Patent ID: 8171064

Claim:
A method of operating a network storage server, the method comprising: receiving, at the network storage server, a request to read a data object, wherein the data object is stored at least partially as a plurality of direct data-blocks in a storage container of the network storage server; identifying, by the network storage server, a location of an indirect data-block of the data object and a total number of direct data-blocks associated with the data object, wherein the indirect data-block provides a reference to a location of each of the plurality of direct data-blocks within the storage container; identifying, by the network storage server, a storage size of the data object; determining that the identified storage size is less than a predefined storage-size limit, wherein the predefined storage-size limit corresponds to a maximum storage size associated with contiguous-mode data storage; identifying that the data object is stored in contiguous mode based on the determination that the identified storage size is less than the predefined storage-size limit; and subsequent to identifying that the data object is stored in contiguous mode based on the identified storage size, concurrently reading, by using a read operation, the indirect data-block of the data object and a specific number of data blocks that are located contiguous with the identified location of the indirect data-block, wherein the specific number is commensurate with the identified total number of direct data-blocks of the data object.