Arrangements and Methods for Access to Stored Data

• US 20110131326A1
• Filed: 06/30/2010
• Published: 06/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Blackwave Inc.
• Inventors: Aikens, Mark, Colon, Louis M. JR., Warres, Michael, McShane, Matthew, Hurley, James M., Medard, Muriel, Kilian, Michael, Scheifler, Robert W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,352,602 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066

Abstract

An access server generates a handshake with storage servers resulting in more rapid access to the stored data, for example, video data, by a user. The handshake also results in load balancing effects.

Claims

1. A storage arrangement, comprising:

a first access server configured to communicate on a network with a plurality of storage servers, and further configured to transmit a request associated with selected stored data to the plurality of storage servers, wherein at least one of the plurality of storage servers is configured to respond to the request with an offer associated with the request, and wherein the first access server is configured to evaluate the offer and configured to transmit an action command associated with the selected stored data to the at least one storage server if the evaluation meets evaluation criteria.

2. The storage arrangement of claim 1, wherein the request transmitted by the first access server comprises at least one of a data identifier, a data segment identifier value, a read request, an ingest request, an erase request, a change request, a priority value, an urgency value, or a query.

3. The storage arrangement of claim 2, wherein the query comprises at least one of an available bandwidth query, a range of bandwidth query, a probability of bandwidth query, a delay of response query, a range of delay of response query, or a probability of delay of response query.

4. The storage arrangement of claim 1, wherein the offer provided by the at least one of the plurality of storage servers comprises a respective at least one of a data identifier value, a data availability identifier value, a null data identifier value, a data segment identifier value, an available bandwidth value, a range of bandwidth value, a probability of bandwidth value, a delay of response value, a range of delay of response value, a probability of delay of response value, a cost value, a current load value, or an offer weight value indicative of one or more of the data identifier value, the data availability identifier value, the null data identifier value, the data segment identifier value, the available bandwidth value, the range of bandwidth value, the probability of bandwidth value, the delay of response value, the range of delay of response value, the probability of delay of response value, the cost value, or the current load value.

5. The storage arrangement of claim 4, wherein the evaluation of the offer comprises at least one of a comparison of a bandwidth required by the first access server with the available bandwidth value, a comparison of a maximum time delay required by the first access server with the delay of response value, a comparison of the offer weight value with a predetermined threshold value, or a comparison of the offer weight value with other offer weight values associated with other ones of the plurality of storage servers.

6. The storage arrangement of claim 1, wherein the action command comprises at least one of:

a read action command corresponding to a read of the selected stored data from the at least one of the plurality of storage servers, wherein the read comprises a download of the selected stored data from the at least one of the plurality of storage servers to the first access server,

an erase action command corresponding to an erase of the selected stored data associated with the at least one of the plurality of storage servers,

an ingest action command corresponding to an ingest of the selected stored data associated with a selected one of the plurality of storage servers to the at least one of the plurality of storage servers, or

a change action command to change a characteristic of the selected stored data.

7. The storage arrangement of claim 1, further comprising a second access server configured to communicate on the network with the plurality of storage servers and with the first access server, wherein the first access server is configured to transmit a service hand-off request to the second access server.

8. The storage arrangement of claim 7, wherein the second access server is configured to respond to the service hand-off request with a service hand-off offer, and wherein the first access server is configured to evaluate the service hand-off offer and configured to transmit a hand-off action command for the service hand-off if the evaluation meets evaluation criteria.

9. The storage arrangement of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the plurality of storage servers comprises a respective memory, and wherein the at least one of the plurality of storage servers is configured to maintain an object directory configured to identify stored data and locations of stored data within the at least one of the plurality of storage servers.

10. The storage arrangement of claim 1, wherein network comprises a memory configured to maintain an inventory configured to identify stored data within the plurality of storage servers.

11. The storage arrangement of claim 1, wherein the selected stored data is segmented among the plurality of storage servers.

12. The storage arrangement of claim 1, wherein the request is transmitted using a multicast protocol command.

13. A method of access to stored data, comprising:

transmitting with a first access server a request associated with selected stored data through a network to a plurality of storage servers;

receiving with the first access server at least one offer for the selected stored data from at least one of the plurality of storage servers;

evaluating the offer; and

transmitting with the first access server an action command associated with the selected stored data if the evaluating meets selection criteria.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the transmitting the request comprises at least one of transmitting a data identifier, transmitting a data segment identifier value, transmitting a read request, transmitting an ingest request, transmitting an erase request, transmitting a change request, transmitting a priority value, transmitting an urgency value, or transmitting a query.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the transmitting the query comprises at least one of transmitting an available bandwidth query, transmitting a range of bandwidth query, transmitting a probability of bandwidth query, transmitting a delay of response query, transmitting a range of delay of response query, or transmitting a probability of delay of response query.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the receiving with the first access server the at least one offer comprises receiving a respective at least one of a data identifier value, a data availability identifier value, a null data identifier value, a data segment identifier value, an available bandwidth value, a range of bandwidth value, a probability of bandwidth value, a delay of response value, a range of delay of response value, a probability of delay of response value, a cost value, or a current load value, or receiving an offer weight value indicative of one or more of the data identifier value, the data availability identifier value, the null data identifier value, the data segment identifier value, the available bandwidth value, the range of bandwidth value, the probability of bandwidth value, the delay of response value, the range of delay of response value, the probability of delay of response value, the cost value, or the current load value.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the evaluating the offer comprises at least one of comparing a required bandwidth with the available bandwidth value, comparing a required maximum time delay with the delay of response value, comparing the offer weight value with a predetermined threshold value, or comparing the offer weight value with other offer weight values associated with other ones of the plurality of storage servers.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the transmitting the action command comprises at least one of:

transmitting a read action command corresponding to a read of the selected stored data from the at least one of the plurality of storage servers, wherein the read comprises a download of the selected stored data from the at least one of the plurality of storage servers to the first access server,

transmitting an erase action command corresponding to an erase of the selected stored data from the at least one of the plurality of storage servers,

transmitting an ingest action command corresponding to an ingest of the selected stored data associated with a selected one of the plurality of storage servers to the at least one of the plurality of storage servers, or

transmitting a change action command to change a characteristic of the selected stored data.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising transmitting a service hand-off request with the first access server.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving a service hand-off offer with the first access server;

evaluating the service hand-off offer; and

transmitting with the first access server a hand-off action command for the service hand-off if the evaluation meets evaluation criteria.

21. The method of claim 13, further comprising maintaining an object directory configured to identify stored data and locations of stored data associated with the at least one of the plurality of storage servers.

22. The method of claim 13, further comprising maintaining an inventory, wherein the inventory is configured to identify stored data associated with the plurality of storage servers.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein the selected stored data is segmented among the plurality of storage servers.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein the transmitting the request comprises transmitting the request using a multicast protocol command.

25. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions thereon for providing access to stored data, the medium comprising:

instructions for transmitting with a first access server a request associated with selected stored data through a network to a plurality of storage servers;

instructions for receiving with the first access server at least one offer for the selected stored data from at least one of the plurality of storage servers;

instructions for evaluating the offer with the first access server; and

instructions for transmitting with the first access server an action command associated with the selected stored data if the evaluation meets selection criteria.

26. A storage arrangement, comprising:

a storage server configured to communicate on a network, and further configured to receive a request associated with selected stored data, wherein the storage server is configured to respond to the request with an offer in response to and related to the request, and wherein the storage server is configured to receive an action command in response to and related to the offer and associated with the selected stored data.

27. The storage arrangement of claim 26, wherein the request received by the storage server comprises at least one of a data identifier, a data segment identifier value, a read request, an ingest request, an erase request, a change request, a priority value, an urgency value, or a query.

28. The storage arrangement of claim 26, wherein the offer provided by the storage server comprises a respective at least one of a a data identifier value, data availability identifier value, a null data identifier value;

a data segment identifier value, an available bandwidth value, a range of bandwidth value, a probability of bandwidth value, a delay of response value, a range of delay of response value, a probability of delay of response value a cost value, a current load value, or an offer weight value indicative of one or more of the data identifier value, the data availability identifier value, the null data identifier value, the data segment identifier value, the available bandwidth value, the range of bandwidth value, the probability of bandwidth value, the delay of response value, the range of delay of response value, the probability of delay of response value, the cost value, or the current load value.

29. A method of access to stored data, comprising:

receiving with a storage server a request associated with selected stored data stored within the storage server;

transmitting with the storage server at least one offer in response to and related to the request and associated with the selected stored data; and

receiving with the storage server an action command in response to and related to the offer, wherein the action command is associated with the selected stored data.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the request received by the storage server comprises at least one of a data identifier, a data segment identifier value, a read request, an ingest request, an erase request, a change request, a priority value, an urgency value, or a query.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the offer provided by the storage server comprises a respective at least one of a data identifier value, a data availability identifier value, a null data identifier value, a data segment identifier value, an available bandwidth value, a range of bandwidth value, a probability of bandwidth value, a delay of response value, a range of delay of response value, a probability of delay of response value, a cost value, a current load value, or an offer weight value indicative of one or more of the data identifier value, the data availability identifier value, the null data identifier value, the data segment identifier value, the available bandwidth value, the range of bandwidth value, the probability of bandwidth value, the delay of response value, the range of delay of response value, the probability of delay of response value, the cost value, or the current load value.

32. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions thereon for providing stored data, the medium comprising:

instructions for receiving with a storage server a request associated with selected stored data stored within the storage server;

instructions for transmitting with the storage server at least one offer in response to and related to the request and associated with the selected stored data; and

instructions for receiving with the storage server an action command in response to and related to the offer, wherein the action command is associated with the selected stored data.