Patent ID: 7558859
Filing Date: 2009-07-07
Classification: G06F,G06Q,H04L,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A computer-implemented method for balancing a data load among a plurality of data storage nodes in at least one network, comprising: determining, at a first data storage node of the plurality of data storage nodes, an amount of data subject to an auction to reduce an amount of data stored at the at least one utilization level of a first data storage node, the amount of data subject to the auction is determined based on an amount of data stored at the first data storage node; multicasting, in the at least one network, information regarding the amount of data subject to the auction, the information indicating that the data subject to the auction includes data of relatively high activity user accounts and data of relatively low activity user accounts; the information is received by other data storage nodes of the plurality of data storage nodes which have registered to receive multicast announcements from the first data storage node; and in response to receipt of the information, each of the other data storage nodes checks an amount of data stored thereat to determine whether it has available capacity to accept new data, and communicates a bid to the first data storage node if it has the capacity to accept new data, the bid from at least one of the other data storages nodes indicates that at least one of data of the relatively high activity user accounts and data of the relatively low activity user accounts will be accepted by the at least one of the other data storages nodes, where the first data storage node accepts at least one bid and relocates data to one or more of the other data storage nodes whose bids were accepted.