Transparent data service suitable for modifying data storage capabilities in applications

• US 9,122,734 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2013
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Castro, Paul C., Pistoia, Marco, Ponzo, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Coby, Frantz
• Application Number:
  US14/027,301
• Publication Number:
  US 20140181025A1
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: 707/600, 707/602, 707/634, 707610-614, 707617-618, 707/620
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/184 implemented as replicated file system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1844 Management specifically adapted to replicated file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor

Abstract

A method includes monitoring, on a computing device, data events corresponding to manipulation of data by an application. The monitoring is performed by a data library service that is embedded in the application. The method includes, in response to the monitoring indicating first data on the computing device is modified by the application, synchronizing, by the computing device under control at least in part of the data library service, second data stored on one or more storage providers in a network with the first data modified by the application and stored on the computing device. Apparatus and computer program products are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

monitoring, on a computing device, data events corresponding to manipulation of data by an application, the monitoring performed by a data library service that is embedded in the application; and

in response to the monitoring indicating first data on the computing device is modified by the application, synchronizing, by the computing device under control at least in part of the data library service, second data stored on one or more storage providers in a network with the first data modified by the application and stored on the computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data library service is embedded in the application by an instrumentation process that provides a link to the data library service in source code of the application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data library service is embedded in the application by an instrumentation process that provides byte injection to append code for the data library service to binary code of the application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data on the computing device is modified by the application performing one or more of the following:

changing a portion or all of the first data, deleting a portion or all of the first data, or creating a new portion or all of the first data.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein synchronizing further comprises causing the one or more storage providers to perform one or more actions on the second data so that the second data matches the first data after modification by the application.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the data library service uses one or more system calls supported by an operating system of the computing device in order to register the data library service as a listener for data events corresponding to the application.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data library service is instantiated in response to instantiation of the application, but wherein no interaction between the data library service and the application occurs other than the instantiation of the data library service.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein synchronizing further comprises, in response to the one or more storage providers not supporting a feature required by a policy regarding data to be synchronized with storage providers, implementing the feature using a corresponding feature supported by the data library service, wherein the feature is implemented in order to synchronize the second data with the first data.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising evaluating a data action, to be performed on the second data in response to the first data being modified, against the policy and one or more features supported by the one or more storage providers in order to determine the one or more storage providers do not support the feature required by the policy.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising, in response to the feature not being supported by the one or more storage providers and not being supported by the data library service, not performing the synchronizing of the second data with the first data.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein synchronizing further comprises, in response to the one or more storage providers supporting a feature required by a policy regarding data to be synchronized with storage providers, implementing the feature using a corresponding feature supported by the one or more storage providers.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending metadata regarding an event causing the monitoring to indicate the first data is modified by the application and regarding an action taken to perform the synchronizing the second data with the first data.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring the data library service to use the one or more storage providers for the synchronizing, wherein configuring the data library service further comprises one of reading a configuration file comprising one or more indications of the one or more storage providers or allowing a user to select the one or more storage providers.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing a restore of second data stored on the one or more storage providers in the network in response to the synchronizing as the first data stored on the computing device, wherein the first data is synchronized with the second data.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of storage providers used in the synchronizing and wherein the synchronizing further comprises one of striping the first data using the plurality of storage providers or replicating the first data using the plurality of storage providers in order to synchronize the second data with the first data.