Network storage system and method for file caching

• US 9,565,268 B2
• Filed: 07/04/2014
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acer, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Acer, Inc.
• Inventors: Jan, Ren-Jung, Hsu, Yin-Hsong
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Quang N
• Application Number:
  US14/324,080
• Publication Number:
  US 20150095442A1
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/212, 709/217, 709/219, 711/130, 711/137, 1/1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0813 with a network or matrix configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/123 with age lists, e.g. queue, most recently used [MRU] list or least recently used [LRU] list
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

A network storage system and a method for file caching are provided. The network storage system includes a first electronic apparatus and a server. The first electronic apparatus has a first storage space. The server has a network storage space larger than the first storage space. When the first electronic apparatus sends an access request to the server for accessing a first file within the network storage space, the server broadcasts a cache list in response to the access request. The cache list includes the first file and a plurality of neighboring file neighboring to the first file. After receiving the cache list, the first electronic apparatus accesses the first file according to the cache list, and caches at least one of the neighboring files according to a first cache space size of the first storage space.

Claims

1. A network storage system, comprising:

a first electronic apparatus, having a first storage space;

a server, connected with the first electronic apparatus and having a network storage space larger than the first storage space, wherein

when the first electronic apparatus sends an access request to the server for accessing a first file within the network storage space, the server broadcasts a cache list in response to the access request, wherein the cache list comprises the first file and a plurality of neighboring files neighboring to the first file, and

after receiving the cache list, the first electronic apparatus accesses the first file according to the cache list and accesses at least one of the plurality of neighboring files according to a first cache space size of the first storage space; and

a second electronic apparatus, connected with the server and having a second storage space smaller than the network storage space,

wherein after receiving the cache list, the second electronic apparatus accesses the first file according to the cache list and accesses at least one of the neighboring files according to a second cache space size of the second storage space,

wherein after a user modifies at least one second file of the network storage space using the first electronic apparatus, the server generates a dirty list according to the at least one modified second file and broadcasts the dirty list, and

after receiving the dirty list, the second electronic apparatus caches the at least one modified second file according to the dirty list.

2. The network storage system according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of neighboring files and the first file belong to a same directory, a same path and/or a same folder.

3. The network storage system according to claim 1, wherein

a modification time difference between each of the neighboring files and the first file is less than a predetermined threshold.

4. The network storage system according to claim 1, wherein the second electronic apparatus caches at least one of the at least one modified second file according to a second cache space size of the second storage space.

5. A method for file caching, adapted to a network storage system comprising a first electronic apparatus and a server, wherein the first electronic apparatus has a first storage space, and the server has a network storage space, the method comprising:

when the first electronic apparatus sends an access request to the server for accessing a first file within the network storage space, broadcasting a cache list by the server in response to the access request, wherein the cache list comprises the first file and a plurality of neighboring files neighboring to the first file;

after the first electronic apparatus receives the cache list, accessing the first file according to the cache list by the first electronic apparatus; and

caching at least one of the plurality of neighboring files according to a first cache space size of the first storage space by the first electronic apparatus;

wherein after the step of broadcasting the cache list by the server in response to the access request, the method comprises;

after a second electronic apparatus receives the cache list, accessing the first file according to the cache list and caching at least one of the plurality of neighboring files according to a second cache space size of a second storage space of the second electronic apparatus by the second electronic apparatus;

wherein after the step of caching at least one of the plurality of neighboring files by the first electronic apparatus according to the first cache space size of the first storage space, the method further comprises;

after a user modifies at least one second file of the network storage space using the first electronic apparatus, generating a dirty list according to the at least one modified second file and broadcasting the dirty list by the server; and

after the second electronic apparatus receives the dirty list, caching the at least one modified second file according to the dirty list by the second electronic apparatus.

6. The method for file caching according to claim 5, wherein

the plurality of neighboring files and the first file belong to a same directory, a same path and/or a same folder.

7. The method for file caching according to claim 5, wherein

a modification time difference between each of the neighboring files and the first file is less than a predetermined threshold.

8. The method for file caching according to claim 5, wherein the step of caching the at least one modified second file according to the dirty list by the second electronic apparatus comprises:

caching at least one of the at least one modified second file according to the second cache space size of the second storage space by the second electronic apparatus.

9. A network storage system, comprising:

a first electronic apparatus, having a first storage space and updating a file usage log according to individual usage of a plurality of files in the first storage space;

a second electronic apparatus, having a second storage space; and

a server, connected with the first electronic apparatus and the second electronic apparatus, having a network storage space which is larger than the first storage space and larger than the second storage space and having a global cache list, wherein

when updating the file usage log, the first electronic apparatus sends a notification message to the server;

after receiving the notification message, the server updates the global cache list and a plurality of server files associated with the file usage log according to the updated file usage log and broadcasts a cache synchronization notification; and

after receiving the cache synchronization notification, the second electronic apparatus accesses the global cache list of the server and caches the plurality of server files of the server according to the global cache list;

wherein the file usage log records a plurality of most recently used (MRU) files, and the server adjusts a sorting order of the MRU files in the global cache list according to an individual modified time of each of the MRU files;

wherein the second electronic apparatus preferentially caches the MRU files having priority in the sorting order in the global cache list.

10. The network storage system according to claim 9, wherein

the second electronic apparatus caches a part of the server files in the global cache list according to a cache space size of the second storage space.

11. A method for file caching, adapted to a network storage system comprising a first electronic apparatus, a second electronic apparatus and a server, the method comprising:

updating a file usage log according to individual usage of a plurality of files in the first storage space by the first electronic apparatus;

when the first electronic apparatus updates the file usage log, sending a notification message to the server by the first electronic apparatus;

after the server receives the notification message, updating the global cache list and a plurality of server files associated with the file usage log according to the file usage log and broadcasting a cache synchronization notification by the server; and

after the second electronic apparatus receives the cache synchronization notification, accessing the global cache list of the server and caching the plurality of server files of the server according to the global cache list by the second electronic apparatus;

wherein the file usage log records a plurality of most recently used (MRU) files MRU files, and the step of updating the global cache list according to the updated file usage log by the server comprises;

adjusting a sorting order of the MRU files in the global cache list according to an individual modified time of each of the MRU files by the server;

wherein the step of accessing the global cache list of the server and caching the plurality of server files of the server according to the global cache list by the second electronic apparatus comprises;

firstly caching the MRU files having priority in the sorting order in the global cache list by the second electronic apparatus.

12. The method for file caching according to claim 11, wherein the step of accessing the global cache list of the server by the and caching the plurality of server files of the server according to the global cache list by the second electronic apparatus comprises:

caching a part of the server files in the global cache list according to a cache space size of the second storage space of the second electronic apparatus by the second electronic apparatus.