Namespace data object name persistence after decoupling of transportable storage device from data server

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11157462-B2
Application number	US-201916533602-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 6, 2019
Priority date	Aug 6, 2019
Publication date	Oct 26, 2021
Grant date	Oct 26, 2021

Abstract

Transportable storage devices are communicatively coupled behind one or more dedicated “edge” data servers to take advantage of the benefits of the data servers and transportable storage devices while limiting their disadvantages. Each edge data server ingests data from one or more client devices and copies the data to one or more of the transportable storage devices for eventual transport to a cloud data center for upload to a cloud storage system. Object identifiers of objects stored on the transportable storage devices are maintained in a namespace of the data servers after decoupling of the transportable storage devices from the data servers so that the object identifiers remain visible to client devices.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for use with an edge storage system having online access to a cloud storage system, the method comprising:
storing a data object from a client device to the edge storage system, the data object being identified by an object identifier in an edge namespace of the edge storage system, wherein the object identifier uniquely identifies the data object within the edge namespace;
storing a copy of the data object on a transportable storage device that is communicatively coupled to the edge storage system;
removing data storage associated with the data object from the edge storage system responsive to storing the copy of the data object on the transportable storage device; and
maintaining visibility to the client device of the object identifier in the edge namespace after communicative decoupling of the transportable storage device from the edge storage system, wherein the data object is accessible to the client device through the edge storage system from the cloud storage system using the object identifier in the edge namespace.

2. The method of claim 1 , further including:
receiving, at the edge storage system, a request for the object identifier in the namespace; and
downloading to the edge storage system, responsive to the received request and after upload of the copy of the data object from the transportable storage device to the cloud storage system, the copy of the data object from the cloud storage system.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the data object is a first data object, wherein the object identifier is a first object identifier, wherein the transportable storage device is a first transportable storage device, and wherein the method further includes:
communicatively coupling a second transportable storage device to the edge storage system after communicative decoupling of the first transportable storage device from the edge storage system;
storing a second data object from the client device to the edge storage system, the second data object being identified by a second object identifier in the namespace of the edge storage system;
storing a copy of the second data object on the second transportable storage device;
removing data storage associated with the second data object from the edge storage system responsive to storing the copy of the second data object on the second transportable storage device; and

maintaining visibility to the client device of the second object identifier in the namespace after communicative decoupling of the second transportable storage device from the edge storage system.

4. The method of claim 1 , further including:
receiving, at the edge storage system, a request for the object identifier in the namespace; and
sending, responsive to the received request and before upload of the copy of the data object from the transportable storage device to the cloud storage system, a message that a copy of the data object is unavailable.

5. The method of claim 4 , further including:
receiving, at the edge storage system, a subsequent request for the object identifier in the namespace; and
downloading to the edge storage system, responsive to the received subsequent request and after upload of the copy of the data object from the transportable storage device to the cloud storage system, the copy of the data object from the cloud storage system.

6. The method of claim 1 , further including:
receiving, at the edge storage system, an indication that the transportable storage device is unable to accept further storage of data thereon, wherein the communicative decoupling of the transportable storage device from the edge storage system occurs responsive to the received indication.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the edge storage system includes one or more edge storage servers.

8. One or more tangible processor-readable storage media embodied with instructions for executing on one or more processors and circuits of a device a process for use with an edge storage system having online access to a cloud storage system, the process comprising:
storing a data object from a client device to the edge storage system, the data object being identified by an object identifier in an edge namespace of the edge storage system, wherein the object identifier uniquely identifies the data object within the edge namespace;
storing a copy of the data object on a transportable storage device that is communicatively coupled to the edge storage system;
removing data storage associated with the data object from the edge storage system responsive to storing the copy of the data object on the transportable storage device; and
maintaining visibility to the client device of the object identifier in the namespace after communicative decoupling of the transportable storage device from the edge storage system, wherein the data object is accessible to the client device through the edge storage system from the cloud storage system using the object identifier in the edge namespace.

9. The one or more tangible processor-readable storage media of claim 8 , wherein the process further includes:
receiving, at the edge storage system, a request for the object identifier in the namespace; and
downloading to the edge storage system, responsive to the received request and after upload of the copy of the data object from the transportable storage device to the cloud storage system, the copy of the data object from the cloud storage system.

10. The one or more tangible processor-readable storage media of claim 9 , wherein the data object is a first data object, wherein the object identifier is a first object identifier, wherein the transportable storage device is a first transportable storage device, and wherein the process further includes:
communicatively coupling a second transportable storage device to the edge storage system after communicative decoupling of the first transportable storage device from the edge storage system;
storing a second data object from the client device to the edge storage system, the second data object being identified by a second object identifier in the namespace of the edge storage system;
storing a copy of the second data object on the second transportable storage device;
removing data storage associated with the second data object from the edge storage system responsive to storing the copy of the second data object on the second transportable storage device; and

maintaining visibility to the client device of the second object identifier in the namespace after communicative decoupling of the second transportable storage device from the edge storage system.

11. The one or more tangible processor-readable storage media of claim 8 , wherein the process further includes:
receiving, at the edge storage system, a request for the object identifier in the namespace; and
sending, responsive to the received request and before upload of the copy of the data object from the transportable storage device to the cloud storage system, a message that a copy of the data object is unavailable.

12. The one or more tangible processor-readable storage media of claim 11 , wherein the process further includes:
receiving, at the edge storage system, a subsequent request for the object identifier in the namespace; and
downloading to the edge storage system, responsive to the received subsequent request and after upload of the copy of the data object from the transportable storage device to the cloud storage system, the copy of the data object from the cloud storage system.

13. The one or more tangible processor-readable storage media of claim 8 , wherein the process further includes:
receiving, at

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Testardi Richard Paul
• D'Amato Andrea
• Joshi Devidas
• Garg Mohit Kumar
• Charles Sebastien
• Gopinadhan Gautam
• Wolfe Stephen Wade
• Renaud John
• Pistor Ernie

Classifications

• H04L67/1097 Primary

  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 title

• G06F21/602

  Providing cryptographic facilities or services · CPC title

• G06F3/0683

  Plurality of storage devices · CPC title

• G06F3/0619

  in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors · CPC title

• G06F21/6209

  to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself · CPC title