Patent ID: 7240150
Filing Date: 2007-07-03
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method of processing data in a computer system comprising at least one host and at least one content addressable storage (CAS) system that performs a plurality of operations on content units for the at least one host, wherein the at least one host identifies the content units on the at least one CAS system using content addresses generated based, at least in part, on the content of the content units, wherein the computer system includes a CAS layer of software, disposed outside of the CAS system, that is adapted to communicate with the at least one CAS system, and wherein the method comprises acts, performed by the CAS layer of software, of: (A) receiving an input/output (I/O) request from the at least one host to perform an access on at least one of the content units on the at least one CAS system, wherein the I/O request includes at least one field that specifies at least one of the plurality of operations to be performed on the at least one content unit by the at least one CAS system; (B) determining which of the plurality of operations is specified in the at least one field; and (C) based on the at least one of the plurality of operations determined in the act (B) to be specified in the at least one field, performing at least one action selected from the group consisting of: re-directing the I/O request; denying the I/O request; logging information concerning the I/O request; when the at least one operation specified in the at least one field includes a write request to store a content unit on the at least one CAS system, mirroring the write request to a different location; and concatenating the I/O request with at least one other I/O request.