Event-Based User State Synchronization in a Cloud Storage System

Abstract

Cloud storage systems and methods are described for providing event-based user state synchronization among the various cloud elements. A global user directory is maintained on a remote cloud storage system. The global user directory includes a plurality of global user definitions associated with a plurality of user accounts, where each of the user accounts has access to at least one of a remote file system (RFS) hosted by the remote cloud storage system and a local file system (LFS) hosted by a local cloud storage system. As global user definition are altered on the remote cloud storage system, user events are generated and communicated to the local cloud storage system, where they are applied to synchronize the local user definitions with the global user definitions. The invention facilitates centralized control of user definitions, near real-time event delivery to local cloud storage systems, and separation of authentication processes from customers' active directory services.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62 / 271,133, filed on Dec. 22, 2015 by at least one common inventor and entitled “Event-Based User State Synchronization”, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Field of the Invention[0003]This invention relates generally to cloud computing systems, and more particularly to synchronizing the states of user definitions in a cloud computing system.[0004]Description of the Background Art[0005]Cloud computing systems are known. In cloud computing systems, computing and storage services are provided to remote clients over a wide area network such as the Internet. In the case of storage, the customer's file system can exist both in a local storage device (e.g., on a hard drive, on a network attached storage (NAS) device, etc.) and in the cloud. For example, a backup copy of the customer's local file ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]The present invention overcomes the problems associated with the prior art by providing a system and method for synchronizing user state information between a remote file storage system and each associated local file storage system. The invention facilitates maintaining separate, but synchronized, user directories on the remote file storage system (the cloud) and any number of associated local file storage systems. The invention also facilitates synchronizing the user directories in near-real time through event-based synchronization facilitated by persistent Web Socket connections.

Problems solved by technology

This is resource intensive (e.g., in terms of IT personnel, time, etc.) and undesirable.

It is also slow and can leave the local file system vulnerable to prohibited access (e.g., the time between when a user's employment is terminated and when the user's account is locally deactivated, etc.).

Unfortunately, if a connection with the active directory service cannot be established due to the corporate policies, then the user will be denied local access.

Thus, the synchronized namespace on the local storage device cannot be accessed in off-line mode.

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