Client, brokerage server and method for providing cloud storage

• US 8,762,480 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2010
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Seong-yeol, Hwang, Min-kyung, Kim, Byung-woan, Chang, Kyung-ah
• Primary Examiner(s): Avellino, Joseph E
• Assistant Examiner(s): CONAWAY, JAMES E
• Application Number:
  US12/789,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20100325199A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,489 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709213-216, 709/219, 707/999.204
• US Class Current: 709/216
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers

Abstract

A system for providing resources of a cloud infrastructure is provided. In the system, a client terminal may dynamically span its storage to heterogeneous cloud storages as necessary. A client determines, when receiving a file access request from an application, whether to process the file access request as a local file access request for access to a local storage of the client or as a cloud file access request for access to a cloud storage connected through the Internet. A brokerage server receives the file access request and supports the client by brokering a connection to a cloud infrastructure in response to the file access request.

Claims

1. A client comprising:

an application execution unit configured to execute at least one application; and

a client storage manager

configured to determine, when a file access request is received from the application, whether to process the file access request as a local file access request to access a local storage of the client or as a cloud file access request to access a cloud storage connected through the Internet,

configured to combine a list comprising files stored in the cloud storage with a list comprising files stored in the local storage, and provide the result of the combination to the application execution unit, and when the file access request is a file write request, the client storage manager is configured to provide access to the local storage when the local storage has sufficient spaces; and

a brokerage unit

configured to select at least one cloud storage to process the cloud file access request from among cloud storages connected through the network when the client storage manager determines to process the file access request as the cloud file access request for access to the cloud storage, and

configured to select the at least one cloud storage based on storage usage cost and performance with respect to the client.

2. The client of claim 1, further comprising:

a cache configured to store the list of files stored in the cloud storage.

3. The client of claim 2, wherein the list of files is updated according to information received from the brokerage server.

4. The client of claim 2, wherein, when the file access request is a file read request, the client storage manager determines whether to process the file read request as a file read request for the local storage or as a file read request for the cloud storage, according to the list of files stored in the cloud storage.

5. The client of claim 1, wherein the client storage manager determines whether to process the file access request as the local file access request or as the cloud file access request with respect to at least one of a preset policy, a current status of the local storage, device environments, the kind and characteristics of contents, the proximity to a computing module, the size of the file, and any combinations thereof.

6. A brokerage server for supporting a client connecting to a cloud storage, comprising:

a server storage manager configured to receive a cloud file access request to access the cloud storage from the client, wherein the client combines a list comprising files stored in the cloud storage with a list comprising files stored in a local storage, and when the file access request is a file write request, the client provides access to the local storage when the local storage has sufficient space;

a storage broker configured to select at least one cloud storage to process the cloud file access request from among a plurality of cloud storages connected through the network when the file access request is determined to be processed as the cloud file access request for access to the cloud storage, and configured to select the at least one cloud storage based on storage usage cost and performance with respect to the client; and

wherein the client is configured to determine, when a file access request is received from an application, whether to process the file access request as a local file access request to access a local storage of the client or as a cloud file access request to access cloud storage through the Internet.

7. The brokerage server of claim 6, further comprising:

a metadata manager configured to manage metadata including information about files stored in the cloud storage; and

an interface adaptor configured to convert the file access request received from the client into file operation of the cloud storage and to convert the result of execution on the file operation into a data format interpretable by the client,

wherein the server storage manager transfers the result of processing the file access request to the client.

8. The brokerage server of claim 7, wherein the metadata is classified and managed according to individual clients or according to users of individual clients, and the metadata is transferred to a cache of the client using the cloud storage.

9. The brokerage server of claim 7, wherein the metadata manager stores and manages information regarding a writing operation as metadata in response to the client writing a file in the cloud storage.

10. The brokerage server of claim 7, wherein the storage broker monitors the plurality of cloud storages and selects the at least one cloud storage to process the cloud file access request according to the cost and the performance with respect to the client, with regard to at least one of data attributes included in the file access request and the metadata.

11. The brokerage server of claim 7, wherein the interface adaptor converts the cloud file access request from the client into a file processing request for the cloud storage by one-by-one mapping of file operations and by modifying file operation parameters according to a result of the mapping, and

when an error occurs, the interface adaptor converts the file access request into the file processing request by configuring a virtual file operation function for the file processing request according to a basic Application Programming Interface (API) installed in the cloud storage.

12. The brokerage server of claim 6, wherein the brokerage server is included in the client or in a cloud infrastructure.

13. A method of providing a cloud storage, comprising:

determining, when a file access request is received from an application, whether to process the file access request as a local file access request to access local storage of the client or as a cloud file access request to access cloud storage through the Internet;

receiving from a client a cloud file access request to access a cloud storage, wherein the client combines a list comprising files stored in the cloud storage with a list comprising files stored in a local storage, and when the file access request is a file write request, the client provides access to the local storage when the local storage has sufficient space;

selecting at least one cloud storage to process the cloud file access request from among a plurality of cloud storages when the file access request is determined to be processed as the cloud file access request for access to the cloud storage; and

selecting the at least one cloud storage based on storage usage cost and performance with respect to the client.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining, when a file access request is received from an application of the client, whether to process the file access request as a local file access request to access a local storage or as a cloud file access request to access a cloud storage; and

transferring, when the file access request is to be processed as the cloud file access request, the cloud file access request to a brokerage server for brokering a provision of the cloud storage between the client and the cloud storage.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining, when the file access request is a file read request, whether to process the file read request as a file read request for the local storage or as a file read request for the cloud storage, according to a list of files stored in the cloud storage, wherein the list of files stored in the cloud storage is stored in a cache of the client.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the determining of whether to process the file access request as the local file access request or as the cloud file access request further comprises:

determining with respect to at least one of a preset policy, a current status of the local storage, device environments, the kind and characteristics of contents, the proximity to a corresponding computing module, the size of the file, and any combination thereof.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

combining, at the client, a list of files stored in the cloud storage with a list of files stored in a local storage; and

providing the combined file list to an application that issued the file access request.