Management of redundant object in storage systems

• US 7,895,165 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2010
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dawson, Colin Scott, Zaremba, Christopher, Kaczmarski, Michael Allen, Cannon, David Maxwell, Edwards, Robert Clair Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong; Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lodhi; Andalib F
• Application Number:
  US12/780,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20100223233A1
• Time in Patent Office: 284 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/650
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture wherein one client node is selected from a plurality of client nodes. A determination is made that an object corresponding to a client node has to be stored. A determination is made as to whether the object has already been stored in the server node by the one selected client node. The object is stored at the server node, in response to determining that the object has not already been stored in the server node by the one selected client node.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

maintaining a server node in a networked computing environment, wherein the server node is coupled to a plurality of client nodes via a network, and wherein storage is coupled to the server node within the networked computing environment;

storing database entries corresponding to objects of the plurality of client nodes in the server node, wherein the database entries include metadata corresponding to the objects; and

selecting first and second client nodes that are two model nodes from the plurality of client nodes, wherein the two model nodes are selected according to a criterion such that objects to be backed up from the plurality of client nodes to the storage of the server node are more likely to have been backed up from the two model nodes than from any other client node of the plurality of client nodes, wherein the two model nodes are selected prior to receiving at the server node a request for storing an object corresponding to a third client node, wherein the two model nodes are updated more frequently with latest updates to an operating system and software applications in comparison to other client nodes in the plurality of client nodes, and wherein references directed at those objects that are stored in the server node by the two model nodes are included in the stored database entries.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the network comprises the Internet;

the server node and the plurality of client nodes are configurable to communicate in a client server environment and in a peer to peer environment in the networked computing environment; and

the server node and the plurality of client nodes comprise computational platforms.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, in response to the request, that an object corresponding to the third client node has to be stored;

determining whether the object has already been stored in a server node by the two model nodes, wherein the two model nodes are more likely to have backed up objects in comparison to other client nodes in the plurality of client nodes, and wherein the backed up objects can be used by the other client nodes of the plurality of client nodes; and

storing the object at the server node, in response to determining that the object has not already been stored in the server node by the two model nodes, wherein the two model nodes and the server node are different computational devices, wherein the server node stores data backed up by the two model nodes in a direct access storage device, and wherein the server node stores data backed up by those client nodes that are different from the two model nodes in removable storage media.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the time complexity for determining for the plurality of client nodes whether objects included in the plurality of client nodes have already been stored in the server node by the two model nodes is linear with respect to the number of the plurality of client nodes.

5. A system, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor performs operations, the operations comprising;

maintaining a server node in a networked computing environment, wherein the server node is coupled to a plurality of client nodes via a network, and wherein storage is coupled to the server node within the networked computing environment;

storing database entries corresponding to objects of the plurality of client nodes in the server node, wherein the database entries include metadata corresponding to the objects; and

selecting first and second client nodes that are two model nodes from the plurality of client nodes, wherein the two model nodes are selected according to a criterion such that objects to be backed up from the plurality of client nodes to the storage of the server node are more likely to have been backed up from the two model nodes than from any other client node of the plurality of client nodes, wherein the two model nodes are selected prior to receiving at the server node a request for storing an object corresponding to a third client node, wherein the two model nodes are updated more frequently with latest updates to an operating system and software applications in comparison to other client nodes in the plurality of client nodes, and wherein references directed at those objects that are stored in the server node by the two model nodes are included in the stored database entries.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein:

the network comprises the Internet;

the server node and the plurality of client nodes are configurable to communicate in a client server environment and in a peer to peer environment in the networked computing environment; and

the server node and the plurality of client nodes comprise computational platforms.

7. The system of claim 5, the operations further comprising:

determining, in response to the request, that an object corresponding to the third client node has to be stored;

determining whether the object has already been stored in a server node by the two model nodes, wherein the two model nodes are more likely to have backed up objects in comparison to other client nodes in the plurality of client nodes, and wherein the backed up objects can be used by the other client nodes of the plurality of client nodes; and

storing the object at the server node, in response to determining that the object has not already been stored in the server node by the two model nodes, wherein the two model nodes and the server node are different computational devices, wherein the server node stores data backed up by the two model nodes in a direct access storage device, and wherein the server node stores data backed up by those client nodes that are different from the two model nodes in removable storage media.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the time complexity for determining for the plurality of client nodes whether objects included in the plurality of client nodes have already been stored in the server node by the two model nodes is linear with respect to the number of the plurality of client nodes.

9. A computer readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therewith, and wherein the computer-readable program code when executed by a processor causes operations, the operations comprising:

maintaining a server node in a networked computing environment, wherein the server node is coupled to a plurality of client nodes via a network, and wherein storage is coupled to the server node within the networked computing environment;

storing database entries corresponding to objects of the plurality of client nodes in the server node, wherein the database entries include metadata corresponding to the objects; and

selecting first and second client nodes that are two model nodes from the plurality of client nodes, wherein the two model nodes are selected according to a criterion such that objects to be backed up from the plurality of client nodes to the storage of the server node are more likely to have been backed up from the two model nodes than from any other client node of the plurality of client nodes, wherein the two model nodes are selected prior to receiving at the server node a request for storing an object corresponding to a third client node, wherein the two model nodes are updated more frequently with latest updates to an operating system and software applications in comparison to other client nodes in the plurality of client nodes, and wherein references directed at those objects that are stored in the server node by the two model nodes are included in the stored database entries.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein:

the network comprises the Internet;

the server node and the plurality of client nodes are configurable to communicate in a client server environment and in a peer to peer environment in the networked computing environment; and

the server node and the plurality of client nodes comprise computational platforms.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, the operations further comprising:

determining, in response to the request, that an object corresponding to the third client node has to be stored;

determining whether the object has already been stored in a server node by the two model nodes, wherein the two model nodes are more likely to have backed up objects in comparison to other client nodes in the plurality of client nodes, and wherein the backed up objects can be used by the other client nodes of the plurality of client nodes; and

storing the object at the server node, in response to determining that the object has not already been stored in the server node by the two model nodes, wherein the two model nodes and the server node are different computational devices, wherein the server node stores data backed up by the two model nodes in a direct access storage device, and wherein the server node stores data backed up by those client nodes that are different from the two model nodes in removable storage media.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the time complexity for determining for the plurality of client nodes whether objects included in the plurality of client nodes have already been stored in the server node by the two model nodes is linear with respect to the number of the plurality of client nodes.

13. A method for deploying computing infrastructure, comprising integrating computer-readable code into a computing system, wherein the computer-readable code in combination with the computing system is capable of performing:

maintaining a server node in a networked computing environment, wherein the server node is coupled to a plurality of client nodes via a network, and wherein storage is coupled to the server node within the networked computing environment;

storing database entries corresponding to objects of the plurality of client nodes in the server node, wherein the database entries include metadata corresponding to the objects; and

selecting first and second client nodes that are two model nodes from the plurality of client nodes, wherein the two model nodes are selected according to a criterion such that objects to be backed up from the plurality of client nodes to the storage of the server node are more likely to have been backed up from the two model nodes than from any other client node of the plurality of client nodes, wherein the two model nodes are selected prior to receiving at the server node a request for storing an object corresponding to a third client node, wherein the two model nodes are updated more frequently with latest updates to an operating system and software applications in comparison to other client nodes in the plurality of client nodes, and wherein references directed at those objects that are stored in the server node by the two model nodes are included in the stored database entries.

14. The method for deploying computing infrastructure of claim 13, wherein:

the network comprises the Internet;

the server node and the plurality of client nodes are configurable to communicate in a client server environment and in a peer to peer environment in the networked computing environment; and

the server node and the plurality of client nodes comprise computational platforms.

15. The method for deploying computing infrastructure of claim 13, wherein the computer-readable code in combination with the computing system is further capable of performing:

determining, in response to the request, that an object corresponding to the third client node has to be stored;

determining whether the object has already been stored in a server node by the two model nodes, wherein the two model nodes are more likely to have backed up objects in comparison to other client nodes in the plurality of client nodes, and wherein the backed up objects can be used by the other client nodes of the plurality of client nodes; and

storing the object at the server node, in response to determining that the object has not already been stored in the server node by the two model nodes, wherein the two model nodes and the server node are different computational devices, wherein the server node stores data backed up by the two model nodes in a direct access storage device, and wherein the server node stores data backed up by those client nodes that are different from the two model nodes in removable storage media.

16. The method for deploying computing infrastructure of claim 13, wherein the time complexity for determining for the plurality of client nodes whether objects included in the plurality of client nodes have already been stored in the server node by the two model nodes is linear with respect to the number of the plurality of client nodes.