Patent ID: 8145729

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 adapted to have read and write access to the storage means and to regulate access of the computer to the storage means, the device processor being configured to give the computer read-only access to the storage means and to represent to the computer that a plurality of files are available on the storage means, wherein upon receipt of a request from the computer for a file from the plurality of files, the device processor is adapted to sequentially (1) determine whether the file is cached on the storage means and provide the file to the computer on a read-only basis if the file is cached on the storage means, (2) request the file from the select file servers if the file is not cached on the storage means, and if the file is obtainable from the select file servers, cache the obtained file on the storage means and provide the obtained file to the computer on a read-only basis, and (3) return a file unavailable notice to the computer if the file is not cached on the storage means and not obtainable from the select file servers.