Managing Data Using a Time-Based Directory Structure

• US 20170357449A1
• Filed: 06/09/2016
• Published: 12/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Bashir, Ahmed M., Vlasov, Vasilii
• Granted Patent: US 10,567,460 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data

Abstract

A server (or server instance) may receive data during a plurality of sequential blocks of time. The server may store the data received in each block of time in a corresponding separate directory within a data store. The server may determine that a threshold storage capacity of the data store has been reached and, in response to the determining, may clear a directory in which oldest data received in an earliest block of time has been stored.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a server, data during a plurality of sequential blocks of time;

storing, by the server, the data received in each block of time in a corresponding separate directory within a data store associated with the server;

determining, by the server, that a threshold storage capacity of the data store has been reached; and

in response to the determining, clearing, by the server, a directory in which oldest data received in an earliest block of time has been stored.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing, by the server, information identifying the data stored in each directory.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving, at the server, a request for a subset of the data from a client device;

searching, by the server, the information to determine whether the requested data is stored within the data store;

in response to determining that the requested data is stored within the data store, sending, by the server, the requested data to the client; and

in response to determining that the requested data is not stored within the data store, sending, by the server, a request for the data to a data center.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data being cached comprises streaming media data, the method further comprising streaming, by the server, the data to a client device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing, by the server, the data received in the next block of time in a new directory.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to the threshold storage capacity of the data store being reached, creating, by the server, a new directory for each of the sequential blocks of time.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the directories are of non-uniform size.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the blocks of time are of uniform size.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a data store; and

a processor configured to;

receive data during a plurality of sequential blocks of time;

store the data received in each block of time in a corresponding separate directory within the data store;

determine that a threshold storage capacity of the data store has been reached; and

in response to the determining, clear a directory in which oldest data received in an earliest block of time has been stored.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to store information identifying the data stored in each directory in the data store.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a request for a subset of the data from a client device;

search the information to determine whether the requested data is stored within the data store;

in response to determining that the requested data is stored within the data store, send the requested data to the client; and

in response to determining that the requested data is not stored within the data store, send a request for the data to a data center.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein:

the data being cached comprises streaming media data; and

the processor is further configured to stream the data to a client device.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to instantiate a plurality of server instances configured to stream the data to one or more client devices.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to store the data received in the next block of time in a new directory.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to, prior to the threshold storage capacity of the data store being reached, create a new directory for each of the sequential blocks of time.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to instantiate a plurality of server instances configured to receive the data and store the data.

17. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the directories are of non-uniform size.

18. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the blocks of time are of uniform size.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for instantiating at least one server instance;

computer program code for storing, with the at least one server instance, data received during a plurality of sequential blocks of time in a data store associated with the server, the storing comprising storing the data received in each block of time in a corresponding separate directory within the data store;

computer program code for determining that a threshold storage capacity of the data store has been reached; and

computer program code for clearing, in response to the determining, a directory in which oldest data received in an earliest block of time has been stored.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, further comprising computer program code for storing, with the at least one server instance, information identifying the data stored in each directory.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20, further comprising:

computer program code for searching, with the at least one server instance in response to receiving a request for a subset of the data from a client device, the information to determine whether the requested data is stored within the data store;

computer program code for sending, with the at least one server instance in response to determining that the requested data is stored within the data store, the requested data to the client; and

computer program code for sending, with the at least one server instance in response to determining that the requested data is not stored within the data store, a request for the data to a data center.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the data being stored comprises streaming media data, the non-transitory computer readable medium further comprising computer program code for streaming, with the at least one server instance, the data to a client device.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, further comprising computer program code for storing, with the at least one server instance, the data received in the next block of time in a new directory.

24. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, further comprising computer program code for, prior to the threshold storage capacity of the data store being reached, creating a new directory for each of the sequential blocks of time.

25. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the directories are of non-uniform size.

26. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the blocks of time are of uniform size.

27. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the at least one server instance comprises a plurality of server instances configured to access the same data store.

28. A method comprising:

receiving, at a server associated with a data center, data during a period of time, wherein the period of time comprises a first block of time and a second block of time, wherein the first block of time and the second block of time are sequential blocks of time, wherein the first data portion is received during the first block of time and the second data portion is received during the second block of time, wherein the first data portion is received before the second data portion;

storing, by the server, the first data portion in a first directory in a data store and the second data portion in a second directory in the data store;

determining, by the server, that a threshold storage capacity of the data store has been reached; and

in response to the determining, clearing, by the server, the first directory.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising storing, by the server, information identifying the data stored in each directory.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

receiving, at the server, a request for a subset of the data from a client device;

searching, by the server, the information to determine whether the requested data is stored within the data store;

in response to determining that the requested data is stored within the data store, sending, by the server, the requested data to the client; and

in response to determining that the requested data is not stored within the data store, sending, by the server, a request for the data to the data center.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the data being cached comprises streaming media data, the method further comprising streaming, by the server, the data to a client device.

32. The method of claim 28, further comprising, prior to the threshold storage capacity of the data store being reached, creating, by the server, a new directory for each of the sequential blocks of time.

33. The method of claim 28, wherein the directories are of non-uniform size.

34. The method of claim 28, wherein the blocks of time are of uniform size.