Patent ID: 8271992
Filing Date: 2012-09-18
Classification: A61P,G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for balancing loads among a plurality of data storage devices, comprising: receiving a request from a user device to download a data file; identifying a first set of storage devices containing the requested data file, wherein the first set comprises one or more storage devices; identifying a first storage device from the set that is currently least busy among the storage devices in the first set, and directing the first storage device to serve the request; determining if the first storage device is too busy; if the first storage device is too busy, copying the requested data file to a second storage device which did not previously store the data file, thereby adding the second storage device to the first set of storage devices containing the requested data file; and determining whether one or more redundant copies of the requested file from the first set of storage devices should be deleted based at least in part on a number of current access requests for the file, wherein determining whether one or more redundant copies of the requested file should be deleted comprises determining whether a quotient, provided by a total number of current access requests for the file divided by a total number of copies of the files stored in the first set, is lower than a predetermined threshold, wherein if the quotient is lower than the predetermined threshold, the one or more redundant copies are designated to be deleted.