Virtual file-sharing network

• US 9,547,726 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2010
• Issued: 01/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ran, Etai Lev, Glixman, Shahar, Ben Shaul, Israel, Bortnikov, Vita, Kaminsky, Daniel, Ben Kiki, Danit, Zach, Idan, Cidon, Israel
• Primary Examiner(s): Christensen, Scott B
• Application Number:
  US12/723,756
• Publication Number:
  US 20100169392A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,500 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1774 Locking methods, e.g. locking methods for file systems allowing shared and concurrent access to files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/192 Implementing virtual folder structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• 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 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/133 Protocols for remote procedure calls [RPC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2876 Pairs of inter-processing entities at each side of the network, e.g. split proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

A method for enabling access to a data resource, which is held on a file server (25) on a first local area network (LAN) (21a), by a client (28) on a second LAN (21b). A proxy receiver (48) on the second LAN (21b) intercepts a request for the data resource submitted by the client (28) and transmits a message via a wide area network (WAN) (29) to a proxy transmitter (52) on the first LAN (21a), requesting the data resource. The proxy transmitter (52) retrieves a replica of the data resource from the file server (25) and conveys the replica of the data resource over the WAN (29) to the proxy receiver (48), which serves the replica of the data resource from the proxy receiver (48) to the client (28) over the second LAN (21b).

Claims

1. A method for enabling access to data resources held on a file server on a first local area network (LAN) by a client on a second LAN, the first LAN and the second LAN connected via a network, the method comprising, at a proxy receiver on the second LAN:

during a first time period;

determining a first demand-to-modification rate ratio for a remotely-available resource located on the file server on the first LAN using metadata regarding the remotely-available resource;

determining a first available bandwidth based on historical traffic measurements;

calculating, at the proxy receiver, a schedule and transfer rate to pre-position the remotely-available resource on the second LAN based upon the first available bandwidth and the first demand-to-modification rate ratio; and

pre-positioning, at the proxy receiver on the second LAN, the remotely-available resource at the calculate schedule and transfer rate; and

during a second time period subsequent to the first time period;

determining a difference between the remotely-available resource during the second time period and the pre-positioned remotely-available resource during the first time period;

determining an updated demand-to-modification rate ratio for the remotely-available resource;

determining an updated available bandwidth based on historical traffic measurements;

adapting, by the proxy receiver, the calculated schedule and transfer rate such that the remotely-available resource is made available to a client on the second LAN based on the updated demand-to-modification ratio and the updated available bandwidth; and

updating the pre-positioned remotely-available resource by applying, at the proxy receiver on the second LAN, the determined difference to the pre-positioned remotely-available resource based on the adapted calculated schedule and transfer rate.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the metadata includes access information of the remotely-available resource, and the access information comprises demand rate information and modification rate information.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the demand-to-modification rate ratios each comprise the ratio of read-only access requests of the remotely-available resource to read-write access requests of the remotely-available resource.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein pre-positioning the remotely-available resource comprises downloading and storing a copy of the resource'"'"'s file attribute information from the file server on the first LAN to the proxy receiver on the second LAN.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein pre-positioning the remotely-available resource comprises downloading and storing a copy of the resource from the file server on the first LAN to the proxy receiver on the second LAN.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the historical traffic measurements include:

average delivery rate, number of concurrent connections required to achieve maximal rate, and connection latency.

7. Apparatus for enabling access to data resources held on a file server on a first local area network (LAN) by a client on a second LAN, the first LAN and the second LAN connected via a network, the apparatus comprising a proxy receiver located on the second LAN, the proxy receiver comprising:

a cache; and

a processor, which is configured to;

during a first time period;

determine a first demand-to-modification rate ratio for a remotely-available resource located on the file server on the first LAN using metadata regarding the remotely-available resource;

determine a first available bandwidth based on historical traffic measurements;

calculate, at the proxy receiver, a schedule and transfer rate to pre-position the remotely-available resource on the second LAN based upon the first available bandwidth and the first demand-to-modification rate ratio; and

pre-position, at the proxy receiver on the second LAN, the remotely-available resource at the calculate schedule and transfer rate; and

during a second time period subsequent to the first time period;

determine a difference between the remotely-available resource during the second time period and the pre-positioned remotely-available resource during the first time period;

determine an updated demand-to-modification rate ratio for the remotely-available resource;

determine an updated available bandwidth based on historical traffic measurements;

adapt, by the proxy receiver, the calculated schedule and transfer rate such that the remotely-available resource is made available to a client on the second based on the updated demand-to-modification ratio and the updated available bandwidth; and

update the pre-positioned remotely-available resource by applying, at the proxy receiver on the second LAN, the determined difference to the pre-positioned remotely-available resource based on the adapted calculated schedule and transfer rate.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the metadata includes access information of the remotely-available resource, and the access information comprises demand rate information and modification rate information.

9. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the demand-to-modification rate ratios each comprise the ratio of read-only access requests of the remotely-available resource to read-write access requests of the remotely-available resource.

10. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein pre-positioning the remotely-available resource comprises downloading and storing a copy of the resource'"'"'s file attribute information from the file server on the first LAN to the proxy receiver on the second LAN.

11. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein pre-positioning the remotely-available resource comprises downloading and storing a copy of the resource from the file server on the first LAN to the proxy receiver on the second LAN.

12. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the historical traffic measurements include:

average delivery rate, number of concurrent connections required to achieve maximal rate, and connection latency.

13. A computer software product for enabling access to data resources held on a file server on a first local area network (LAN) by a client on a second LAN, the first LAN and the second LAN connected via a network, the product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium in which program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by a computer on the second LAN, cause the computer to:

operate as a proxy receiver, so as to

during a first time period;

determine a first demand-to-modification rate ratio for a remotely-available resource located on the file server on the first LAN using metadata regarding the remotely-available resource;

determine a first available bandwidth based on historical traffic measurements;

calculate, at the proxy receiver, a schedule and transfer rate to pre-position the remotely-available resource on the second LAN based upon the first available bandwidth and the first demand-to-modification rate ratio; and

pre-position, at the proxy receiver on the second LAN, the remotely-available resource at the calculate schedule and transfer rate; and

during a second time period subsequent to the first time period;

determine a difference between the remotely-available resource during the second time period and the pre-positioned remotely-available resource during the first time period;

determine an updated demand-to-modification rate ratio for the remotely-available resource;

determine an updated available bandwidth based on historical traffic measurements;

adapt, by the proxy receiver, the calculated schedule and transfer rate such that the remotely-available resource is made available to a client on the second LAN based on the updated demand-to-modification ratio and the updated available bandwidth; and

update the pre-positioned remotely-available resource by applying, at the proxy receiver on the second LAN, the determined difference to the pre-positioned remotely-available resource based on the adapted calculated schedule and transfer rate.

14. A product according to claim 13, wherein access information of the remotely-available resource, and the access information comprises demand rate information and modification rate information.

15. A product according to claim 13, wherein the demand-to-modification rate ratios each comprise the ratio of read-only access requests of the remotely-available resource to read-write access requests of the remotely-available resource.

16. A product according to claim 13, wherein pre-positioning the remotely-available resource comprises downloading and storing a copy of the resource'"'"'s file attribute information from the file server on the first LAN to the proxy receiver on the second LAN.

17. A product according to claim 13, wherein pre-positioning the remotely-available resource comprises downloading and storing a copy of the resource from the file server on the first LAN to the proxy receiver on the second LAN.

18. A product according to claim 13, wherein the historical traffic measurements include:

average delivery rate, number of concurrent connections required to achieve maximal rate, and connection latency.