Intelligent Data Store Access Configuration for Distributed Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Content management systems face bottlenecks during content migration and bulk import from client applications to a content server, and they lack high availability access if the file system is down, especially when storing content as files in a file system.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of configuration objects that manage intelligent data store access across distributed storage nodes, enabling load balancing, failover, and multi-target access logic to distribute access efficiently and ensure high availability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If content is stored as files in a file system, then the content management system can access and manage content, but the system experiences significant bottlenecks during content migration and bulk import operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the monolithic file system into multiple distributed file stores organized in a hierarchy. Content is divided and stored across multiple segments (file stores) that can be accessed independently. This segmentation allows parallel processing during content migration and bulk import operations, eliminating the single-point bottleneck of traditional file systems and improving overall productivity.
2Reliability
If content is stored in a single file system, then the system can manage content centrally, but the system lacks high availability access if the file system is down
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple file stores into a unified hierarchical namespace that presents a single logical view to applications. Multiple physical file stores are combined and managed as one logical storage system, allowing automatic failover and redundancy. This merging approach provides high availability by distributing content across multiple stores while maintaining centralized management, resolving the contradiction between reliability and complexity.
3Productivity
If a content management system uses traditional file system access, then the implementation is simple, but the system cannot efficiently distribute access across multiple storage nodes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer (the hierarchical file store namespace and access management system) between applications and physical storage nodes. This intermediary intelligently routes access requests to appropriate storage nodes, manages data placement and retrieval across the hierarchy, and provides load balancing. This mediator enables efficient distributed access while abstracting the complexity from applications, resolving the contradiction between productivity and complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A configuration object is provided to configure a server. The configuration object has an associated type to which the configuration object applies and information about a plurality of file stores available to the server. A method for data access can include, receiving, by the server, a request to perform a first operation with respect to a content object associated with the associated type to which the configuration object applies, using the configuration object to determine, from the plurality of file stores available to the server, a set of candidate file stores to service the request, and selecting a target file store from the set of candidate file stores and servicing the request using the target file store. Selecting the target file store includes mapping the object identifier to the target file store.