Peer-to-peer redundant file server system and methods
View Patent ↗Peer-to-peer redundant file server system and methods include clients that determine a target storage provider to contact for a particular storage transaction based on a pathname provided by the filesystem and a predetermined scheme such as a hash function applied to a portion of the pathname. Servers use the same scheme to determine where to store relevant file information so that the clients can locate the file information. The target storage provider may store the file itself and/or may store metadata that identifies one or more other storage providers where the file is stored. A file may be replicated in multiple storage providers, and the metadata may include a list of storage providers from which the clients can select (e.g., randomly) in order to access the file.
1. A method of providing access by a client to a file in a storage system, the file associated with a file pathname, the method comprising:
a. storing an instantiation of the file in each of a plurality of storage providers;
b. storing metadata for the file in a target storage provider selected based at least in part on the pathname using a predetermined mapping scheme, the metadata including at least a list of the storage providers;
c. sending a request by the client to the target storage provider;
d. providing the list of the storage providers by the target storage provider to the client in response to the request;
e. selecting one of the listed storage providers by the client using a predetermined selection scheme; and
f. communicating with the selected storage provider by the client in order to access the file instantiation stored in the selected storage provider.
2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined mapping scheme includes a hash algorithm applied to a portion of the pathname.
3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined selection scheme includes random selection from among the listed storage providers.
4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined selection scheme includes a user-configurable policy.
5. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the target storage provider is one of the plurality of storage providers in which an instantiation of the file is stored.
6. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the target storage provider is not one of the plurality of storage providers in which an instantiation of the file is stored.
7. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the metadata further includes at least one of the pathname, a portion of the pathname, and a file version number.
8. A method according to claim 1 , wherein an instantiation of the file is stored in each of a plurality of storage providers for redundancy.
9. A method according to claim 1 , wherein an instantiation of the file is stored in each of a plurality of storage providers for distributing processing load across the plurality of storage providers.