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

• US 20050144200A1
• Filed: 11/13/2004
• Published: 06/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Rizal, Dharmarus, Hesselink, Lambertus, Bjornson, Eric S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,191,443 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams

Abstract

Applications, systems and methods for backing up data include securely connecting at least first and second privately addressed computers over a network, wherein at least one of the computers is connectable to the network through a firewall element. At least a portion of a first version of a file is sent from the first computer to the second computer. The file or portion of a file sent from the first computer is compared with a corresponding version of the file or portion stored at the location of the second computer, and at least one of the versions is saved at the location of the second computer. Systems, applications, computer readable media and methods for providing local access to remote printers, including connecting remote printers over a wide area network to a user computer; displaying an indicator including at least one of a graphical indicator and text for each remote printer that is connected, on a display associated with the user computer; selecting an indicator for the remote printer that is to be printed to; and printing a file stored locally on a local storage device associated with the user computer at the remote printer; wherein at least one of said user computer and the selected remote printer is located behind a firewall, respectively.

Claims

1. A method of backing up data, said method comprising:

securely connecting at least first and second privately addressed computers over a network, wherein at least one of said computers is connectable to the network through a firewall element,

sending at least a portion of a first version of a file from the first computer to the second computer;

comparing the at least a portion of the first version with a corresponding at least a portion of a second version of the file stored at the location of the second computer; and

saving at least one of said at least a portion of the first version and at least a portion of the second version at the location of the second computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least two of said computers are connectable to the network through firewalls, respectively.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is a public network, and wherein each said firewall is adapted to protect each said computer, respectively, from hostile intrusion from the public network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said sending at least a portion of a file comprises sending a Delta or Inverse Delta file across the network from a first, local storage device to a second, remote storage device to store the file as a backup.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein at least two of said firewalls use different criteria for restriction of traffic therethrough.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein more than two storage devices are securely interconnected through the network, and wherein a computer associated with one of said storage devices receives at least a portion of a file from at least two of the other remote storage devices to perform backups of the storage devices.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the backups of the storage devices are performed concurrently.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein said Delta or Inverse Delta file is stored in at least two storage devices interconnected by the network, said method further comprising instructing a computer associated with a first of said storage devices to apply the Delta or Inverse Delta file to a file currently in use by the first computer to upgrade or downgrade the file, from a second computer associated with the second storage device and remote with respect to the first computer and first storage device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the file comprises email.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising designating a first storage device for central backup, and sending said at least a portion of a file across the network from at least one remote storage device to the first storage device to store the file as a backup.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising designating only a first category of files to be centrally backed up at said first storage device, and designating one of the remote storage devices for backup of a second category of files from all other remote storage devices as well as the first storage device.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein a plurality of remote storage devices send at least a portion of the file to the first storage device to synchronize the file over all storage devices connected in the network.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the synchronization is performed simultaneously.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising resolving conflicts among file updates received by the first storage device in the form of Delta or Inverse Delta files, to determine a current version of the file.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the user computer is located behind a first firewall and the selected remote printer is located behind a second firewall.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said first and second firewalls use different criteria, relative to each other, for the restriction of traffic therethrough.

15. A method of providing local access to remote printers, said method comprising the steps of:

connecting remote printers over a wide area network to a user computer;

displaying an indicator including at least one of a graphical indicator and text for each remote printer that is connected, on a display associated with the user computer;

selecting an indicator for the remote printer that is to be printed to; and

printing a file stored locally on a local storage device associated with the user computer at the remote printer;

wherein at least one of said user computer and the selected remote printer is located behind a firewall, respectively.