Federated Object Store Browsers for Unified Local and Remote Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing object storage systems require users to navigate complex and inconvenient local namespaces for accessing multiple object stores within a federation, lacking a unified and efficient mechanism for both local and remote access.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for accessing federated object stores through an objects browser that allows users to access a unified namespace across multiple object stores, enabling both local and remote operations using a single interface, simplifying access and improving user experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If users access multiple object stores through separate local namespaces, then each object store can be managed independently, but the access mechanism becomes complex and inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate object store access interfaces into a single unified object store interface. This unified interface allows users to access multiple object stores through a single namespace, eliminating the need to navigate complex local namespaces for each individual object store while maintaining independent management capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified object store interface is designed to serve multiple functions: it can access local object stores, remote object stores, and federated object stores through a single interface. This multi-functional design simplifies the access mechanism while maintaining the ability to independently manage different object stores.
2Productivity
If a unified namespace is implemented across multiple object stores, then access efficiency is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the unified namespace functionality into distinct components: local object stores, remote object stores, and federated object stores. Each segment can be independently managed and accessed, which reduces the overall system complexity while maintaining access efficiency through the unified interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a namespace service as an intermediary that manages the unified namespace across multiple object stores. This mediator handles the complexity of routing and managing access to different object stores, allowing the unified namespace to improve access efficiency without proportionally increasing system complexity.
3Reliability
If separate access mechanisms are used for local and remote object stores, then each access path can be optimized, but the user experience deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The unified object store interface provides universal access to both local and remote object stores through a single interface. This eliminates the need for users to learn and switch between different access mechanisms, improving user experience while the underlying system maintains optimized access paths for different object store types.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring users to adapt to different access mechanisms for different object stores, the patent inverts the approach by making the system adapt to users through a unified interface. The system internally manages the different access paths while presenting a consistent interface to users, thereby improving ease of operation without sacrificing access path optimization.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for implementing an objects browser is disclosed. The system and method include receiving a request through the objects browser of a first object store to perform an operation on either the first or a second object store. The first and second object stores are part of a federated namespace. The system and method further include making an API request to an objects server, determining whether the API request is to access the first object store or the second object store, and providing access to the first object store responsive to determining that the API request is to perform the operation on the first object store or route the API request to the second object store to perform the operation on the second object store responsive to determining that the API request is to perform the operation on the second object store.