Network storage system

• US 7,308,481 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2003
• Issued: 12/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Takamoto, Yoshifumi, Yamasaki, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne, Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): Osman, Ramy M
• Application Number:
  US10/614,190
• Publication Number:
  US 20040143643A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,617 Days
• Field of Search: 709/215, 709/217, 709/226, 709/229, 709/245
• US Class Current: 709/215
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• 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: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A network storage system for providing many clients with file services is structured to enable layered management of clients. A client management device is disposed between each client and a network file device provided with a disk unit. The network file device allocates a disk area to the client management device, and sets and manages access privileges of the client management device. The client management device allocates a disk area to each clients and sets and manages the access privileges of each client.

Claims

1. A network storage system for supplying a storage to a plurality of clients through a network, said system comprising:

a first device provided with a disk device; and

a second device for managing a connection to said plurality of clients and relaying an access request issued from a client to said disk device,

wherein said first device allocates a portion of said disk device to said second device,

wherein said second device divides said portion allocated by said first device into a plurality of portions, and allocates each of the plurality of portions to a respective one of each of said plurality of clients,

wherein said second device is provided with means for translating a source network address of said client to a specific network address of the second device, the specific network address to be transferred to said first device, such that the means for translating translates each of a plurality of network addresses of each of said plurality of clients to the specific network address of the second device, and

wherein said second device adds a preset name of said portion allocated by said first device to a file name included in said access request received from said client and transfers said file name along with said preset name to said first device.

2. The network storage system according to claim 1,

wherein said system, when said second device is started up, encodes an identifier specific to said second device, then transfers said encoded identifier to said first device, while said first device decodes said device identifier received from said second device and compares said device identifier received from said second device with device identifiers described in a table stored in said first device so as to enable devices described by the device identifiers to be connected to their objects.

3. The network storage system according to claim 2,

wherein said first device requests said second device for transferring of its device identifier periodically, and inhibits said second device to access said allocated portion when receiving no response from said second device or when said device identifier is not found in said table stored in the first device and used to describe devices enabled to access said allocated portion of said disk device.

4. The network storage system according to claim 1,

wherein said first device, when said second device is started up, transfers the name of said allocated portion to said second device.

5. The network storage system according to claim 4,

wherein said first device notifies said second device of a usable capacity when said second device is started up and said second device makes a check whether or not said capacity is exceeded when receiving a write request from a client and rejects said write request if said capacity is exceeded.

6. The network storage system according to claim 1,

wherein said second device encodes a write or read request from a client, then transfers said encoded request to said first device.

7. The network storage system according to claim 1,

wherein said second device, when a client'"'"'s file is to be transferred to another said second device, determines whether or not said file is transferred between different networks and converts a user identifier described in management information of said file if YES is a check result.

8. The network storage system according to claim 7,

wherein said second device, when having transferred said file, deletes the management information related to said client who has transferred said file therefrom, and said another second device adds the management information related to said client thereto.

9. The network storage system according to claim 1, wherein said second device is built in said first device.

10. A network storage system connected to a network to which a plurality of clients are connected, said system comprising:

a network file device for managing a plurality of disk devices; and

a client management device for relaying an access request issued from a client to a disk device and translating an address of the client to an address of the client management device, so as to access said disk device,

wherein the client management device translates each of a plurality of addresses of each of the plurality of clients to the address of the client management device,

wherein said network file device allocates a portion of each of the plurality of said disk devices to said client management device,

wherein said client management device divides said portion allocated by said network file device into a plurality of portions, and allocates each of the plurality of portions to a respective one of each of said plurality of clients, and

wherein said client management device adds a preset name of said portion allocated by said network file device to a file name included in said access request received from said client and transfers said file name along with said preset name to said network file device.

11. A network storage system connected to a network to which a plurality of clients are connected, said system comprising:

a network file device for managing a plurality of disk devices; and

a client management device for relaying an access request issued from a client to a disk device,

wherein said network file device allocates a predetermined portion of each of said plurality of disk devices to said client management device,

wherein said client management device divides said predetermined portion allocated by the network file device into a plurality of portions, and allocates each of the plurality of portions of said predetermined portion to a respective one of each of said plurality of clients, and

wherein said client management device adds a preset name of said portion allocated by said network file device to a file name included in said access request received from said client and transfers said file name along with said preset name to said network file device.

12. The network storage system according to claim 11,

wherein said network file device has a primary cache for storing copy information, which is at least partly disk device information, and

wherein said client management device has a secondary cache for storing part of said copy information stored in said primary cache, which corresponds to said predetermined portion allocated to said client management device.

13. The network storage system according to claim 11,

wherein said network file device and said network storage system are united into one unit.

14. The network storage system according to claim 11,

wherein said network file device and said network storage system are separated from each other and connected to each other through a network.