Computer architectures using shared storage

• US 9,098,562 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2010
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Bettger, David D., Kuehn, Dennis L., Stone, Kevin A., Peters, Marc A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tseng, Cheng-Yuan
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOLDSCHMIDT, CRAIG S
• Application Number:
  US12/750,616
• Publication Number:
  US 20100250867A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,953 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0813 with a network or matrix configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4221 being an input/output bus, e.g. ISA bus, EISA bus, PCI bus, SCSI bus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/28 Databases characterised by their database models, e.g. relational or object models
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0607 by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0608 Saving storage space on storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0655 Vertical data movement, i.e. input-output transfer; data movement between one or more hosts and one or more storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/50 Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU]

Abstract

Shared storage architectures and methods are provided. A particular shared storage architecture is a system including shared storage including data and file system metadata separated from the data. The file system metadata includes location data specifying storage location information related to the data. Services are provided from service providers to service consumers through the shared storage.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a shared storage system including data and file system metadata separated from the data, wherein the file system metadata includes location data specifying storage location information related to the data stored at the shared storage system, wherein a producer service is provided to a provider device via the shared storage system, wherein a consumer service is provided to a consumer device via the shared storage system, wherein the producer service, in response to a request to access service data associated with the consumer service, communicates the service data to the consumer device by storing the service data at the shared storage system, wherein the consumer device receives the service data from the producer service by reading the service data from the shared storage system, wherein the producer service is stored as a first set of one or more instructions at the shared storage system, wherein the provider device is configured to instantiate an instance of the producer service using the first set of one or more instructions, wherein the consumer service is stored as a second set of one or more instructions at the shared storage system, wherein the second set of one or more instructions are retrieved from the shared storage system by the device, wherein the device is configured to instantiate an instance of the consumer service using the second set of the one or more instructions, and wherein the instance of the consumer service is automatically deleted from the device when the instance of the consumer service is terminated.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the instance of the producer service is automatically deleted from the provider device when the instance of the producer service is terminated.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the service data is read from the shared storage in an order that the service data was written to the shared storage system by the provider device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a capacity of the shared storage system to provide access to one or more services expands as a storage capacity of the shared storage system expands.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the shared storage system includes at least one persistent storage device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the shared storage system automatically reconfigures in response to a hardware failure.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein a particular service provided via the shared storage and the data stored at the shared storage system can be at least one of hidden and restricted.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the data stored at the shared storage system is striped across one or more storage devices of the shared storage system.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the consumer device reads the data from the shared storage system without using protocol translation.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the consumer service is a self-contained program on the shared storage system.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the consumer service is a media streaming service, a collaboration application, an instant messaging application, a communication application, or a combination thereof, and wherein information associated with use of the service, a state of the service, and a security level of the service are not retained at the device associated with the service consumer after the instance of the consumer service is terminated.

12. A method comprising:

hosting a producer service and a consumer service on a shared storage system including data and file system metadata separated from the data, wherein the file system metadata includes location data specifying storage location information related to the data stored at the shared storage system;

providing the producer service to a provider device via the shared storage system, wherein the producer service is stored as a first set of one or more instructions at the shared storage system, and wherein the provider device is configured to instantiate an instance of the producer service using the first set of one or more instructions;

providing the consumer service to a consumer device associated with a service consumer via the shared storage system, wherein the consumer service is stored as a second set of one or more instructions at the shared storage system, wherein the second set of one or more instructions are retrieved from the shared storage system by the consumer device, wherein the consumer device is configured to instantiate an instance of the consumer service using the second set of one or more instructions, and wherein the instance of the consumer service is automatically deleted from the device when the instance of the consumer service is terminated; and

in response to a request to access service data associated with the consumer service, receiving the service data at the shared storage system from the producer service, wherein the consumer device receives the service data from the producer service by reading the service data from the shared storage system.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the service data is read from the shared storage in an order that the service data was written to the shared storage system by the provider device.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein a capacity of the shared storage system to provide access to one or more services expands as a storage capacity of the shared storage system expands.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the shared storage system includes at least one persistent storage device.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the shared storage system automatically reconfigures in response to a hardware failure.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein a particular service provided via the shared storage and the data stored at the shared storage system can be at least one of hidden and restricted.

18. A non-transitory computer readable memory comprising instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

hosting a producer service and a consumer service on a shared storage system including data and file system metadata separated from the data, wherein the file system metadata includes location data specifying storage location information related to the data stored at the shared storage system;

providing the producer service to a provider device via the shared storage system, wherein the producer service is stored as a first set of one or more instructions at the shared storage system, and wherein the provider device is configured to instantiate an instance of the producer service using the first set of one or more instructions;

providing the consumer service to a consumer device associated with a service consumer via the shared storage system, wherein the consumer service is stored as a second set of one or more instructions at the shared storage system, wherein the second set of one or more instructions are retrieved from the shared storage system by the consumer device, wherein the consumer device is configured to instantiate an instance of the consumer service using the second set of one or more instructions, and wherein the instance of the consumer service is automatically deleted from the device when the instance of the consumer service is terminated; and

in response to a request to access service data associated with the consumer service, receiving the service data at the shared storage system from the producer service, wherein the consumer device receives the service data from the producer service by reading the service data from the shared storage system.

19. The non-transitory computer readable memory of claim 18, wherein the service data is read from the shared storage in an order that the service data was written to the shared storage system by the provider device.

20. The non-transitory computer readable memory of claim 18, wherein a capacity of the shared storage system to provide access to one or more services expands as a storage capacity of the shared storage system expands.