Arrangements and methods for access to stored data

• US 8,352,602 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2010
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Medard, Muriel, Aikens, Mark, Colon, Louis M. Jr., Hurley, James M., Kilian, Michael, McShane, Matthew, Warres, Michael, Scheifler, Robert W.
• Primary Examiner(s): JEAN GILLES, JUDE
• Application Number:
  US12/827,154
• Publication Number:
  US 20110131326A1
• Time in Patent Office: 923 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709/227
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated 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 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066

Abstract

An access server generates a handshake with storage servers resulting in more rapid access to the stored data, for example, video data, by a user. The handshake also results in load balancing effects.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a first access server, communicating over a network, with storage servers that are associated with stored data, the first access server being to;

transmit, to the storage servers, a request associated with accessing the stored data,

receive, from a plurality of the storage servers offers associated with accessing the stored data, the offers indicating respective conditions associated with accessing the stored data via the plurality of the storage servers,

evaluate the offers based on the respective conditions to form evaluation results,

select, based on the evaluation results, at least one storage server of the plurality of the storage servers, and

transmit, to the at least one storage server, an action command associated with accessing the stored data via the at least one storage server.

2. The system of claim 1, where the request, transmitted by the first access server, comprises at least one of:

a data identifier associated with the stored data,

a data segment identifier value associated with the stored data,

a read request associated with the stored data,

an ingest request associated with the stored data,

an erase request associated with the stored data,

a change request associated with the stored data,

a priority value associated with the stored data,

an urgency value associated with the stored data, or

a query.

3. The system of claim 2, where the request comprises the query, and

where the query comprises at least one of:

an available bandwidth query,

a range of bandwidth query,

a probability of bandwidth query,

a delay of response query,

a range of delay of response query, or

a probability of delay of response query.

4. The system of claim 1, where each of the offers comprises at least one of:

a data identifier value,

a data availability identifier value,

a null data identifier value,

a data segment identifier value,

an available bandwidth value,

a range of bandwidth value,

a probability of bandwidth value,

a delay of response value,

a range of delay of response value,

a probability of delay of response value,

a cost value,

a current load value, or

an offer weight value indicative of one or more of the data identifier value, the data availability identifier value, the null data identifier value, the data segment identifier value, the available bandwidth value, the range of bandwidth value, the probability of bandwidth value, the delay of response value, the range of delay of response value, the probability of delay of response value, the cost value, or the current load value.

5. The system of claim 4, where the first access server, when evaluating the offers, is further to:

perform at least one of;

when an offer, of the offers, includes the available bandwidth value, a comparison of a desired bandwidth associated with the first access server and the available bandwidth value,

when the offer includes the delay of response value, a comparison of a maximum desired time delay associated with the first access server and the delay of response value,

when the offer includes the offer weight value, a comparison of the offer weight value and a threshold value, or

when the offer includes the offer weight value, a comparison of the offer weight value and other offer weight values associated with other ones of the plurality of storage servers.

6. The system of claim 1, where the first access server, when transmitting the action command, is further to:

transmit at least one of;

a read action command corresponding to a read of the stored data from the at least one storage server, where the read comprises a download of the stored data from the at least one storage server to the first access server,

an erase action command corresponding to an erase of the stored data associated with the at least one storage server,

an ingest action command corresponding to an ingest of the stored data from one of the storage servers to the at least one storage server, or

a change action command to change a characteristic of the stored data.

7. The system of claim 1, where the first access server is further to:

transmit, based on the action command, a service hand-off request to a second access server;

receive, from the second access server and based on the service hand-off request, a service hand-off offer,

evaluate the service hand-off offer, and

transmit a hand-off action command for a service hand-off to the second server based on evaluating the service hand-off offer.

8. The system of claim 1, where the at least one storage server maintains an object directory to identify the stored data and locations of the stored data within the at least one storage server.

9. The system of claim 1, where network further comprises:

a memory to maintain an inventory of data stored within the plurality of storage servers.

10. The system of claim 1, where the stored data is segmented among the plurality of the storage servers,

where the offers relate to accessing respective segments of the stored data.

11. The system of claim 1, where the first access server, when transmitting the request is, further to:

multicast the request to the storage servers.

12. A method comprising:

transmitting, by an access server and to a plurality of storage servers, a request to access, through a network, stored data associated with the plurality of storage servers;

receiving, by the access server, an offer associated with accessing the stored data via at least one of the plurality of storage servers, the offer including information identifying conditions associated with accessing the stored data via the at least one of the plurality of storage servers;

evaluating, by the access server, the information included in the offer to determine whether the conditions, associated with accessing the stored data via the at least one of the plurality of storage servers, meets one or more selection criteria; and

transmitting, by the access server and to the at least one of the plurality of storage servers, an command to access the stored data when the conditions meet the one or more selection criteria.

13. The method of claim 12, where the request comprises at least one of:

a data identifier,

a data segment identifier value,

a read request,

an ingest request,

an erase request, transmitting a change request,

a priority value,

an urgency value, or

a query.

14. The method of claim 13, where the request comprises the query, and

where transmitting the request further comprises at least one of:

transmitting an available bandwidth query,

transmitting a range of bandwidth query,

transmitting a probability of bandwidth query,

transmitting a delay of response query,

transmitting a range of delay of response query, or

transmitting a probability of delay of response query.

15. The method of claim 13, where receiving the at least one offer comprises:

receiving at least one of;

a data identifier value,

a data availability identifier value,

a null data identifier value,

a data segment identifier value,

an available bandwidth value,

a range of bandwidth value,

a probability of bandwidth value,

a delay of response value,

a range of delay of response value,

a probability of delay of response value,

a cost value,

a current load value, or

an offer weight value indicative of one or more of the data identifier value, the data availability identifier value, the null data identifier value, the data segment identifier value, the available bandwidth value, the range of bandwidth value, the probability of bandwidth value, the delay of response value, the range of delay of response value, the probability of delay of response value, the cost value, or the current load value.

16. The method of claim 12, where evaluating the offer comprises at least one of:

comparing a desired bandwidth with an available bandwidth value associated with the offer,

comparing a desired maximum time delay with a delay of response value associated with the offer,

comparing an offer weight value, associated with the offer, with a predetermined threshold value, or

comparing the offer weight value with other offer weight values associated with delivery of the stored data via other ones of the plurality of storage servers.

17. The method of claim 12, where transmitting the action command comprises at least one of:

transmitting a read action command corresponding to a read of the stored data from the at least one of the plurality of storage servers, where the read comprises a download of the stored data from the at least one of the plurality of storage servers to the access server,

transmitting an erase action command corresponding to an erase of the stored data from the at least one of the plurality of storage servers,

transmitting an ingest action command corresponding to an ingest of the stored data associated with one of the plurality of storage servers to the at least one of the plurality of storage servers, or

transmitting a change action command to change a characteristic of the stored data.

18. The method of claim 12, where the access server is a first access server, and where the method further comprises:

transmitting a service hand-off request to a second access server;

receiving a service hand-off offer from the second access server;

evaluating the service hand-off offer based on evaluation criteria; and

transmitting a hand-off action command for a service handoff between the first access server and the second access server when the service hand-off offer meets the evaluation criteria.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising;

maintaining an object directory identifying locations of the stored data at the at least one of the plurality of storage servers.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising maintaining an inventory, to identify content, including the stored data, stored by the plurality of storage servers.

21. The method of claim 12, where the stored data is segmented among the plurality of storage servers.

22. The method of claim 12, where the transmitting the request comprises:

multicasting the request to the plurality of storage servers.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by a processor associated with a server, cause the processor to transmit a request associated with accessing, through a network, data through a plurality of remote servers;

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to receive at least one offer from at least one server, of the plurality of remote servers, the at least one offer including information associated with an expected time to access the data via the at least one server;

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to evaluate, based on the information, the offer to determine whether the expected time meets at least one selection criteria; and

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to transmit an action command associated with accessing the data via the at least one server when the expected time meets the at least one selection criteria.

31. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, where portions of the data are stored in a respective plurality of locations in the network, and where the at least one offer further includes information identifying the plurality of locations.

24. A system, comprising:

a first server to;

receive, from a second server, a request associated with accessing stored data via a network,

determine one or more conditions associated with enabling the second server to access the stored data via the network,

send, to the second server and based on receiving the request, an offer that includes information identifying the one or more conditions and

receive, from the second server and based on the offer, an action command associated with the stored data.

25. The system of claim 24, where the request received by the storage server comprises at least one of:

a data identifier,

a data segment identifier value,

a read request,

an ingest request,

an erase request,

a change request,

a priority value,

an urgency value, or

a query.

26. The system of claim 24, where the first server, when sending the offer, is further to:

include, in the offer at least one of;

a data identifier value,

a data availability identifier value,

a null data identifier value;

a data segment identifier value,

an available bandwidth value,

a range of bandwidth value,

a probability of bandwidth value,

a delay of response value,

a range of delay of response value,

a probability of delay of response value,

a cost value,

a current load value, or

an offer weight value indicative of one or more of the data identifier value, the data availability identifier value, the null data identifier value, the data segment identifier value, the available bandwidth value, the range of bandwidth value, the probability of bandwidth value, the delay of response value, the range of delay of response value, the probability of delay of response value, the cost value, or the current load value.

27. A method of access to stored data, the method comprising:

receiving, by a first server, a request associated with accessing, by a second server, stored data associated with the first server, the first server and the second server being different;

determining, by the first server and based on receiving the request, one or more conditions associated with the second server accessing the stored data via the first server;

transmitting, by the first server and to the second server, at least one offer associated with enabling the second server to access the stored data, the at least one offer including information identifying the one or more conditions; and

receiving, by the first server and from the second server, an action command based on the offer and associated with the stored data.

28. The method of claim 27, where the request, received by the first server, comprises at least one of:

a data identifier,

a data segment identifier value,

a read request,

an ingest request,

an erase request,

a change request,

a priority value,

an urgency value, or

a query.

29. The method of claim 27, where the offer provided by the first server comprises at least one of:

a data identifier value,

a data availability identifier value,

a null data identifier value,

a data segment identifier value,

an available bandwidth value,

a range of bandwidth value,

a probability of bandwidth value,

a delay of response value,

a range of delay of response value,

a probability of delay of response value,

a cost value,

a current load value, or

an offer weight value indicative of one or more of the data identifier value, the data availability identifier value, the null data identifier value, the data segment identifier value, the available bandwidth value, the range of bandwidth value, the probability of bandwidth value, the delay of response value, the range of delay of response value, the probability of delay of response value, the cost value, or the current load value.

30. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by a processor associated with a first server, cause the processor to receive a request from a second server associated with accessing stored data via the first server;

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine one or more conditions associated with the second server accessing the stored data via the first server;

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to transmit at least one offer associated with the stored data, the at least one offer including information associated with the one or more conditions; and

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to receive, from the second server, an action command related to the offer.

32. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 30, where the one or more conditions relate to an expected time for access, by the second server, to the stored data via the first server.