Content-Derived Fingerprint File System for Storage Density and Accessibility
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current storage solutions are costly and inefficient due to outdated file system architectures that do not leverage modern CPU processing, flash memory, and the balance between network bandwidth and disk access rates, leading to decreasing data accessibility as storage densities increase.
Innovation Solution
A digitally signed file system where data, metadata, and files are objects with globally unique fingerprints, allowing for efficient mapping and tracking of changes, enabling continuous data protection, deduplication, and improved disaster recovery through an inode map object and namespace file system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If storage density is increased to reduce costs, then storage capacity per unit increases, but data accessibility decreases due to slower access rates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the file system into multiple components: metadata stored in memory, data objects stored on disk, and an inode map that bridges them. This segmentation allows the system to leverage the speed of memory for metadata access while maintaining high-density disk storage for data objects, thereby resolving the contradiction between storage density and accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The inode map acts as an intermediary between the metadata in memory and the data objects on disk. It contains fingerprints that enable efficient lookup and mapping, allowing the system to quickly locate high-density stored data without sacrificing accessibility. This intermediary layer decouples the storage density from access performance.
2Ease of operation
If data is constantly read and written in current storage architectures, then data can be accessed and modified, but extra expenses increase including CPU usage, power consumption, and management overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the metadata from the data storage path, placing it separately in memory with fingerprints in the inode map. This extraction eliminates the need to read and write metadata repeatedly during data access operations, reducing CPU usage and power consumption while maintaining ease of data access and modification.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-computing and storing fingerprints of data objects in the inode map during data ingestion. This preliminary indexing allows for rapid lookup and access without requiring repeated processing of the actual data, thereby reducing ongoing CPU usage and power consumption during normal operations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If traditional file system architectures are used, then compatibility with existing systems is maintained, but they do not leverage modern CPU processing, flash memory, and network bandwidth optimizations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal file system architecture that can operate with both traditional and modern storage backends. The object-based structure with fingerprints and the inode map design allow it to function as a drop-in replacement for traditional file systems while simultaneously leveraging modern CPU processing, flash memory, and network bandwidth through efficient metadata operations and data placement strategies.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes key parameters of the file system architecture: using content-based fingerprints instead of traditional path-based naming, storing metadata in memory rather than on disk, and separating the inode map from the data storage. These parameter changes enable the system to maintain compatibility while fully utilizing modern hardware capabilities for improved productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
A digitally signed file system in which data, metadata and files are objects, each object having a globally unique and content-derived fingerprint and wherein object references are mapped by the fingerprints; the file system has a root object comprising a mapping of all object fingerprints in the file system, such that a change to the file system results in a change in the root object, and tracking changes in the root object provides a history of file system activity.