In-network online storage with increased session bandwidth

• US 9,189,807 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2009
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Inventors: P'Simer, Leah, Scarborough, Charles, Weiner, Fred Scott, Cassell, Stuart
• Primary Examiner(s): Chacko, Joe
• Application Number:
  US12/466,863
• Publication Number:
  US 20100180034A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,377 Days
• Field of Search: 709/226, 709/227, 709/229
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5006 Creating or negotiating SLA contracts, guarantees or penalties
• 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 system includes a private communications network to provide content to a user using a first, base amount of bandwidth, a policy server, coupled to the network, for managing services provided to a user of the communications network and a data center, coupled to the network, for providing online storage to the user by the communications network, wherein the first, base bandwidth of the communication network is increased to a second, increased bandwidth for a data upload made by the user. The use of a private network addresses the security and efficiency issues of transmitting data over a public network and increased bandwidth enables data transmission between a user and a data center to be completed in a timely manner.

Claims

1. A method for providing online storage, comprising:

performing operations of a user at a standard bandwidth on a network of a communications network provider;

defining a secure private communications network between a data center and the user of the network of the communications network provider when the user requests to upload data to a online storage at the data center, the secure private communication network having a secure connection for accessing the data center to remotely store data for the user;

identifying the user requesting initiation of a data upload to the online storage at the data center across the secure private communications network, wherein the online storage at the data center maintains a provisioned amount of the online storage for the registered user;

based on identification of the user requesting initiation of the data upload to the online storage at the data center through only the secure private communications network, determining a policy associated with the user for bandwidth allocation based on a contracted service level agreement with the user dictating the provisioned amount of online storage available to the user, the standard bandwidth, and a bandwidth boost for uploads across the private network to the provisioned amount of online storage; and

in response to receiving an upload request to the provisioned amount of online storage by the user through only the secure private communications network, allocating the bandwidth boost for the requested data upload across the secure private communication network with the secure connection to the online storage at the data center according to the determined policy associated with the contracted service level agreement with the user and restoring the bandwidth provided to the user to the standard bandwidth on the network of the communication network provider once the upload across the secure private communication network is complete.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

registering a user for the provisioned amount of online storage; and

entering, in a customer management system of a communications network provider, information provided by user during the registering of the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, after the upload to the data center is complete, the bandwidth allocated to the user is restored from the bandwidth boost for uploads to the provisioned amount of online storage to the standard bandwidth.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data uploaded to the data center is accessible over a public network without the security, efficiency and increased bandwidth of the bandwidth boost provided by the private communications network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a user requesting initiation of a data upload to online storage at a data center comprises authenticating an IP address requesting initiation of a data upload to online storage at a data center.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the bandwidth boost is provided for the duration of the upload.

7. A system for providing online storage, comprising:

a private communications network established between a user of a network of a communications network provider and a data center provider when the user requests to upload data to a online storage at the data center, the private communication network having a secure connection for accessing an online storage at the data center to remotely store data for the user according to a contracted service level agreement, wherein the online storage at the data center maintains a provisioned amount of the online storage for the registered user;

a policy server, coupled to the network, comprising of a hardware processor coupled to a memory wherein the memory includes instructions that are executed by the hardware processor, for managing services provided to the user of the secure communications network, for identifying the user requesting initiation of a data upload to online storage at the data center, and for controlling allocation of bandwidth to the user according to the contracted service level agreement;

wherein the policy server, based on identification of the user requesting initiation of the data upload to the online storage at the data center, determines a policy associated with the user for bandwidth allocation based on the contracted service level agreement with the user, wherein the contracted service level agreement dictates the provisioned amount of online storage available to the user, a standard bandwidth, and a bandwidth boost for uploads across the private network to the provisioned amount of online storage; and

wherein in response to receiving an upload request to the provisioned amount of online storage at the data center by the user, the policy server allocates the bandwidth boost for the requested data upload across only the private communications network with the secure connection to the online storage at the data center according to the determined policy associated with the contracted service level agreement with the user and restores the bandwidth provided to the user to the standard bandwidth on the network of the communication network provider once the upload across the private network is complete.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the policy server obtains information from a user registered for the provisioned amount of online storage, and enters, in a customer management system of a communications network provider, the obtained information from a user registered for the provisioned amount of online storage.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein, after the upload to the data center is complete, the policy server restores bandwidth allocated to the user from the bandwidth boost for uploads to the provisioned amount of online storage to the standard bandwidth.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the data center provides access to the data uploaded to the data center over a public network without the security, efficiency and increased bandwidth of the bandwidth boost provided by the private communications network.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein identification of the user requesting initiation of the data upload to the online storage at the data center comprises identification of an IP address requesting initiation of a data upload to online storage at a data center.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the bandwidth boost is provided for the duration of the upload.

13. A computer readable storage device including executable instructions which, when executed by a hardware processor, provides online storage, by:

performing operations of a user at a standard bandwidth on a network of a communications network provider;

defining a secure private communications network between a data center and the user of the network of the communications network provider when the user requests to upload data to a online storage at the data center, the secure private communication network having a secure connection for accessing the data center to remotely store data for the user;

identifying the user requesting initiation of a data upload to the online storage at the data center across the secure private communications network, wherein the online storage at the data center maintains a provisioned amount of the online storage for the registered user;

based on identification of the user requesting initiation of the data upload to the online storage at the data center through only the secure private communications network, determining a policy associated with the user for bandwidth allocation based on a contracted service level agreement with the user dictating the provisioned amount of online storage available to the user, the standard bandwidth, and a bandwidth boost for uploads across the private network to the provisioned amount of online storage; and

in response to receiving an upload request to the provisioned amount of online storage by the user through only the secure private communications network, allocating the bandwidth boost for the requested data upload across the secure private communication network with the secure connection to the online storage at the data center according to the determined policy associated with the contracted service level agreement with the user and restoring the bandwidth provided to the user to the standard bandwidth on the network of the communication network provider once the upload across the secure private communication network is complete.

14. The computer readable storage device of claim 13, further comprising:

registering a user for the provisioned amount of online storage; and

entering, in a customer management system of a communications network provider, information provided by user during the registering of the user.

15. The computer readable storage device of claim 13, wherein, after the upload to the data center is complete, the bandwidth allocated to the user is restored from the bandwidth boost for uploads to the provisioned amount of online storage to the standard bandwidth.

16. The computer readable storage device of claim 13, wherein the data uploaded to the data center is accessible over a public network without the security, efficiency and increased bandwidth of the bandwidth boost provided by the private communications network.

17. The computer readable storage device of claim 13, wherein identifying a user requesting initiation of a data upload to online storage at a data center comprises authenticating an IP address requesting initiation of a data upload to online storage at a data center.

18. The computer readable storage device of claim 13, wherein the bandwidth boost is provided for the duration of the upload.