METHOD AND COMPUTING DEVICE FOR ALLOWING SYNCHRONIZED ACCESS TO CLOUD STORAGE SYSTEMS BASED ON STUB TRACKING

• US 20160063027A1
• Filed: 08/25/2015
• Published: 03/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CTERA Networks Limited
• Original Assignee: CTERA Networks Limited
• Inventors: Brand, Aron
• Granted Patent: US 10,061,779 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/192 Implementing virtual folder structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/124 using a combination of metrics
• 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: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

A method and computing device for allowing synchronized access to a cloud storage system (CSS) based on stub tracking. The computing device comprises: a processing unit; a storage system, wherein the storage system is configured to maintain objects, each object having a state, wherein each state is any one of: a synchronized state, and a stub state; and a memory, the memory containing instructions that, when executed by the processing unit, configure the computing device to: receive a request from a client to access an object maintained in the storage system; change the state of the requested object from a stub state to a synchronized state upon receiving the request; and synchronize data of the requested object having a synchronized state with the CSS.

Claims

1. A computing device for allowing synchronized access to a cloud storage system (CSS), comprising:

a processing unit;

a storage system, wherein the storage system is configured to maintain objects, each object having a state, wherein each state is any one of;

a synchronized state, and a stub state; and

a memory, the memory containing instructions that, when executed by the processing unit, configure the computing device to;

receive a request from a client to access an object maintained in the storage system;

change the state of the requested object from a stub state to a synchronized state upon receiving the request; and

synchronize data of the requested object having a synchronized state with the CSS.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein each object is any one of:

a file, and a byte range within a file.

3. The computing device of claim 2, wherein the state of the requested object is changed from a stub state to a synchronized state based on a cache management policy, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

disable synchronization of data of the object in the stub state with the CSS.

4. The computing device of claim 2, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

synchronize metadata of files to the storage system, wherein the metadata of each file includes at least a filename of the file.

5. The computing device of claim 2, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

selectively synchronize metadata of a set of files residing in a predefined set of directories to the storage system, wherein the selective synchronization is performed on-demand.

6. The computing device of claim 2, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

receive, from the client, a read request to access a file having a stub state, wherein the read request includes a byte range in the file;

change a state of at least the requested byte range to a synchronized state; and

upon the requested byte range becoming available, return the requested byte range to the client.

7. The computing device of claim 2, wherein the files maintained in the storage system are exposed through a virtual file system.

8. The computing device of claim 2, wherein the files maintained in the storage system are arranged in a multi-level namespace.

9. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the computing device is any one of:

a cloud storage gateway (CSG), and an endpoint.

10. A method for allowing synchronized access to a cloud storage system (CSS), comprising:

receiving a request from a client to access an object maintained in a storage system, wherein the storage system is configured to maintain objects, each object having a state, wherein each state is any one of;

a synchronized state, and a stub state;

changing the state of the requested object from a stub state to a synchronized state upon receiving the request; and

synchronizing data of the requested object having a synchronized state with the CSS.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each object is any one of:

a file, and a byte range within a file.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the state of the requested object is changed from a stub state to a synchronized state based on a cache management policy, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

disable synchronization of data of the object in the stub state with the CSS.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

synchronizing metadata of files to the storage system, wherein the metadata of each file includes at least a filename of the file.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

selectively synchronizing metadata of a set of files residing in a predefined set of directories to the storage system, wherein the selective synchronization is performed on-demand.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, from the client, a read request to access a file having a stub state, wherein the read request includes a byte range in the file;

changing a state of at least the requested byte range to a synchronized state; and

upon the requested byte range becoming available, returning the requested byte range to the client.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the files maintained in the storage system are exposed through a virtual file system.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the files maintained in the storage system are arranged in a multi-level namespace.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the computing device is any one of:

a cloud storage gateway (CSG), and an endpoint.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for causing one or more processing units to execute the method according to claim 10.