Multi-homed data forwarding storage

• US 8,356,078 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2009
• Issued: 01/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Distributed Media Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Tajitshu Transfer LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Fein, Gene, Merritt, Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): DENNISON, JERRY B
• Application Number:
  US13/057,072
• Publication Number:
  US 20110138075A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,286 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/212
• US Class Current: 709/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/677 Multiple interfaces, e.g. multihomed nodes
• 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 multi-homed data forwarding storage. A method includes, in a computer system having multiple non-loopback network addresses, receiving a request to store data, directing the data to a memory location associated with a first non-loopback network address available to receive the data, continuously forwarding the data from the memory location associated with the first non-loopback network address to a memory location associated with another non-loopback network address in the computer system without storing on any physical storage device in the computer system. The continuously forwarding can include detecting a presence of the data in a memory location associated with a specific non-loopback network address, and forwarding the data to another memory location of another non-loopback network address in the computer without storing on any physical storage device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

in a computer system having multiple network addresses associated with respective memory locations, receiving a request to store at least one data item;

directing the at least one data item to a first network address associated with a first memory location that is configured to receive the at least one data item; and

forwarding the at least one data item between memory locations in the computer system without storing the forwarded at least one data item on any fixed storage medium in the computer system, the forwarding comprising;

detecting a presence of the at least one data item at a memory location associated with a specific network address; and

forwarding the at least one data item between multiple memory locations associated with respective network addresses in the computer system without storing the forwarded at least one data item on any fixed storage medium, wherein network addresses to which the at least one data items are forwarded are determined dynamically based at least on statuses of respective memory locations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer system comprises a network interface that is responsive to requests for at least two of the multiple network addresses.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to receiving an indication of an imminent power loss to the computer system, forwarding the at least one data item to a memory of another computer system in communication with the computer system via one or more networks.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer system comprises a single computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer system comprises two or more computing devices.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple network addresses comprise Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a request to retrieve a particular data item being forwarded in the computer system; and

retrieving the particular data item from a memory location associated with one of the network addresses.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein retrieving comprises:

comparing a hash mark associated with the particular data item to respective hash marks of data items entering memory locations of the computer system in order to identify a particular memory location storing the particular data item; and

forwarding the particular data item from the particular memory location to a requester.

9. A non-signal computer readable medium having instruction stored thereon, wherein the instructions are readable by a computing system having multiple network addresses associated with respective memory locations in order to cause the computing system to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request to store a data item;

directing the data item to a first network address associated with a first memory location;

forwarding the data item between memory addresses of the computing system without storing the data item on any fixed storage medium in the computing system, wherein respective memory addresses to which the data item is forwarded are determined dynamically based at least on statuses of respective memory locations; and

in response to receiving a request to retrieve the data item, retrieving the data item from a particular memory location of the computer system that stores the data item at the time of retrieving.

10. The non-signal computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the computing system comprises a network interface that is responsive to requests for at least two of the multiple network addresses.

11. The non-signal computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to receiving an indication of an imminent power loss to the computing system, forwarding the data item to a memory of another computing device in communication with the computing system via one or more networks.

12. The non-signal computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the computing system comprises a single computing device.

13. The non-signal computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the multiple network addresses comprise Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.

14. The non-signal computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein retrieving the data item comprises:

comparing a hash mark associated with the data item to respective hash marks of data items entering memory locations of the computing system in order to identify the particular memory location storing the data item.

15. A computing system comprising:

one or more hardware processors;

one or more memory devices comprising a plurality of memory locations associated with respective network addresses;

a computer readable medium storing instructions configured for execution by the one or more processors in order to cause the computing system to perform operations comprising;

receiving a request to store a data item;

directing the data item to one of the plurality of network addresses associated with one or the plurality of memory locations within the one or more memory devices;

forwarding the data item between respective memory addresses of the computing system without storing the data item on any fixed storage medium in the computing system, wherein respective network addresses to which the data item is forwarded are determined dynamically based at least on statuses of respective memory locations; and

in response to receiving a request to retrieve the data item, retrieving the data item from a particular memory location of the computing system that stores the data item at the time of retrieving.

16. The computing system of claim 15, wherein the computing system comprises a network interface that is responsive to requests for at least two of the plurality of network address.

17. The computing system of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to receiving an indication of an imminent power loss to the computing system, forwarding the data item to a memory of another computing device in communication with the computing system via one or more networks.

18. The computing system of claim 15, wherein the computing system comprises a single computing device.

19. The computing system of claim 15, wherein the plurality of network addresses comprise Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.

20. The computing system of claim 15, wherein retrieving the data item comprises:

comparing a hash mark associated with the data item to respective hash marks of data items entering memory locations of the computing system in order to identify the particular memory location storing the data item.