Patent ID: 8886768

Claim:
A storage device for use with a computer having a computer processor, the storage device comprising: a device processor local to the computer; a computer interface communicably connected to the device processor, wherein the computer interface is adapted to enable communications exclusively between the computer processor and the device processor; a network interface communicably connected to the device processor to enable the device processor to communicate over a network, wherein the device processor is adapted to employ the network interface for communications with select file servers to the exclusion of other file servers; and a storage means communicably connected to the device processor, the device processor being configured to: manage a plurality of files on the storage means, the device processor having read and write access to the storage means, regulate access of the computer to the plurality of files on the storage means, receive a request for a first file from the storage means the request being from the computer processor and directed to the device processor, retrieve the first file from the select file servers following receipt of the request for the first file, when the first file is not already amongst the plurality of files on the storage means, and remove one or more of the plurality of files from the storage means in accordance with a delete instruction received from one or more of the select file servers.