Indirection objects in a cloud storage system

• US 9,183,213 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2012
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rackspace US Incorporated (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rackspace US Incorporated (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dickinson, John A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Won, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Abedin, Normin
• Application Number:
  US13/472,913
• Publication Number:
  US 20130311612A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/220, 709/224, 709/225, 707/827, 209/219, 209/220, 209/224, 209/225
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/14 Details of searching files based on file metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

Several embodiments using indirection objects to organize data in a cloud storage system are disclosed. An indirection object stores associations to different variants or segments of an object. The indirection object receives requests for the objects and responds with the appropriate variant, segment, or segments of the object. The variant, segment, or segments returned may vary from request to request.

Claims

1. A method for providing object data from a cloud storage system, the method comprising:

storing a first representation of an object in the cloud storage system;

creating an indirection object for the object;

assigning, in the indirection object for the object, a first attribute to the first representation of the object stored in the cloud storage system, the indirection object for the object storing an association between the first representation of the object stored in the cloud storage system and the first attribute;

storing a second representation of the object in the cloud storage system;

assigning, in the indirection object for the object, a second attribute to the second representation of the object stored in the cloud storage system, the indirection object for the object storing an association between the second representation of the object stored in the cloud storage system and the second attribute;

receiving, using the indirection object, a request to access the object stored in the cloud storage system;

determining, using the indirection object for the object, if the request includes a requested attribute;

if the request includes a requested attribute;

returning, using the indirection object for the object, a response including the first representation of the object stored in the cloud storage system if the requested attribute matches the first attribute; and

returning, using the indirection object for the object, a response including the second representation of the object stored in the cloud storage system if the requested attribute matches the second attribute.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the request does not include a requested attribute, returning a response including a preferred representation of the object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of assigning the first attribute further comprises assigning a first file type to the first representation of the object;

and

wherein the step of assigning the second attribute further comprises assigning a second file type to the second representation of the object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of assigning the first attribute further comprises assigning a first version identifier to the first representation of the object;

and

wherein the step of assigning the second attribute further comprises assigning a second version identifier to the second representation of the object.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein the step of assigning the first attribute further comprises examining the first representation of the object to generate the first attribute;

and

wherein the step of assigning the second attribute further comprises examining the second representation of the object to generate the second attribute.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to delete the object;

determining if the request to delete includes a second requested attribute;

if the request to delete includes a second requested attribute;

deleting the first representation of the object if the second requested attribute matches the first attribute; and

deleting the second representation of the object if the second requested attribute matches the second attribute.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

if the request does not include a second requested attribute, deleting the first representation of the object and the second representation of the object.