Methods and apparatus for conversion of content

Abstract: In one embodiment of the invention, a utility may be installed (e.g., by a system administrator) on a storage system. The utility may read content units on the storage system that are stored in one data format, and convert the content units to a second data format. In one embodiment, in response to a read request for a content unit, a data format in which to return the content unit may be selected and the content unit may be returned in that data format. In another embodiment, mapping information may be created that specifies in which data format a content unit should be returned in response to a request for the content unit. The mapping information may be stored either on the storage system that stores the content unit, the computer requesting access to the content unit, or any other computer or device in the computer system. (end of abstract)

Agent: Emc Corporation C/o Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks, P.C. - Boston, MA, US
Inventors: Kaleb Keithley, Jiri Schindler, Jonathan B. Hall, Michael Kilian, Stephen J. Todd
USPTO Applicaton #: #20070276789 - Class: 707 2 (USPTO)

Methods and apparatus for conversion of content description/claims

The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070276789, Methods and apparatus for conversion of content.

Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001]The present invention relates to the conversion of content.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

[0002]Virtually all computer application programs rely on storage that may be used to store computer code and data manipulated by the computer code. A typical computer system includes one or more host computers that execute such application programs and one or more storage systems that provide storage.

[0003]The host computers may access data by sending access requests to the one or more storage systems. Some storage systems require that the access requests identify units of data to be accessed using logical volume and block addresses. Such storage systems are known as "block I/O" storage systems. Although the logical volumes presented by the storage system to the host may not map in a one-to-one manner to physical storage devices, they are perceived by the host as corresponding to physical storage devices, and the specification of a logical volume and block address indicates where the referenced data is physically stored within the storage system.

[0004]In contrast to block I/O storage systems, some storage systems receive and process access requests that identify a data or other content unit using an object identifier, rather than an address that specifies where the data unit is physically or logically stored in the storage system. Such storage systems are referred to as object addressable storage (OAS) systems. In object addressable storage, a content unit may be identified (e.g., by host computers requesting access to the content unit) using its object identifier and the object identifier may be independent of the physical or logical location at which the content unit is stored (although it is not required to be). However, from the perspective of the host computer (or user) accessing a content unit on an OAS system, the object identifier does not control where the content unit is stored. Thus, in an OAS system, if the physical or logical location at which the unit of content is stored changes, the identifier by which host computers access the unit of content may remain the same. In contrast, in a block I/O storage system, if the physical or logical location at which the unit of content is stored changes, host computers accessing the unit of content may need to be made aware of the location change and then use the new location of the content unit of content for future accesses.

[0005]One example of an OAS system is a content addressable storage (CAS) system. In a CAS system, the object identifiers that identify content units are content addresses. A content address is an identifier that is computed, at least in part, from at least a portion of the content of its corresponding unit of content, which can be data and/or metadata. For example, a content address for a unit of content may be computed by hashing the unit of content and using the resulting hash value as the content address. Storage systems that identify content by a content address are termed content addressable storage (CAS) systems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006]One embodiment of the invention is directed to a method for use in a computer system comprising at least one storage system and at least one host computer that is coupled to the at least one storage system and executes an application program that writes a plurality of content units to the at least one storage system, wherein the at least one storage system stores the plurality of content units in a first stored format. The method comprises: (A) executing on at least one computer other than the at least one host computer at least one utility that reads at least some of the plurality of content units and stores the at least some of the plurality of content units on the at least one storage system in a second stored format that is different from the first stored format.

[0007]Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a method for use in a computer system comprising at least one storage system and at least one host computer that is coupled to the at least one storage system and executes an application program that writes a plurality of content units to the at least one storage system, wherein the at least one storage system stores the plurality of content units in a first stored format. The method comprises: (A) installing on at least one computer other than the at least one host computer at least one utility that can read at least some of the plurality of content units and store the at least some of the plurality of content units on the at least one storage system in a second stored format that is different from the first stored format.

[0008]A further embodiment is directed to a method for use in a computer system comprising at least one storage system that stores a plurality of content units and has the ability to respond to a request to access at least one of the plurality of content units by returning the at least one of the plurality of content units in any of at least two formats comprising at least a first format and a second format that is different than the first format, wherein the at least one storage system comprises an interface that enables each of the plurality of content units to be stored on the at least one storage system, associated with an identifier and later retrieved by providing the at least one storage system with the identifier. The method comprises acts of: (A) in response to at least one request to read the at least one of the plurality of content units being received at the at least one storage system, selecting one of the formats of the at least one of the plurality of content units based, at least in part, on information associated with the at least one request; and (B) providing, from the at least one storage system, the at least one of the plurality of content units in the format selected in the act (A).

[0009]Another embodiment is directed to a storage system comprising: at least one storage device to store a plurality of content units written to the at least one storage system; and at least one processor programmed to; provide an interface to the at least one storage system that enables each of the plurality of content units to be stored on the at least one storage system, associated with an identifier and later retrieved by providing the at least one storage system with the identifier, wherein each of the plurality of content units is stored in a stored format; and in response to at least one request to read the at least one of the plurality of content units being received at the at least one storage system, select one of the formats of the at least one of the plurality of content units based, at least in part, on information associated with the at least one request and provide the at least one of the plurality of content units in the format selected.

[0010]A further embodiment is directed to a method for use in a computer system comprising at least one storage system that stores a plurality of content units and comprises an interface that enables each of the plurality of content units to be stored on the at least one storage system, associated with an identifier and later retrieved by providing the at least one storage system with the identifier. The method comprises acts of: installing on at least one storage system at least one utility that provides the at least one storage system with the ability to perform acts of: (A) in response to at least one request to read at least one of the plurality of content units being received at the at least one storage system, selecting any of at least two formats, comprising at least a first format and a second format that is different than the first format, in which the at least one of the plurality of content units can be provided, the act of selecting being based, at least in part, on information associated with the at least one request; and (B) providing, from the at least one storage system, the at least one of the plurality of content units in the format selected in the act (A).

[0011]Another embodiment is directed to a method for use in a computer system comprising at least one storage system that stores a plurality of content units and has the ability to respond to a request to access at least one of the plurality of content units by returning the at least one of the plurality of content units in any of a plurality of formats comprising at least a first format and a second format that is different than the first format, wherein the at least one storage system comprises an interface that enables each of the plurality of content units to be stored on the at least one storage system, associated with an identifier and later retrieved by providing the at least one storage system with the identifier. The method comprises acts of: (A) providing from the at least one host computer, in association with at least one request to read at least one of the plurality of content units, information that enables the at least one storage system to select one of the plurality of formats in which to provide the at least one of the plurality of content units to the at least one host computer in response to the at least one request.

[0012]A further embodiment is directed to a method for use in a computer system comprising at least one storage system that stores a plurality of content units and has the ability to respond to a request to access at least one of the plurality of content units by returning the at least one of the plurality of content units in any of a plurality of formats comprising at least a first format and a second format that is different than the first format, wherein the at least one storage system comprises an interface that enables each of the plurality of content units to be stored on the at least one storage system, associated with an identifier and later retrieved by providing the at least one storage system with the identifier. The method comprises an act of: (A) creating mapping information that specifies, based on at least some information associated with at least one request to access the at least one content unit, which of the at least two of the formats of the at least one content unit should be provided in response to the request; and (B) storing the mapping information on the computer system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computer system in which content units may be converted to different data formats by a storage system, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

[0014]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a computer system in which content units may be converted to different data formats by a utility computer, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

[0015]FIG. 3 is a diagram of a content unit being converted to a different data format, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

[0016]FIG. 4 is a block diagram of multiple versions of a content unit being stored on a storage system that stores content in a CDF/blob arrangement, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

[0017]FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a computer system on which an application program executing on a host computer communicates with a storage system via an application programming interface (API);

[0018]FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a process by which a content unit may be converted to a different data format in response to a read request for the content unit, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

[0019]FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a process by which a content unit may be converted to a different data format in place, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; and

[0020]FIG. 8 is a flow chart of a process to determine which of multiple versions of a content unit may be returned in response to a read request for the content unit, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
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