Network-Backed File System Subscription Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
As data centers grow in scale and complexity, managing and storing increasing amounts of data becomes costly and inefficient, with existing technologies struggling to simplify data storage and management while ensuring security and coherency across networked systems.
Innovation Solution
A network-backed file system that allows clients to subscribe to specific subsections of a hierarchical file system, enabling read and write access through a subscription management layer, which manages file chunks and provides secure, efficient access by sending only modified chunks, ensuring data integrity and security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If distributed storage systems are used to manage increasing amounts of data, then storage capacity is improved, but system complexity and management costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the file system into hierarchical subsections (root, branches, leaves) that can be independently managed and subscribed to. This segmentation allows clients to access only relevant portions of the storage system, reducing the effective complexity they must manage while maintaining overall storage capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a subscription management layer as an intermediary between clients and the distributed storage system. This layer handles subscription requests, manages file chunk subscriptions, and coordinates access, thereby shielding clients from the underlying system complexity while enabling efficient data access.
2Adaptability or versatility
If full service data center facilities are provided, then client service capability is improved, but operational and management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The subscription management layer provides multiple functions through a single unified interface: it handles subscription creation, modification, cancellation, and coordination of file chunk access. This multi-functional approach enables versatile service capability while maintaining consistent, manageable operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables clients to self-manage their data access needs by allowing them to subscribe to specific file system subsections and file chunks according to their requirements. The subscription management layer automatically handles the complexity of coordinating these subscriptions across the distributed storage system.
3Loss of information
If clients access entire files or directories, then data access completeness is improved, but network bandwidth consumption and storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides files into smaller file chunks and allows clients to subscribe to only the specific chunks they need rather than entire files. This segmentation enables precise control over data access, ensuring completeness of required data while minimizing unnecessary network transfer and storage consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The subscription mechanism allows clients to access exactly the portion of data they need (partial action) rather than requiring access to complete files or directories. Clients can subscribe to specific file system subsections and individual file chunks, avoiding the excessive bandwidth and storage consumption of accessing entire files when only portions are needed.
4Loss of energy
If granular subscription access is implemented, then storage efficiency is improved, but system operation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The subscription management layer acts as an intermediary that abstracts the complexity of granular subscription management from clients. It handles the creation, modification, and cancellation of subscriptions to file system subsections and file chunks, thereby maintaining storage efficiency through precise access control while preserving ease of operation through automated management.
5Reliability
If data is replicated across multiple locations for security and coherency, then data reliability is improved, but storage requirements and management complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The hierarchical file system segments data into file chunks that can be independently replicated and distributed across multiple storage locations. This segmentation enables selective replication of only the necessary data portions, maintaining data reliability through distribution while optimizing storage requirements by avoiding redundant replication of entire files.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for implementing a network-backed file system are disclosed. Data indicative of a plurality of subscriptions by a plurality of clients to respective subsections of a file system is stored. The subscriptions comprise one or more read subscriptions and one or more write subscriptions. The read subscriptions are fulfilled by sending modified file chunks of subsections to subscribing clients. The write subscriptions are fulfilled by modifying file chunks of subsections based on write requests submitted by subscribing clients.