Apparatus and method for processing data in a network

• US 7,284,030 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2002
• Issued: 10/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Network Appliance Incorporated (NetApp, Inc.)
• Inventors: Grunwald, David, Ayyar, Kartik, Prakash, Ashish, Ackaouy, Emmanuel, Quirion, Brian, Amdur, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Hu; Jinsong
• Application Number:
  US10/245,798
• Publication Number:
  US 20040054748A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,856 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 707/206, 705/26, 711/118
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0815 Cache consistency protocols
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/6026 Prefetching based on access pattern detection, e.g. stride based prefetch
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99957 Garbage collection

Abstract

In one embodiment, the invention provides a method of transforming a request from a client to a proxy cache, the method comprising: receiving a request from a client, where the request is based upon a first open standard protocol; and translating the request from the first open standard protocol into a second open standard protocol at a file system level; and transmitting the request in the second open standard protocol to a server.

Claims

1. In a proxy cache device, a method of performing a delayed write operation to a server, the method comprising:

receiving, by a proxy cache device, a write operation from a client, wherein the client is coupled by a first communication network to the proxy cache device, and the proxy cache device is coupled by a second communication network to the server;

buffering, by the proxy cache device, write data associated with the write operation via the first communication network from the client; and

performing a delayed write operation from the proxy cache device via the second communication network to the server, the delayed write operation involving the buffered write data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of performing the delayed write operation comprises:

writing the buffered write data to the server at a delayed time subsequent to the write operation from the client.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the buffered write data is written to the server after connection is re-established between the proxy cache device and the server along the second communication network.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the buffered write data is written to the server based upon a schedule.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of performing the delayed write operation comprises:

writing the buffered write data to the server at a rate that is slower than a rate of the write operation from the client.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the buffered write data is subsequently flushed from the proxy cache device.

7. An apparatus for performing a delayed write operation to a server, the apparatus comprising:

a proxy cache device configured to receive a write operation from a client, wherein the client is coupled by a first communication network to the proxy cache device, and the proxy cache device is coupled by a second communication network to the server, buffer write data associated with the write operation via the first communication network from the client, and perform a delayed write operation from the proxy cache device via the second communication network to the server, the delayed write operation involving the buffered write data.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein proxy cache device is configured to write the buffered write data to the server at a delayed time subsequent to the write operation from the client.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the proxy cache device writes the buffered write data to the server after connection is re-established between the proxy cache device and the server along the second communication network.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the proxy cache device writes the buffered write data to the server based upon a schedule.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein proxy cache device writes the buffered write data to the server at a rate that is slower than a rate of the write operation from the client.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein proxy cache device subsequently flushes the buffered write data.