Clustered system for storing data files

• US 8,996,717 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2010
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sdnsquare
• Original Assignee: Sdnsquare
• Inventors: Andries, Luc Maria Jozef, Demeester, Piet Marie Alfons Rosa
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Jungwon
• Application Number:
  US13/145,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20120066407A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,895 Days
• Field of Search: 709/222, 709/224, 709/226, 709/228, 709/232, 711/154, 711/170, 707/10, 370/469, 370/466, 370/395.53, 370/229, 370/241
• US Class Current: 709/232
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5025 by proactively reacting to service quality change, e.g. by reconfiguration after service quality degradation or upgrade
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/509 wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/091 Measuring contribution of individual network components to actual service level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/17 Interaction among intermediate nodes, e.g. hop by hop
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• 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

A clustered system arranged for supporting a clustered file system. The clustered system comprises at least two nodes and is characterised in that these at least two nodes are arranged for exchanging data traffic of the clustered file system between each other via an IP protocol over a lossless Ethernet network.

Claims

1. A clustered system comprising:

a set of connected computers working as a single system, the set comprising;

a first node; and

a second node communicatively coupled with the first node via a lossless Ethernet network such that the first and second nodes exchange data storage traffic of a clustered file system between each other via an IP protocol over the lossless Ethernet network, the clustered file system being simultaneously mountable via multiple servers and arranged for performing reading and writing operations on the data storage traffic in a many-to-one traffic pattern,

wherein the data storage traffic comprises different data traffic flows.

2. The clustered system as in claim 1, wherein said lossless Ethernet network is a Data Center Ethernet based network.

3. The clustered system as in claim 1, wherein said lossless Ethernet network is arranged for applying a Priority Flow Control mechanism to map the different data traffic flows on a plurality of lossless IP over Ethernet traffic classes, providing said different data traffic flows an independent flow control mechanism.

4. The clustered system as in claim 1, wherein at least one of said nodes is a storage node arranged for storing at least a part of said clustered file system.

5. The clustered system as in claim 4, wherein said storage node comprises local storage means.

6. The clustered system as in claim 4, wherein said storage node is arranged for being connected to external storage means.

7. The clustered system as in claim 4, further comprising a node arranged for exchanging said data storage traffic with an external device, said node further arranged for running on a different operating system than said storage node.

8. The clustered system as in claim 1, wherein at least one of said nodes is arranged for exchanging said data storage traffic with an external device.

9. The clustered system as in claim 8, wherein said at least one node is arranged for exchanging said data storage traffic with an external device via a lossless Ethernet connection.

10. The clustered system as in claim 9, wherein said lossless Ethernet connection is a part of said lossless Ethernet network.

11. The clustered system as in claim 8, wherein said external device is a high resolution editing client.

12. The clustered system as in claim 1, wherein at least one of said nodes comprises processing means for media applications.

13. An assembly of at least two clustered systems as in claim 1, whereby said at least two clustered systems are arranged for exchanging data traffic of at least one of the clustered file systems via an IP protocol over a dedicated lossless Ethernet network.

14. The assembly as in claim 13, wherein said dedicated lossless Ethernet network is a DataCenter Ethernet based network.

15. The assembly as in claim 13, wherein said dedicated lossless Ethernet network is at least part of the lossless Ethernet network of at least one of said at least two clustered systems.

16. A clustered system comprising:

a first node; and

a second node communicatively coupled with the first node via a lossless Ethernet network such that the first and second nodes exchange data traffic of a clustered file system between each other via an IP protocol over the lossless Ethernet network,

wherein the lossless Ethernet network applies a Priority Flow Control mechanism to map different data traffic flows on a plurality of lossless IP over Ethernet traffic classes so as to provide an independent flow control mechanism to the different data traffic flows.