Built-in search indexing for NAS systems

• US 9,934,247 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2014
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bareket, Amit, Koffman, Shai M., Weiss, Moshe
• Primary Examiner(s): Mobin, Hasanul
• Application Number:
  US14/307,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20150370839A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,385 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1827 Management specifically adapted to NAS management of storage area networks [SAN] G06F3/067

Abstract

Methods, computing systems and computer program products implement embodiments of the present invention that include storing multiple files to a file-level storage system that includes one or more storage devices, and maintaining, by the file-level storage system, one or more searchable indexes for the multiple files, each of the indexes indexing a respective key field. In some embodiments the file-level storage system may be configured as a network attached storage system. Upon receiving, via a network, a search query from a computer, the file-level storage system can identify, using the one or more searchable indexes, one or more of the multiple files that match the search query, and convey, to the computer, the respective name and the respective location of each of the one or more identified files. In some embodiments, the file-level storage system includes a web server exposing a representational state transfer application programming interface.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

storing multiple files to a file-level storage system comprising one or more storage devices, the file-level storage system comprising a network attached storage (NAS) system remote to a computer;

wherein the multiple files are organized by a user in a flat format within a root folder of the file-level storage system in order for the multiple files are not organized in a hierarchal format;

maintaining, by the file-level storage system and without maintaining by an external search appliance, one or more searchable indexes for the multiple files, each of the indexes indexing a respective key field, the key field comprising contents of the files, attributes of the files, and individual user habits associated with accessing the files;

wherein the individual user habits associated with accessing the files comprises identifying specific dates of the month and days of the week the user opens one or more of the files, and further identifying which particular ones of the files the user opens together at a given time;

receiving, from the computer in communication with the file-level storage system via a network, a search query;

identifying, using the one or more searchable indexes, one or more of the multiple files that match the search query; and

returning, to the computer, a notification specifying the one or more multiple files matching the search query including suggestions to related files to the one or more multiple files matching the search query based on the individual user habits, thereby providing the user of the computer being remote to the file-level storage system the specified one or more multiple files matching the search query with a speed and efficiency of a locally-based storage system to the computer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein each of the multiple files has a name and a location, and comprising conveying, to the computer, the respective name and the respective location of each of the one or more identified files.

3. The method according to claim 2, and comprising identifying, for a given file matching the search query, one or more additional files associated with the given file, and conveying, to the computer, the respective name and the respective location of each of the one or more additional files.

4. The method according to claim 1, and comprising conveying a search failed message to the computer upon failing to identify a given file that matches the search query.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the attributes for a given file is selected from a list comprising a file name, a file creation date, a file update date, a file access date, a file type, a file description, user tags, Exchangeable image file format data, and user activity.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the file-level storage system comprises a web server exposing a representational state transfer (RESTful) application programming interface (API), and wherein the search query is received via the RESTful API.

7. A computing facility, comprising:

a communications network;

a computer; and

a file-level storage system comprising a network attached storage (NAS) system remote to the computer, and comprising;

one or more storage devices;

a storage processor configured to store multiple files the one or more storage devices;

wherein the multiple files are organized by a user in a flat format within a root folder of the file-level storage system in order for the multiple files are not organized in a hierarchal format; and

a management processor configured;

to maintain, by the file-level storage system and without maintaining by an external search appliance, one or more searchable indexes for the multiple files, each of the indexes indexing a respective key field, the key field comprising contents of the files, attributes of the files, and individual user habits associated with accessing the files;

wherein the individual user habits associated with accessing the files comprises identifying specific dates of the month and days of the week the user opens one or more of the files, and further identifying which particular ones of the files the user opens together at a given time,

to receive, from a computer in communication with the file-level storage system via the communications network, a search query,

to identify, using the one or more searchable indexes, one or more of the multiple files that match the search query, and

to return, to the computer, a notification specifying the one or more multiple files matching the search query including suggestions to related files to the one or more multiple files matching the search query based on the individual user habits, thereby providing the user of the computer being remote to the file-level storage system the specified one or more multiple files matching the search query with a speed and efficiency of a locally-based storage system to the computer.

8. The computing facility according to claim 7, wherein each of the multiple files has a name and a location, and wherein the management processor is configured to convey, to the computer, the respective name and the respective location of each of the one or more identified files.

9. The computing facility according to claim 8, wherein the management processor is configured to identify, for a given file matching the search query, one or more additional files associated with the given file, and to convey, to the computer, the respective name and the respective location of each of the one or more additional files.

10. The computing facility according to claim 7, and wherein the management processor is configured to convey a search failed message to the computer upon failing to identify a given file that matches the search query.

11. The computing facility according to claim 7, wherein the attributes for a given file is selected from a list comprising a file name, a file creation date, a file update date, a file access date, a file type, a file description, user tags, Exchangeable image file format data, and user activity.

12. The computing facility according to claim 7, wherein the management processor is configured to execute a web server exposing a representational state transfer (RESTful) application programming interface (API), and wherein the management processor is configured to receive the search query via the RESTful API.

13. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to store multiple files to a file-level storage system comprising one or more storage devices, the file-level storage system comprising a network attached storage (NAS) system remote to a computer;

wherein the multiple files are organized by a user in a flat format within a root folder of the file-level storage system in order for the multiple files are not organized in a hierarchal format;

computer readable program code configured to maintain, by the file-level storage system and without maintaining by an external search appliance, one or more searchable indexes for the multiple files, each of the indexes indexing a respective key field, the key field comprising contents of the files, attributes of the files, and individual user habits associated with accessing the files;

wherein the individual user habits associated with accessing the files comprises identifying specific dates of the month and days of the week the user opens one or more of the files, and further identifying which particular ones of the files the user opens together at a given time;

computer readable program code configured to receive, from the computer in communication with the file-level storage system via a network, a search query;

computer readable program code configured to identify, using the one or more searchable indexes, one or more of the multiple files that match the search query; and

computer readable program code configured to return, to the computer, a notification specifying the one or more multiple files matching the search query including suggestions to related files to the one or more multiple files matching the search query based on the individual user habits, thereby providing the user of the computer being remote to the file-level storage system the specified one or more multiple files matching the search query with a speed and efficiency of a locally-based storage system to the computer.

14. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein each of the multiple files has a name and a location, and comprising computer readable program code configured to convey, to the computer, the respective name and the respective location of each of the one or more identified files.

15. The computer program product according to claim 14, and comprising computer readable program code configured to identify, for a given file matching the search query, one or more additional files associated with the given file, and to convey, to the computer, the respective name and the respective location of each of the one or more additional files.

16. The computer program product according to claim 13, and comprising computer readable program code configured to convey a search failed message to the computer upon failing to identify a given file that matches the search query.

17. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein the attributes for a given file is selected from a list comprising a file name, a file creation date, a file update date, a file access date, a file type, a file description, user tags, Exchangeable image file format data, and user activity.

18. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein the file-level storage system comprises computer readable program code configured to execute a web server exposing a representational state transfer (RESTful) application programming interface (API), and wherein the search query is received via the RESTful API.