Global storage solution with logical cylinders and capsules
View Patent ↗Example apparatus and methods control a data storage system to store data in a self-describing logical data storage capsule using a logical cylindrical recording format. Example apparatus and methods assign a searchable, globally unique identifier to the capsule and associate the globally unique identifier with a user. The logical data storage capsule is migrated from a first data storage medium to a second data storage medium without translating or reformatting the data storage capsule. The data storage capsule contains information describing to a data storage device how to migrate the capsule without translating or reformatting the data storage capsule. Example apparatus and methods dynamically select an error correction approach for storing data in the data storage capsule, de-duplicate, and encrypt the data storage capsule. The data storage capsule may be local, or may be part of a cloud-based storage system.
1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions that when executed by a computer control the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:
generating a self-describing logical data storage capsule on a first data storage device, where the data storage capsule employs a logical cylindrical recording format, and where the data storage capsule has a defined size;
assigning a globally unique identifier (ID) to the data storage capsule, wherein the globally unique ID is indexable by a web search engine;
associating the globally unique ID with a human user to allow the human user to access the data storage capsule through one or more security measures for the data storage capsule;
providing the globally unique ID to the human user, wherein the human user provides the globally unique ID to access the data storage capsule;
storing data in the data storage capsule, where the data stored in the data storage capsule is smaller or equal to the defined size of the data storage capsule, and
migrating the data storage capsule from the first data storage device to a second data storage device.
2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , the method comprising:
generating, on the first data storage device, a self-describing logical data storage vessel;
assigning a vessel identifier (VID) to the data storage vessel;
grouping a plurality of data storage capsules into the logical data storage vessel, where the members of the plurality of data storage capsules are stored on the first data storage device, and
migrating the data storage vessel from the first data storage device to the second data storage device.
3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , the method comprising:
dynamically selecting an error correcting (EC) approach based, at least in part, upon a property of the first data storage device, a property of the second data storage device, or a property of the data storage capsule, and
storing the data storage capsule using the selected EC approach.
4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 3 , where the EC approach is a hybrid rateless Reed-Solomon error correcting approach or a fountain code error correcting approach.
5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , where the first data storage device is a first medium and where second data storage device is a second medium.
6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 5 , where the first medium is a disk drive, a tape drive, a solid state device (SSD), a random access memory (RAM), or a shingled magnetic recording (SMR) device.
7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6 , where the second medium is a disk drive, a tape drive, an SSD, a RAM, or an SMR device.
8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 , where the first medium is a different medium than the second medium.
9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , where the globally unique ID is a uniform resource locater (URL) to which the human user directs a web browser for accessing the data storage capsule.
10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , where the globally unique ID is searchable by the human user.
11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , where the globally unique ID is retrievable by a web crawler or able to be queried by a web search engine.
12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions that when executed by a computer control the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:
generating a self-describing logical data storage capsule on a first data storage device, where the data storage capsule employs a logical cylindrical recording format, and where the data storage capsule has a defined size;
assigning a globally unique identifier (ID) to the data storage capsule, wherein the globally unique ID is indexable by a web search engine;
associating the globally unique ID with a human user;
providing the globally unique ID to the human user, wherein the human user accesses the data storage capsule by querying the web search engine for globally unique ID;
storing data in the data storage capsule, where the data stored in the data storage capsule is smaller or equal to the defined size of the data storage capsule, and
migrating the data storage capsule from the first data storage device to a second data storage device.