Patent ID: 9740435
Date: 2017-08-22
CPC Classifications: G06F

Claim:
1. A computer-implemented method for managing content stored in a heterogeneous collection of storage devices, the method comprising: receiving, at a server over a network from a client, a request for accessing files stored in a plurality of heterogeneous storage devices hosted by a plurality of storage providers over the network, including a first storage device of a first storage provider and a second storage device of a second storage provider; accessing, on behalf of a user of the client, the first storage device and the second storage device to retrieve information concerning the files; transmitting data to the client over the network, the data representing a logical file system view of the files without exposing actual storage locations of the files stored in the first and second storage devices; in response to a request for storing a new file from the client, selecting, by the server computer system without notification to the client, a storage space associated with a first user account of the first storage device or a second user account of the second storage device based, at least in part, on a combination of: a remaining storage capacity of the first storage device and a remaining storage capacity of the second storage device available to the first user account and the second user account, respectively, a type of the new file, a bandwidth of the first storage provider for the first storage device and a bandwidth of the second storage provider for the second storage device, and storage provider access times associated with each of the first storage device and the second storage device when accessing files of the type of the new file; storing the file in the selected storage space associated with one of the first and second user accounts; monitoring operating statistics for the first and second storage devices comprising: monitoring at least storage provider access time and bandwidth provided by the first storage provider for the first storage device and the second storage provider for the second storage device, and client access statistics indicative of a frequency of access by the user to one or more of the files stored in the first and second storage devices; and migrating at least one file having the type of the new file from the first storage device to the second storage device when: the at least one file is accessed by the user more frequently than at least one other file of a different type on the first storage device, the second storage device stores one or more files of the type of the new file for the client, and the second storage device has at least one of a higher bandwidth and a shorter access time than the first storage device.