Systems and methods for deriving storage area commands

• US 20060101130A1
• Filed: 12/16/2005
• Published: 05/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServStor Technologies, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Rateze Remote Mgmt. L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Ludwig, Thomas, Adams, Mark, Witchey, Nicholas
• Granted Patent: US 7,649,880 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• 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 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• 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 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Abstract

Systems and methods for quickly resolving storage area commands from packet addresses are presented. Clients exchange packets comprising addresses and payloads with physical storage areas that have controllers using a stateless protocol. Modules use the addresses in addition to payloads to derive commands that are understandable by the controller. Furthermore, the neither the module nor the controller require use of a file system to interact with the physical storage area. Modules can derive the storage area commands through resolving a context associated with physical storage area. In some embodiments, modules split addresses into portions that can be used as indices into context lookup tables. In other embodiments, modules can employ variants to router address lookup algorithms to quickly resolve storage area commands.

Claims

1. A storage system comprising:

(a) a client that exchanges a first packet with a physical storage area having a controller using a stateless protocol wherein the first packet comprises a first address and a payload;

(b) a module that uses the first address to derive a first storage area command understandable by the controller without requiring use of a file system.

2. The storage system of claim 1, wherein the client exchanges a second packet comprising a second address with the physical storage area and wherein the first and second addresses are different.

3. The storage system of claim 2, wherein the module uses the second address to derive a second storage area command different from the first storage area command.

4. The storage system of claim 2, wherein the first and second addresses comprise different lengths.

5. The storage system of claim 1, wherein the module derives the first storage area command at least in part by associating the first address with a context of the physical storage area.

6. The storage system of claim 5, wherein the first address is split into a first portion and a second portion.

7. The storage system of claim 6, wherein the module associates the first portion to the context.

8. The storage system of claim 5, wherein the module uses a lookup table to associate the first address with the context.

9. The storage system of claim 1, wherein the first address comprises an externally controlled address.

10. The storage system of claim 9, wherein the externally controlled address comprises at least one of an IPv4 and IPv6 address.

11. A method of deriving a storage area command comprising:

(a) exchanging a packet with a physical storage area having a controller using a stateless protocol wherein the packet comprising an address and a payload; and

(b) translating the address into the first storage area command wherein the first storage area command is understandable by the controller without requiring use of a file system.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of translating the address into the first storage area command includes associating the address with a context of the physical storage area.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising splitting the address into a first portion and a second portion.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first portion and the second portion share parts of the first address.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising conducting a search for the context as a function of the first portion.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of conducting the search includes employing a lookup table.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the lookup table is indexed by the first portion having a length of X bits, wherein the first address having a length of Y bits, and wherein X is less than Y.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein X and Y form a pair (X, Y) comprising one of the following pairs (4, 32), (8, 32), (16, 32), (24, 32), (4,128), (8, 128), (16, 128), (24, 128), (32,128), and (64,128).

19. The method of claim 12, wherein conducting the search includes employing a variant of a router address lookup algorithm.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the router address lookup algorithm comprises using a variant of at least one of the following multi-bit tries, binary trees, recursive flow classification, and PATRICIA.

21. The method of claim 11, further comprising changing the address of the packet to derive a second storage area command different from the first storage area command.

22. A computer readable memory comprising instructions that execute on a processing unit to conduct the steps of claim 11.