Redundant data forwarding storage

• US 7,631,052 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2008
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Distributed Media Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Post Dahl Co LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Fein, Gene, Merritt, Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): DENNISON, JERRY B
• Application Number:
  US12/132,804
• Publication Number:
  US 20090240782A1
• Time in Patent Office: 552 Days
• Field of Search: 709/251, 709/216, 709/238, 709/239, 710/100
• US Class Current: 709/216
• 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]

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for redundant data forwarding storage. A method includes, in two or more networks of interconnected computer system nodes, receiving a request from a source system in a first network to store data, directing the data to a first computer memory in a first network, directing a first copy of the data to a second computer memory in a second network, continuously forwarding the data from the first computer memory to other computer memories in the first network without storing on any physical storage device in the first network, and continuously forwarding the first copy of the data from the second computer memory to other computer memories in the second network without storing on any physical storage device in the second network.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

in two or more networks of interconnected computing devices, receiving a request from a source computing system to store data;

directing the data to a first computer random access memory associated with a first computing device in a first network;

directing a first copy of the data to a second computer random access memory associated with a second computing device in a second network;

continuously forwarding the data among random access memories of respective computing devices in the first network without storing the data on any hard drive in the first network;

continuously forwarding the first copy of the data among random access memories of respective computing devices in the second network without storing the first copy of the data on any hard drive in the second network; and

requesting the data from one or more random access memories in the first network or requesting the first copy of the data from one or more random access memories in the second network.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

directing a second copy of the data to a third computer random access memory associated with a third computing device in a third network of interconnected computing devices; and

continuously forwarding the second copy of the data among random access memories of respective computing devices in the third network without storing the second copy of the data on any hard drive in the third network.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the networks comprise one or more of a private network and a public network.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein continuously forwarding comprises:

determining an address of a computing device available in the first network to receive the data based on one or more factors;

determining an address of a computing device available in the second network to receive the first copy of the data based on one or more factors;

sending to a central server device the address of the available computing device in the first network and the address of the available computing device in the second network; and

applying a time stamp to the data in a computer random access memory of the available computing device in the first network and to the first copy of the data in a computer random access memory of the available computing device in the second network.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the one or more factors comprise network traffic analysis and available memory.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein continuously forwarding further comprises:

detecting a presence of the data in a computer random access memory of a specific computing device of the first network;

forwarding the data to the computer random access memory of the available computing device in the first network without storing the data on any hard drive in the first network;

detecting a presence of the first copy of the data in a computer random access memory of a specific computing device of the second network; and

forwarding the first copy of the data to the computer random access memory of the available computing device in the second network without storing the first copy of the data on any hard drive in the second network.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein the first copy of the data is directed to a private network selected by a user or user application.

8. A tangible machine readable storage device having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, the computer-executable instructions readable by a computing system comprising one or more computing devices, wherein the computer-executable instructions are executable on the computing system in order to cause the computing system to perform a method comprising:

receiving a request from a source computing system to store data;

directing the data to a first computer random access memory associated with a first computer system node in a first network;

directing a first copy of the data to a second computer random access memory associated with a second computer system node in a second network;

initiating continuous forwarding of the data among computer random access memories of respective computer system nodes in the first network without storing the data on any hard drive in the first network;

initiating continuous forwarding of the first copy of the data among computer random access memories of respective computer system nodes in the second network without storing the first copy of the data on any hard drive in the second network; and

requesting the data from one or more random access memories in the first network or requesting the first copy of the data from one or more random access memories in the second network.

9. The tangible machine readable storage device of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

directing a second copy of the data to a third computer random access memory in a third network of interconnected computer devices; and

continuously forwarding the second copy of the data among computer random access memories of respective computer system nodes in the third network without storing the second copy of the data on any hard drive in the third network.

10. The tangible machine readable storage device of claim 8, wherein each of the networks comprise one or more of a private network and a public network.

11. The tangible machine readable storage device of claim 8, wherein continuously forwarding comprises:

determining an address of a third computer system node available in the first network to receive the data based on one or more factors; and

determining an address of a fourth computer system node available in the second network to receive the first copy of the data based on one or more factors.

12. The tangible machine readable storage device of claim 11 wherein the one or more factors comprise network traffic analysis and available memory.

13. The tangible machine readable storage device of claim 11 wherein continuously forwarding further comprises:

detecting a presence of the data in a computer random access memory associated with a specific computer system node of the first network;

forwarding the data to a computer random access memory associated with the available computer system node in the first network without storing the data on any hard drive in the first network;

detecting a presence of the first copy of the data in a computer random access memory associated with a specific computer system node of the second network; and

forwarding the first copy of the data to a computer random access memory associated with the available computer system node in the second network without storing the first copy of the data on any hard drive in the second network.

14. The tangible machine readable storage device of claim 10 wherein the first copy of the data is directed to a private network selected by a user or user application.

15. A system comprising:

a first network comprising computer system nodes, wherein each computer system node is adapted to

receive data in a random access memory; and

after receiving the data from another computer system node,

forward the data to at least one other computer random access memory associated with another computer system node without storing the data on any hard drive associated with the computer system node if a request to transmit the data to a requesting computing device has not been received;

or

transmit the data from the random access memory of the computer system node to a requesting computing device in response to receiving a request for the data; and

a second network comprising computer system nodes, wherein each computer system node is adapted to

receive a copy of the data in a random access memory; and

after receiving the copy of the data from another computer system node,

forward the copy of the data to at least one other computer random access memory associated with another computer system node without storing the copy of the data on any hard drive associated with the computer system node;

or

transmit the copy of the data from the random access memory of the computer system node to a requesting computing device in response to receiving a request for the copy of data.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein each computer system node is further adapted to

detect a presence of the data or a copy of the data in its random access memory,

apply a time stamp to the data or the copy of the data, and

forward the data or the copy of the data to a random access memory of another computer system node in the respective network according to a nodes the availability of the another computer system node.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the availability of the another computer system node is determined according to its volume of network traffic.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein each computer system node encrypts the data or the copy of the data.