System and method for content management over network storage devices

• US 6,990,481 B1
• Filed: 05/26/2000
• Issued: 01/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Coraid, Incorporated
• Inventors: Coile, Brantley W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mofiz, Apu M.
• Application Number:
  US09/579,961
• Time in Patent Office: 2,069 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/3, 707/6, 707/10, 707/103.R, 703/27, 705/14, 709/201, 709/203, 709/207, 709/217, 709/223, 709/228
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing

Abstract

The present invention is a system and method for managing content across one or more storage device systems. A typical system according to the present invention includes one or more indexing systems and a set of storage device systems. Each indexing system monitors usage of content stored on the storage systems. Based upon usage of particular content, an indexing system may issue requests such as move, delete or copy to more efficiently utilize the overall storage capacity of the storage system. All indexing systems monitor the servicing of such requests and update stored data concerning the file subject to the request accordingly.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented system for managing content across storage systems, the system comprising:

(a) one or more storage systems containing data sets; and

(b) one or more indexing systems, each indexing system comprising a data store for storing usage information associated with data sets stored on the one or more storage systems and a processor for performing the steps of;

(i) tracking usage of the data sets contained on the one or more of storage devices; and

(ii) issuing content management directives with respect to the data sets to alter the number of instances of data sets contained on the one or more storage devices so as to maximize efficient access to the data sets, wherein an indexing system issues content management directives selected from a group consisting of copy directives, move directives, and delete directives.

2. The system of claim 1, and further comprising a communication network among the one or more storage systems and the one or more indexing system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein an indexing system performs the tracking step by performing the step of:

(A) monitoring a data set access request between an indexing system and a storage device system; and

(B) updating usage information associated with a data set corresponding to the monitored data set access request.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the usage information in the data store is a table of records correlating data sets with data set access request information.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the data set access request information correlated with a data set is a request rate associated with the data set.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the data set access request information correlated with a data set corresponds to a number of data set access requests for the data set.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the indexing system issues a content management directed selected from the group consisting of copy directives and delete directives.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein each storage system comprises a storage processor.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the storage processor of a storage system performs the steps comprising of:

(i) receiving a content management directive from the one or more indexing systems; and

(ii) manipulating a data set on the storage system based upon the received directive.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the storage processor performs the further step comprising of acknowledging processing of the received directive.

11. A computer-implemented content access and management messaging system, the system comprising:

(a) one or more storage systems containing data sets; and

(b) one or more management systems in communication with the one or more storage systems, each management system comprising a management processor for performing the steps comprising of;

(i) delegating data set access requests to the one or more storage systems; and

(ii) issuing content management directives to the one or more storage systems to alter the number of instances of data sets contained on the one or more storage devices so as to maximize efficient access to the data sets based on tracking data generated by one or more indexing systems that track usage of the data sets contained on the one or more of storage devices, wherein the management processor issues content management directives selected from a group consisting of copy directives move directives, and delete directives.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the management processor issues content management directives selected from the group consisting of copy directives and delete directives.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the management processor performs the further step comprising of monitoring data set access delegations.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein each storage system comprises a storage processor.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the storage processor performs the step comprising of receiving a data set access delegation from the one or more management systems.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the storage processor performs the steps comprising of:

(i) receiving a content management directive from the one or more management systems; and

(ii) manipulating a data set on the storage system based upon the received directive.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the storage processor performs the further step comprising of acknowledging processing of the received directive.

18. The system of claim 11, and further comprising a communication network among the one or more storage systems and the one or more indexing systems.

19. A computer-implemented method for one or more indexing systems to manage content across storage systems, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) tracking usage of data sets contained on the one or more storage devices by one or more indexing system; and

(b) issuing content management directives by the one or more indexing systems with respect to the data sets to alter the number of instances of data sets contained on the one or more storage devices so as to maximize efficient access to the data sets, wherein content management directives issued by an indexing system are selected from a group consisting of copy directives move directives, and delete directives.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the tracking step comprises the steps of:

(i) monitoring a data set access request between an indexing system and a storage device system; and

(ii) updating usage information associated with a data set corresponding to the monitored data set access request.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the tracking step further comprises the step of storing usage information in a table of records correlating data sets with data set access request information.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the data set access request information correlated with a data set is a request rate associated with the data set.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the data set access request information correlated with a data set corresponds to a number of data set access requests for the data set.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein content management directives issued by an indexing system are selected from the group consisting of copy directives and delete directives.

25. A computer-implemented method for one or more indexing systems to manage content across storage systems, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) tracking usage of data sets contained on the one or more storage devices by one or more indexing system;

(b) issuing content management directives by the one or more indexing systems with respect to the data sets to alter the number of instances of data sets contained on the one or more storage devices so as to maximize efficient access to the data sets;

(c) receiving by a storage system a content management directive selected from the group consisting of move directives, copy directives and delete directives from the one or more indexing systems; and

(d) manipulating a data set by the storage system based upon the received directive.

26. The method of claim 25, and comprising the further step of acknowledging processing of the received directive.

27. A computer-implemented content access and management messaging method for communication between one or more storage systems and one or more management systems, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) delegating data set access requests by a management system to one or more store systems; and

(b) issuing content management directives by a management system to the one or more storage systems to alter the number of instances of data sets contained on the one or more storage devices so as to maximize efficient access to the data sets based on tracking data generated by one or more indexing systems that track usage of the data sets contained on the one or more of storage devices, wherein content management directives are selected from a group consisting of copy directives, move directives, and delete directives.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein content management directives are selected from the group consisting of copy directives and delete directives.

29. The method of claim 27, and further comprising the step of monitoring data set access delegations by the one or more management systems.

30. The method of claim 27, and further comprising the step of receiving a data set access delegation by a storage system from the one or more management systems.

31. A computer-implemented content access and management messaging method for communication between one or more storage systems and one or more management systems, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) delegating data set access requests by a management system to one or more storage systems;

(b) issuing content management directives by a management system to the one or more storage systems to alter the number of instances of data sets contained on the one or more storage devices so as to maximize efficient access to the data sets based on tracking data generated by one or more indexing systems that track usage of the data sets contained on the one or more of storage devices;

(c) receiving a content management directive selected from the group consisting of copy directives, move directives and delete directives by a storage system from the one or more management systems; and

(d) manipulating a data set by the storage system based upon the received directive.

32. The method of claim 31, and further comprising the step of acknowledging processing of the received directive by the storage system.

33. A computer-implemented system for managing content across storage systems, the system comprising:

(a) tracking means for tracking usage of data sets contained on the one or more storage devices by one or more indexing system;

(b) issuing means for issuing content management directives selected from the group consisting of copy directives move directives and delete directives by the one or more indexing systems with respect to the data sets to alter the number of instances of data sets contained on the one or more storage devices so as to maximize efficient access to the data sets;

(c) receiving means for receiving by a storage system a content management directive from the one or more indexing systems; and

(d) manipulating means for manipulating a data set by the storage system based upon the received directive.

34. A computer-implemented content access and management messaging system, the system comprising:

(a) delegating means for delegating data set access requests by a management system to one or more storage systems;

(b) issuing means for issuing content management directives selected from the group consisting of move directives, copy directives and delete directives by a management system based on tracking data generated by one or more indexing systems that track usage of the data sets contained on the one or more of storage devices to the one or more storage systems to alter the number of instances of data sets contained on the one or more storage devices so as to maximize efficient access to the data sets;

(c) receiving means for receiving a content management directive by a storage system from the one or more management systems; and

(d) manipulating means for manipulating a data set by the storage system based upon the received directive.