System and Method for Socially Organized Storage and Shared Access to Storage Appliances

• US 20130290464A1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Published: 10/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Storcentric DIP Lender LLC
• Original Assignee: Connected Data, Inc. (Glassbridge Enterprises, Inc.)
• Inventors: Barrall, Geoffrey S., Turner, John B., Mendelson, David Gary, Morse, Brad Lee, Feaster, Joel
• Granted Patent: US 9,396,156 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/213
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/167 using a common memory, e.g. mailbox
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/211 Schema design and management

Abstract

In various embodiments, the present invention relates to systems and methods for managing user data in a plurality of storage appliances coupled to a wide area network. In some embodiments, the present invention relates to systems and methods that allow users to view and manipulate files in a shared virtual container. In other embodiments, the present invention also relates to systems and methods that allow users to access virtual containers located on storage appliances that are owned by other users.

Claims

1. A computer program product for propagating, over a wide area network, a change, to data in a local storage appliance, to a remote storage appliance, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer readable program code stored thereon, wherein the computer readable program code, when being run by a processor in the local appliance, is configured to cause the local storage appliance to perform computer processes comprising:

receiving a change to data in a virtual container associated with the local storage appliance, wherein the virtual container is linked to a corresponding virtual container associated with the remote appliance;

sending a request over a wide area network to a central server for information regarding the remote storage appliance linked to the virtual container;

receiving over the wide area network from the central server identifying information for the remote storage appliance linked to the virtual container; and

transmitting over the wide area network to the remote storage appliance a data update corresponding to the change.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein sending the request includes sending an identifier for the virtual container.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein sending the request includes sending a GetReplicationTargetsForContainer request.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein receiving the identifying information includes receiving identifying information for the remote storage appliance, wherein the remote storage appliance is a member of a replication/synchronization group associated with the virtual container.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein transmitting to the remote storage appliance includes establishing a peer-to-peer connection with the remote storage appliance.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein transmitting to the remote storage appliance includes establishing a secure connection over the wide area network with the remote storage appliance.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein transmitting to the remote storage appliance includes transmitting updated Container change history information.

8. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein transmitting to the remote storage appliance includes transmitting updated file version history information.

9. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein transmitting to the remote storage appliance includes transmitting updated file data.

10. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein transmitting to the remote storage appliance includes transmitting updated metadata associated with files in the virtual container, wherein the metadata is associated with organization of the files.

11. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer processes further comprise:

sending to the central server over the wide area network a status update message regarding the change.

12. A method of providing to a new user access to a given storage appliance coupled to a computer network, the method comprising:

managing, at a server, a database system having owner account data governing access to storage appliances that are registered in the database system, wherein (i) each storage appliance is associated in the database system with at least one owner, (ii) the given storage appliance is one of the registered storage appliances and has a registered owner, and (iii) the storage appliances are configured to share data with each other on a peer-to-peer basis in accordance with permissions that are stored in the database system;

receiving at the server, from a computing device of the new user, a request for a list of virtual containers and storage appliances that the new user has permission to access;

determining, by the server, that a registered owner of the given storage appliance has configured a virtual container on the given storage appliance to be shared with the new user; and

sending, by the server, an identifier of the given storage appliance to the computing device of the new user, so that the computing device can access data on the given storage appliance on a peer-to-peer basis in accordance with permission stored in the database system.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein managing the database system comprises:

receiving, by the server, an indication of an access grant to the new user for the virtual container on the given storage appliance, wherein the indication is received from the registered owner of the given storage appliance; and

storing, by the server, information about the access grant to the new user.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving the indication of the access grant comprises:

receiving, by the server, an indication of a grant of read access, a grant of read and write access, or a grant of write access.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein managing the database system comprises:

receiving, by the server, an indication of an access grant to a group of users, wherein the new user is a member in the group; and

storing, by the server, information about the access grant to each member of the group.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving the request for the list of virtual containers and storage appliances comprises:

receiving the request from a client application executing on the computing device.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein determining that the registered owner has configured the virtual container on the given storage appliance to be shared comprises:

retrieving, by the server, the identifier of the given storage appliance from a list of storage appliances that the new user has permission to access.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein determining that the registered owner has configured the virtual container on the given storage appliance to be shared comprises:

displaying, by the server, information about the relative locations of the given storage appliance and the computing device of the new user.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein displaying the information about the relative locations comprises:

displaying, by the server, an indication that the given storage appliance and the computing device of the new user are located on the same local area network.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein displaying the information about the relative locations comprises:

displaying, by the server, an indication that the given storage appliance and the computing device of the new user can communicate over a wide area network.