OPTIMIZATION OF STORAGE AND TRANSMISSION OF DATA

• US 20110314070A1
• Filed: 06/18/2010
• Published: 12/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Brown, Eileen C., Jolly, Thomas E., Pfenning, Joerg-Thomas
• Application Number:
  US12/818,515
• Publication Number:
  US 20110314070A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/827
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/16 File or folder operations, e.g. details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/173 Customisation support for file systems, e.g. localisation, multi-language support, personalisation

Abstract

The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for end-to-end optimization of data storage and transmission of data. Details of how data is stored within a data store are exposed to clients and applications. Clients and applications are enabled to makes requests to data stores to obtain data as it is actually stored upon within the data store to eliminate redundant processing of the requested data. Compression and de-duplication of data within a data store are leveraged to increase the efficiency and reduce latency of data transmitted over a LAN or WAN.

Claims

1. A method in a computing environment comprising a client and a data storage server, the method for exposing the details of storage optimization within the data storage server to the client, the method comprising:

accessing metadata describing the storage of file data upon the data storage server, wherein the file data is stored on the data storage server in a form distinct from a native form of the file data, and wherein the metadata exposes the storage form of the file data as stored on the data storage server;

sending from the client a request for file data to the data storage server; and

receiving from the data storage server information comprising one or more of file data, additional metadata describing the storage of file data upon the data storage server, and data representing at least a portion of the file data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the metadata describing the storage of file data upon the data storage server comprises data describing the storage of the file data resulting from de-duplication of the file data upon the data storage server.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the metadata describing the storage of file data upon the data storage server comprises a cryptographic hash of a subset of the file data.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the metadata describing the storage of file data upon the data storage server comprises a cryptographic hash of each of a plurality of subsets of the file data.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the metadata describing the storage of file data upon the data storage server comprises data describing a compressed subset of the file data.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the request for file data comprises metadata describing a subset of the file data.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the request for file data comprises a cryptographic hash of a subset of the file data.

8. A method in a computing environment comprising a client and a data storage server, the method for exposing the details of storage optimization within the data storage server to the client, the method comprising:

sending metadata describing the storage of file data upon the data storage server, wherein the file data is stored on the data storage server in a form distinct from a native form of the file data, and wherein the metadata exposes the storage form of the file data as stored on the data storage server;

receiving at the data storage server a request for file data from a computing system; and

sending from the data storage server information comprising at least one of file data, additional metadata describing the storage of file data upon the data storage server, and data representing at least a portion of the file data.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein metadata describing the storage of file data upon the data storage server comprises data describing the storage of the file data resulting from de-duplication of the file data upon the data storage server.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein metadata describing the storage of file data upon the data storage server comprises a cryptographic hash of a subset of the file data.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein metadata describing the storage of file data upon the data storage server comprises a cryptographic hash of each of a plurality of subsets of the file data

12. The method of claim 8 wherein metadata describing the storage of file data upon the data storage server comprises data describing a compressed subset of the file data.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the request for file data comprises information describing a subset of the file data.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein the request for file data comprises a cryptographic hash of a subset of the file data.

15. A computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable storage media having encoded thereon computer-executable instructions which, when executed upon one or more computer processors, performs a method for exposing the details of storage optimization within a data storage server to a client, the method comprising:

sending from a computing system a request for file data to the data storage server; and

receiving from the data storage server information comprising information describing the storage of the file data upon the data storage server.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the information comprising information describing the storage of the file data upon the data storage server comprises data describing the storage of the file data resulting from de-duplication of the file data upon the data storage server.

17. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the information comprising information describing the storage of the file data upon the data storage server comprises a cryptographic hash of a subset of the file data.

18. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the information comprising information describing the storage of the file data upon the data storage server comprises a cryptographic hash of each of a plurality of subsets of the file data

19. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the information comprising information describing the storage of the file data upon the data storage server comprises data describing a compressed subset of the file data.

20. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the request for file data comprises information describing a subset of the file data.