Patent · US Expired

Methods and apparatus for load balancing storage nodes in a distributed network attached storage system

US7509645B2 · kind B2 · utility

22Cited by
79References
12Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 13, 2003
Grant dateMar 24, 2009
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 10, 2025

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L67/568
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A distributed data storage system stores a single image file system across a plurality of physical storage volumes. The physical storage may be direct attached storage, or may be coupled through a storage area network (“SAN”). One or more clients communicate with a plurality of storage nodes through a network. A client of the distributed data storage system transmits a request over the network for a file identified in the file system. A load-balancing switch selects one of the storage nodes to process the request. The storage node accesses at least one of the physical volumes and transmits a response for the storage operation to the client.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.