Patent ID: 7085819

Claim:
A data storage method comprising: receiving a data set from a client; defining a virtual device to include device portions on a plurality of network servers said step of defining said virtual device including determining the number of data portions into which said data set is to be parsed, selecting a number of servers from said plurality of servers corresponding to said number of data portions, and defining a data portion file for each selected server to store a corresponding one of said data portions; parsing said data set into a plurality of data portions; writing each of said data portions to a corresponding one of said device portions by transmitting each of said data portions to a corresponding one of said network servers as a corresponding one of said data portion files; transmitting a commit signal to each of said corresponding network servers, said commit signals causing said network servers to commit said data portions to memory; transmitting a ready signal to a backup controller after transmitting each of said data portions to a corresponding one of said network servers; and transmitting a done signal to said backup controller after transmitting said commit signals to said servers; whereby said backup controller responsive to receiving said ready signal and not receiving said done signal, transmits a commit signal to said corresponding network servers.