Rackspace Us, Inc.

Charles B Thier

Gregory Lee Holt

John A Dickinson

Michael Barton

Will Reese

Jay B Payne

Paul Voccio

Antony Joel Messerli

Matthew Charles Dietz

Alexander Leonard Walsh

Vishvananda Ishaya

Trey Eugene Morris

Christopher James Behrens

Jason LuVern Kolker

Edward Leafe

Ziad Sawalha

William Randolph Mathews, Iv

Yogeshwar Srikrishnan

Clay Gerrard

David Patrick Goetz

Yogeshwar Srikrishan

In one embodiment, a cloud computing system provides user extensibility by providing a plugin interface for major systems. Plugin interfaces for a compute service, object service, network service, authentication and authorization service, message service, and image service are disclosed. One or more of the plugin interfaces can be used to alter the allocation of virtual to physical resources across multiple services. Compound services and smart allocation facilities are possible with user-directed modification.

Pluggable allocation in a cloud computing system

An example method for storing data includes providing a plurality of physical storage pools, each storage pool including a plurality of storage nodes coupled to a network. The method also includes mapping a partition of a plurality of partitions to a set of physical storage pools, where each physical storage pool of the set of physical storage pools is located in a different availability zone, and the storage nodes within an availability zone are subject to a correlated loss of access to stored data. The method further includes receiving a data management request over the network, the data management request being associated with a data object. The method also includes identifying a first partition of the plurality of partitions corresponding to the received data management request and manipulating the data object in the physical storage pools mapped to the first partition in accordance with the data management request.

Massively scalable object storage for storing object replicas

Several different embodiments of a massively scalable object storage system are described. The object storage system is particularly useful for storage in a cloud computing installation whereby shared servers provide resources, software, and data to computers and other devices on demand. In several embodiments, the object storage system includes a ring implementation used to associate object storage commands with particular physical servers such that certain guarantees of consistency, availability, and performance can be met. In other embodiments, the object storage system includes a synchronization protocol used to order operations across a distributed system. In a third set of embodiments, the object storage system includes a metadata management system. In a fourth set of embodiments, the object storage system uses a structured information synchronization system. Features from each set of embodiments can be used to improve the performance and scalability of a cloud computing object storage system.

Massively scalable object storage system

The object storage system divides files into a number of object segments, each segment corresponding to a portion of the object, and stores each segment individually in the cloud storage system. The system also generates and stores a manifest file describing the relationship of the various segments to the original data file. Requests to retrieve the segmented file are fulfilled by consulting the manifest file and using the information from the manifest to reconstitute the original data file from the constituent segments. Modifying, appending to, or truncating the object is accomplished by manipulating individual segments and the manifest file. Manipulation of the individual object segments and/or the manifest is also used to implement copy-on-write, snapshotting, software transactional memory, and peer-to-peer transmission of the large file.

Appending to files via server-side chunking and manifest manipulation

Several different embodiments of a segmented object storage system are described. The object storage system divides files into a number of object segments, each segment corresponding to a portion of the object, and stores each segment individually in the cloud storage system. The system also generates and stores a manifest file describing the relationship of the various segments to the original data file. Requests to retrieve the segmented file are fulfilled by consulting the manifest file and using the information from the manifest to reconstitute the original data file from the constituent segments. Modifying, appending to, or truncating the object is accomplished by manipulating individual segments and the manifest file. In further embodiments, manipulation of the individual object segments and/or the manifest is used to implement copy-on-write, snapshotting, software transactional memory, and peer-to-peer transmission of the large file.

Parallel upload and download of large files using bittorrent

A segmented object storage system is an object storage system that divides files into a number of object segments, each segment corresponding to a portion of an object, and stores each segment individually in the storage system. The system also generates and stores a manifest file describing the relationship of the various segments to the original data file. Requests to retrieve the segmented file are fulfilled by consulting the manifest file and using the information from the manifest to reconstitute the original data file from the constituent segments. Modifying, appending to, or truncating the object is accomplished by manipulating individual segments and the manifest file. Manipulation of the individual object segments and/or the manifest can be used to implement copy-on-write, snapshotting, software transactional memory, and peer-to-peer transmission of the large file.

Modification of an object replica

An intercluster repository synchronizer and method for synchronizing objects are disclosed. An example intercluster repository synchronizer includes an information processing system, including a processor, computer-readable medium, and network device. The intercluster repository synchronizer includes a structured information repository on the computer-readable medium. The structured information repository contains a plurality of records corresponding to a selected group of stored information objects. The intercluster repository synchronizer further includes a synchronization indicator that stores an address associated with a remote replication target. The intercluster repository synchronizer also includes a replicator, operable to send a message using the network device to the replication target responsive to changes in the structured information repository, and further operable to receive a message that a plurality of stored information objects have been duplicated at the remote replication target. The duplicated stored information objects are selected based on a shared metadata indicator stored in the structured information repository.

Intercluster repository synchronizer and method of synchronizing objects using a synchronization indicator and shared metadata

Massively scalable object storage

Growing community of inventors

San Antonio, TX, United States of America

Charles B Thier