Patent ID: 6944133

Claim:
A system for providing access to resources, comprising: a first data center for providing a network service at a first geographic location, including: a first file server for providing access to resources; a first data storage unit including active resources configured for active use; a second data center for providing the network service at a second geographic location, including: a second file server for providing access to resources; a second data storage unit including standby resources configured for standby use in the event that the active resources cannot be obtained from the first data storage unit; a switching mechanism for providing communicative connectivity to the first file server, second file server, first data storage unit, and second data storage unit; failure sensing logic for sensing a failure condition in at least one of the first and second data centers, and generating an output based thereon; and an intelligent controller coupled to the switching mechanism for controlling the flow of data through the switching mechanism, and for coordinating fail over operations, based on the output of the failure sensing logic, the intelligent controller including: logic for coupling the first file server to the second data storage unit when a failure condition is detected pertaining to the first data storage unit.