text and files are stored on the storage system, decreasing the need to send entire files across the network. Thus, by transmitting smaller extracted text data instead of entire files over the network, network performance can be increased through the reduction of traffic. Additionally, the processing strain on physical resources of the servers can be reduced by extracting the text at the storage system rather than at the servers.

Claims

1. A method of operating a storage system, comprising:

providing a storage system including at least one storage medium configured to store files, said storage system being connected for communication with one or more computers via a network;

receiving, at the storage system, a read request for a specified file;

determining whether a sender of the read request is a known extracted text receiver that should receive only extracted text in response to the read request;

extracting text from contents of the specified file residing on the storage system when the sender of the read request is a known extracted text receiver; and

transmitting, from the storage system, the text extracted from the specified file to the sender.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of

providing an indexing computer as the sender of the read request, said indexing computer sending the read request for indexing contents of the files stored in said storage system.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of

receiving at the storage system a write request from a management computer, said write request providing updated information for registering known extracted text receivers or for designated MIME (Multi-purpose Internet Mail Extension) types for use during text extraction;

and

updating information stored in the storage system for identifying known extracted text receivers or MIME type used during text extraction.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of

extracting the text by referring to MIME (Multi-purpose Internet Mail Extension) information stored in the storage system for identifying a file type of the specified file.

5. A method of operating a storage system, comprising:

providing a storage system in communication with one or more computers via a network, said storage system including at least one storage medium configured to store data as objects;

providing an update list in the storage system, the update list identifying at least one object as a candidate for text extraction;

initiating an extraction process on the storage system;

selecting from the update list a selected object which resides on the storage device of the storage system;

extracting text from content data contained in the selected object; and

storing extracted text extracted from the selected object in a first field of the selected object residing on the storage system.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising steps of

receiving a read request from one of said computers in communication with said storage system, said read request specifying a particular object in said storage system;

verifying, by the storage system, that a sender of the read request is registered as an extracted text receiver; and

transmitting, from the storage system to the sender the extracted text contained in the first field of the requested object when the first field contains extracted text already extracted from the particular object.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising a step of

storing a time of extraction in a second field of the selected object, said time of extraction indicating a time at which the extracted text was extracted from the selected object.

8. The method according to claim 5, further comprising steps of

initiating a process for deleting extracted text;

selecting a particular one of said objects stored in said storage system for processing;

determining whether extracted text associated with the particular object is stored in said storage system;

when extracted text associated with the particular object is stored in said storage system, determining whether a policy associated with the object specifies a period of time during which the extracted text is to be retained in said storage system; and

deleting the extracted text associated with the particular object when the period of time during which the extracted text is to be retained has expired.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising a step of

deleting a time of extraction field associated with the particular object.

10. The method according to claim 5, further comprising steps of

receiving a read request from one of said computers in communication with said storage system, said read request specifying a particular object in said storage system;

verifying, by the storage system, that a sender of the read request is registered as an extracted text receiver;

determining whether extracted text corresponding to the particular object is already stored in said storage system in association with said particular object; and

adding the particular object to the update list when extracted text corresponding to the particular object is not already stored in said storage system in association with said particular object.

11. The method according to claim 5, further comprising steps of

receiving an export request from one of said computers for a requested object;

creating in the storage system an export package containing all fields of the requested object except for said first field containing the extracted text and an extraction time field; and

exporting the export package to the one of said computers.

12. The method according to claim 5, further comprising steps of

receiving a write request targeted to a particular one of said objects stored in said storage system;

determining whether a sender of the write request is a registered extracted text receiver; and

sending an error message when the sender of the write request is a registered extracted text receiver.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising steps of

when the sender of the write request is not a registered extracted text receiver, deleting any extracted text stored in association with the particular object;

updating the particular object in accordance with the write request.

14. The method according to claim 5, further comprising steps of

determining whether a request received from one of said computers is a job request containing a job object having a command field;

verifying the format of the command field of the job object;

storing the job object on the storage system; and

extracting text from each object listed in the job object.

15. The method according to claim 5, further comprising steps of

receiving a write request from one of said computers, said write request updating information stored in said storage system for registering known extracted text receivers.

16. An information system, comprising:

a storage system including a storage area configured to store a plurality of data objects, said data object including content data,

said storage system being configured to extract data from the content data in response to a policy associated with each data object and store the extracted data on the storage area in association with the particular data object from which the extracted data was extracted, and

wherein the storage system is configured to receive a read request for the extracted data, determine whether a sender of the read request is a registered extracted data receiver, and send extracted data in response to the read request when the sender is a registered extracted data receiver.

17. The information system according to claim 16,

wherein said storage system is further configured to determine a time at which each particular extracted data is extracted for each object, and

wherein said storage system is configured to delete the particular extracted data from the storage system when the policy associated with the particular object indicates that a retention period for the extracted data has expired.

18. The information system according to claim 16, further comprising

an indexing computer in communication with said storage system, said indexing computer being registered with said storage system as a registered extracted data receiver,

wherein, when said storage system receives a read request from said indexing computer targeted to a data object stored in said storage system, said storage system returns the extracted data corresponding to said data object to said indexing computer.

19. The information system according to claim 16,

wherein the extracted data is extracted text data extracted from corresponding content data of a corresponding data object, said content data including text and audio or video data.

20. The information system according to claim 16,

wherein the extracted data includes a thumbnail image extracted from a larger image data or video data included in the corresponding content data of the corresponding data object.