5390results about "File access structures" patented technology

In a system in which a set of data items are distributed across a network of servers, at least some of the data items being cached versions of data items from a source server, a content delivery method includes determining a data identifier for a particular data item, the data identifier being determined using a given function of the data comprising the particular data item; and responsive to a request for the particular data item, the request including at least the data identifier of the particular data item, providing the particular data item from a given one of the servers of the network of servers. The request for the particular data item may be resolved based on a measure of availability of at least one of the servers, where the measure of availability may be a measurement of bandwidth to the server; a measurement of a cost of a connection to the server, and / or a measurement of a reliability of a connection to the server. The function used to determine the identifier may be a message digest function or a hash function.

A computer data processing system including a central processing unit configured with a novel integrated computer control software system for the management of data objects including dynamic and automatic organization, linking, finding, cross-referencing, viewing and retrieval of multiple objects regardless of nature or source. The inventive system provides underlying component architecture having an object-oriented database structure and a metadata database structure which is unique in storing only one instance of each object while linking the object to multiple collections and domains by unique metadata links for the grouping into and retrieval from any of the collections. The system employs configurable, extensible attribute / properties of data objects in metadata format, and a truly user-friendly configurable interface that facilitates faster, more unified, comprehensive, useful and meaningful information management. Additional features include a sticky path object hierarchy viewing system, key phrase linking, viewing by reference, and drag-and-drop relationship link creation.

A computer data signal embodied in a propagation medium is provided. The signal enables a variable number of data transfers and includes an initial connection source code segment and a data transfer source code segment. The initial connection source code segment establishes a connection between at least two devices via predetermined listening ports, with at least one predetermined listening port residing within each device. The initial connection source code segment also dynamically assigns a first data port within a first device, and transmits the address of the first data port to a remaining device via the predetermined listening ports. The data transfer source code segment is for each of the variable number of data transfer operations. The data transfer source code segment dynamically assigns a corresponding second data port within the remaining device and transfers data between the connected devices via the data ports so that the data is substantially simultaneously transferred between a variable number of devices via the data ports. Each pair of first and second data ports is established in response to each listening port connection.

In an information management system, policies are optimized before they are associated to a device in order to increase evaluation speed or reduce space requirements, or both. Optimization techniques may include common subexpression elimination, constant folding, constant propagation, comparison optimization, dead code or subexpression removal, map or lookup table generation, policy rewriting, redundant policy elimination, heuristic-based policy ordering, or policy-format transformation, and combinations of these.

Systems and methods for reducing metadata in a write-anywhere storage system are disclosed herein. The system includes a plurality of clients coupled with a plurality of storage nodes, each storage node having a plurality of primary storage devices coupled thereto. A memory management unit including cache memory is included in the client. The memory management unit serves as a cache for data produced by the clients before the data is stored in the primary storage. The cache includes an extent cache, an extent index, a commit cache and a commit index. The movement of data and metadata is by an interval tree. Methods for reducing data in the interval tree increase data storage and data retrieval performance of the system.

A file transfer system includes peer devices, including an index creating device and at least one requesting peer device. The index creating device creates an index of stored files that can be requested by peer devices. The index creating device evaluates communications requests from the peer devices and accepts communications requests in accordance with user defined criteria. The index creating device communicates with a requesting peer device when the communications request from the requesting peer device has been accepted, and also stores the index, which is linked to an identification. The requesting peer device requests files that are listed in the index linked to the identification. The requesting peer device also creates the file request, which includes a list of the selected files and the identification, transmits the file request to the index creating device, and receives the requested files listed in the index.

The various embodiments described herein include methods and systems for generating an audiovisual media item. In one aspect, a method is performed at a server system. The method includes: (1) receiving, from a first electronic device associated with a first user, a creation request to create the media item, the creation request including information identifying one or more audio files and one or more visual media files; (2) obtaining the visual media files; (3) requesting at least one audio file from a server in accordance with the information identifying the audio files; (4) in response to the request, receiving at least one audio file from the server; (5) obtaining any remaining audio files; (6) in response to receiving the creation request, generating the audiovisual media item based on the audio files and the visual media files; and (7) storing the generated audiovisual media item in a media item database.

A file switch, logically positioned between client computers and file servers in a computer network, distributes user files among multiple file servers using an aggregated directory mechanism. A hierarchical directory structure is created on the file servers and used to store metadata files, which store metadata for each user file to indicate where data files, containing portions of the user file, are stored. The file switch automatically spreads the data files and metadata files over a large number of distinct directories on multiple file servers, preventing large number of data files from being stored in a single directory on a single file server. In response to a directory enumeration request from a client computer, one or more directories of metadata files on one or more of the file servers are enumerated, instead of enumerating the data file that store the user file portions.

A system and method for searching for computer environments, authenticating the computer environments, and copying data from the authenticated computer environments to a memory location. The data is marked or bound to the computer system it was copied from which provides a user with assurance that the data was obtained from a specific, authenticated source. The computer environments and the memory location may be coupled over a network.

Cluster storage is disclosed. A data stream or a data block is received. The data stream or the data block is broken into segments. For each segment, a cluster node is selected, and in the event that a similar segment to the segment is identified that is already managed by the selected cluster node, a reference to the similar segment and a delta between the similar segment and the segment is caused to be stored on the selected cluster node.

In a data processing system, a mechanism identifies data items by substantially unique identifiers which depend on all of the data in the data items and only on the data in the data items. Existence means determine whether a particular data item is present in the system, by examining the identifiers of the plurality of data items.

There is provided, in a computer processing system, an apparatus for managing object data. The apparatus includes a changed objects manager for creating and managing a changed objects list that at least identifies the objects that have changed based on time of change. The changed objects list is associated with a plurality of time buckets. Each of the plurality of time buckets is associated with a respective date and time period and with object change records for objects having a timestamp falling within the respective date and time period. Each of the object change records is associated with a unique object identifier and the timestamp for a corresponding one of the objects. The timestamp specifies a date and a time corresponding to a latest one of a creation time or a most recent update time for the corresponding one of the objects.

The present invention provides a storage system for storing variable sized objects. The storage system is preferably a transaction-based system that uses variable sized objects to store data. The storage system is preferably implemented using arrays disks that are arranged in ranks. Each rank includes multiple stripes. Each stripe may be read and written as a convenient unit for maximum performance. A rank manager is able to dynamically configure the ranks to adjust for failed and added disks by selectively shortening and lengthening the stripes. The storage system may include a stripe space table that contains entries describing the amount of space used in each stripe. An object map provides entries for each object in the storage system describing the location (e.g., rank, stripe and offset values), the length and version of the object. A volume index translates regions of logical storage into object identifiers. The storage system may implement various types of formats such as I-node, binary tree and extendible hashing formats.

Cluster storage is disclosed. A data stream or a data block is received. The data stream or the data block is broken into segments. For each segment, a cluster node is selected, and a portion of the segment smaller than the segment is identified that is a duplicate of a portion of a segment already managed by the cluster node.

A data object management scheme for storing a large plurality of small data objects (e.g., image files) in small number of large object stack file for storage in secondary storage (e.g., hard disks). By storing many individual data objects in a single object stack file, the number of files stored in the secondary storage is reduced by several orders of magnitude, from the billions or millions to the hundreds or so. Index data for each object stack file is generated and stored in primary storage to allow efficient and prompt access to the data objects. Requests to store or retrieve the data objects are made using HTTP messages including file identifiers that identify the files storing the data objects and keys identifying the data objects. A file server stores or retrieves the data object from secondary storage of a file server without converting the requests to NSF or POSIX commands.