Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100088296 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ORGANIZING DATA TO FACILITATE DATA DEDUPLICATION - A technique for organizing data to facilitate data deduplication includes dividing a block-based set of data into multiple “chunks”, where the chunk boundaries are independent of the block boundaries (due to the hashing algorithm). Metadata of the data set, such as block pointers for locating the data, are stored in a tree structure that includes multiple levels, each of which includes at least one node. The lowest level of the tree includes multiple nodes that each contain chunk metadata relating to the chunks of the data set. In each node of the lowest level of the buffer tree, the chunk metadata contained therein identifies at least one of the chunks. The chunks (user-level data) are stored in one or more system files that are separate from the buffer tree and not visible to the user. | 04-08-2010 |
20100174879 | ESTIMATING SPACE IN A COMPRESSED VOLUME - A method and system for estimating space in a compressed volume to enable a storage server to respond to write requests before actually compressing and/or allocating data on disk. In some embodiments, in response to receiving a request to store data, the storage server estimates the amount of storage space required to store the data on disk. The storage server compares the estimated amount with the amount of available disk space. When the amount of available disk space is less than the estimated space, the storage server sends a response indicating that the request failed. Otherwise, when the amount of available disk space is greater than or equal to the estimate space, the storage server sends a response indicating that the request succeeded. The response is sent before the storage server allocates any disk space in connection with the request. | 07-08-2010 |
20100274773 | NEARSTORE COMPRESSION OF DATA IN A STORAGE SYSTEM - A storage server is configured to receive a request to store a data block from a client. The request to store the data block is serviced by the storage server by compressing the data block into a compression group which includes a number of compressed data blocks. The storage server stores the compression group in a non-volatile memory and flushes the compression group from the non-volatile memory to a physical storage device in response to reaching a consistency point. By compressing data to be stored in system memory of a storage servers the amount of data that can be processed during a given time period by a data storage system is increased. Furthermore, an increase in performance can be achieved at a lower cost, since the cost of additional physical system memory modules can be avoided, | 10-28-2010 |
20130067175 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR USING COMPRESSION IN PARTIAL CLONING - Method and system for partially cloning a data container with compression is provided. A storage operating system determines if a portion of a source data container that is to be cloned includes a plurality of compressed blocks that are compressed using a non-variable compression group size. The operating system clones the plurality compressed blocks with the non-variable compression group size and de-compresses a plurality of blocks of the data container that are not within the non-variable compression group size. The plurality of compressed blocks and the plurality of blocks that are not within the non-variable compression group size are then stored as a partially cloned copy of the source data container. | 03-14-2013 |
20130311735 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT-TIME EXECUTION OF A COPY OPERATION - A system and method for providing a substantially constant-time copy operation for file system objects managed by a storage server begins by generating a snapshot of at least a portion of a data set managed by the storage server. The system then performs a copy operation in the storage server to generate a copy of the data set separate from the snapshot, on a set of block locations containing a predetermined reference value. During the copy operation to generate the copy of the data set separate from the snapshot, the system can receive from a requester a first read request directed to the copy of the data set that the copy operation is to generate. In response to the first data request, the system provides data from the snapshot to the requester by the storage server. | 11-21-2013 |
20140081929 | NEARSTONE COMPRESSION OF DATA IN A STORAGE SYSTEM - A storage server is configured to receive a request to store a data block from a client. The request to store the data block is serviced by the storage server by compressing the data block into a compression group, which includes a number of compressed data blocks. The storage server stores the compression group in a non-volatile memory and flushes the compression group from the non-volatile memory to a physical storage device in response to reaching a consistency point. By compressing data to be stored in system memory of a storage server, the amount of data that can be processed during a given time period by a data storage system is increased. Furthermore, an increase in performance can be achieved at a lower cost, since the cost of additional physical system memory modules can be avoided. | 03-20-2014 |
20140344538 | SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR DETERMINING BLOCK CHARACTERISTICS IN A COMPUTER DATA STORAGE SYSTEM - Systems, methods, and non-transitory machine readable media for determining block characteristics include one or more processors, a memory for storing instructions for the one or more processors, persistent storage, and a file system implemented in the persistent storage and storing data in the persistent storage using a plurality of blocks. When the stored instructions are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors are configured to traverse the plurality of blocks, read contents of a first block selected from the plurality of blocks, determine one or more characteristics of the first block from metadata within the block, and selectively perform or not perform a storage operation with respect to the first data block in response to determining the one or more characteristics. In some embodiments, the storage operation is a replication operation or a deduplication operation. | 11-20-2014 |
20150205816 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ORGANIZING DATA TO FACILITATE DATA DEDUPLICATION - A technique for organizing data to facilitate data deduplication includes dividing a block-based set of data into multiple “chunks”, where the chunk boundaries are independent of the block boundaries (due to the hashing algorithm). Metadata of the data set, such as block pointers for locating the data, are stored in a tree structure that includes multiple levels, each of which includes at least one node. The lowest level of the tree includes multiple nodes that each contain chunk metadata relating to the chunks of the data set. In each node of the lowest level of the buffer tree, the chunk metadata contained therein identifies at least one of the chunks. The chunks (user-level data) are stored in one or more system files that are separate from the buffer tree and not visible to the user. | 07-23-2015 |