Methods and apparatus for managing the storage of content in a file system
First Claim
1. A method of managing content units in a file system installed on a computer system comprising at least one input, and at least one controller coupled to the at least one input and configured to store content units in the file system, the method comprising acts of:
- receiving via the at least one input, a first request to store a first content unit, the first content unit having a first content address that is computed, at least in part, by hashing the content of the first content unit;
in response to the first request, storing the first content unit in a file in the file system;
receiving via the at least one input, a second request to store a second content unit, the second content unit having a second address that is computed, at least in part, by hashing the content of the second content unit;
in response to the second request, storing the second content unit in the same file in which the first content unit is stored and in a manner that enables the first and second content units to be separately accessible;
receiving a third request to store a third content unit, the third content unit having a same content as the first content unit;
determining that the first and third content units have the same content; and
in response to determining that the first and third content units have the same content, declining to store the third content unit.
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Accused Products
Abstract
One embodiment of the invention is directed to the containerization of content units that are accessed using an identifier. Applicants have appreciated that file systems sometimes impose limits on the number of files that may be stored therein that are too restrictive. Thus, in one embodiment, multiple content units may be stored in a single file, called a container file, in a file system. Each content unit may have an identifier associated with it. When an accessing entity requests access to a previously-stored content unit and provides the identifier for the content unit, the identifier may be used to locate the container file in which the content unit is stored.
23 Citations
57 Claims
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1. A method of managing content units in a file system installed on a computer system comprising at least one input, and at least one controller coupled to the at least one input and configured to store content units in the file system, the method comprising acts of:
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receiving via the at least one input, a first request to store a first content unit, the first content unit having a first content address that is computed, at least in part, by hashing the content of the first content unit; in response to the first request, storing the first content unit in a file in the file system; receiving via the at least one input, a second request to store a second content unit, the second content unit having a second address that is computed, at least in part, by hashing the content of the second content unit; in response to the second request, storing the second content unit in the same file in which the first content unit is stored and in a manner that enables the first and second content units to be separately accessible; receiving a third request to store a third content unit, the third content unit having a same content as the first content unit; determining that the first and third content units have the same content; and in response to determining that the first and third content units have the same content, declining to store the third content unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. At least one computer readable medium encoded with instructions that, when executed on a computer system, perform a method of managing content units in a file system, the method comprising acts of:
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receiving a first request to store a first content unit, the first content unit having a first content address that is computed, at least in part, by hashing the content of the first content unit; in response to the first request, storing the first content unit in a file in the file system; receiving a second request to store a second content unit, the second content unit having a second address that is computed, at least in part, by hashing the content of the second content unit; and in response to the second request, storing the second content unit in the same file in which the first content unit is stored and in a manner that enables the first and second content units to be separately accessible; receiving a third request to store a third content unit, the third content unit having a same content as the first content unit; determining that the first and third content units have the same content; and in response to determining that the first and third content units have the same content, declining to store the third content unit. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. A computer system that manages content units in a file system comprising:
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at least one input; and at least one controller coupled to the at least one input that; receives, via the input, a first request to store a first content unit, the first content unit having a first content address that is computed, at least in part, by hashing the content of the first content unit; in response to the first request, stores the first content unit in a file in the file system; receives, via the input, a second request to store a second content unit, the second content unit having a second address that is computed, at least in part, by hashing the content of the second content unit; in response to the second request, stores the second content unit in the same file in which the first content unit is stored and in a manner that enables the first and second content units to be separately accessible;
p2 receives a third request to store a third content unit, the third content unit having a same content as the first content unit;determines that the first and third content units have the same content; and in response to determining that the first and third content units have the same content, declines to store the third content unit. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57)
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45. The computer of clam 44, wherein the at least one controller:
creates an entry for the first content unit in an index file, the entry identifying the file that stores the first content unit and wherein the index file is stored in one of the plurality of directories that corresponds to an index time for the first content unit. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49)
Specification