Managed peer-to-peer applications, systems and methods for distributed data access and storage

• US 9,348,864 B1
• Filed: 01/22/2014
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Hesselink, Lambertus, Rizal, Dharmarus, Bjornson, Eric S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Troung, Thanhnga B
• Application Number:
  US14/161,612
• Time in Patent Office: 853 Days
• Field of Search: 726/2, 726/7, 713/165, 713/187, 709/216, 709/219, 709/222, 709/225
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/128 Details of file system snapshots on the file-level, e.g. snapshot creation, administration, deletion use of snapshots for error detection or correction G06F11/14, G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1827 Management specifically adapted to NAS management of storage area networks [SAN] G06F3/067
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0209 Architectural arrangements, e.g. perimeter networks or demilitarized zones
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• 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 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

Secure and remote operation of a remote computer from a local computer over a network includes authenticating at least one remote computer for connection to at least one computer over the network and/or at least one local computer for connection to at least one remote computer over the network; establishing a secure connection therebetween; and integrating a desktop of at least one remote computer on a display of at least one local computer. Functions that are performed may include one or more of: integrating a file structure of accessible files accessed at the second or first computer, into a file structure contained at the first or second computer, respectively; at least one of integrating a desktop of the second computer on a display of the first computer and integrating a desktop of the first computer on a display of the second computer; and directly operating the second computer from the first computer or the first computer from the second computer.

Claims

1. A method of remotely accessing data from a remote storage device, said method comprising:

requesting, by a local application of a first computer at a local location, file data from a user module executing on the first computer;

searching local cache of the user module executing on the first computer to determine whether file data is available and valid;

when the file data is not available or not valid;

requesting an active file data subscription, via a connection to a second computer in a remote location, including sending a request from said user module to said second computer for the file data from a remote storage device and sending version data identifying a locally stored version of the file data if a locally stored version of the file data exists in the local cache of the user module;

receiving the requested file data from the second computer by the first computer when the first computer has no locally stored version of the requested file data; and

receiving one or more difference files relevant to the requested file data based on the version data, from the second computer by the first computer when the first computer has a locally stored version of the requested file data; and

when the file data is available and valid, providing the file data from locally stored data by the first computer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the file data or the one or more difference files in local cache to provide the file data as available and valid at the location of the first computer.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying the file data by the first computer;

creating a local difference file representing differences between the file data and the modified file data; and

sending the local difference file representing differences between the file data and the modified file data via the user module executing on the first computer at the local location to the second computer for remote storage of the modified file data.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

identifying a third computer actively subscribed to the second computer and a device module of the second computer automatically sending data to a user module executing on the third computer, wherein the user module executing on the third computer updates locally stored data to store the modified file data.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

identifying at least one additional computer actively subscribed to the second computer; and

a device module of the second computer automatically sending data to each of said at least one additional computers, wherein user modules executing on each of the at least one additional computers update data locally stored by each of the at least one additional computers to store the modified file data.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

when the difference file received by the first computer comprises a Delta file;

the user module of the first computer creating an Inverse Delta file; and

the user module of the first computer storing local cache the Inverse Delta file to allow undoing updating of the file data to the modified file data so as to return to the file data.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

a device module of the second computer creating the Inverse Delta file; and

the device module of the second computer storing in local cache the Inverse Delta file to allow undoing updating of the file data to the modified file data so as to return to the file data.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

when the difference file received by the first computer comprises a Delta file;

a device module of the second computer creating an Inverse Delta file; and

the device module of the second computer storing in local cache the Inverse Delta file to allow undoing updating of the file data to the modified data so as to return to the file data.