Patent ID: 8627130

Claim:
A data archive system comprising: a front storage system; a plurality of back storage systems connected to the front storage system; and a data connection for connecting the front storage system to a plurality of clients including a first client and a second client, wherein in response to receiving a write command with a client file from the first client, the front storage system stores the client file in the front storage system, stores a reference to the client file in the front storage system, and writes the client file to one of the back storage systems, wherein in response to receiving a read command from the second client specifying a requested file, the front storage system checks a reference to the requested file to determine whether the requested file is stored in the front storage system, wherein if it is, the front storage system transmits the requested file from the front storage system to the second client without communicating with the back storage systems, and wherein if it is not, the front storage system reads the requested file from a selected back storage system into the front storage system and transmits the requested file from the front storage system to the second client, wherein each client file is stored in the back storage system as a Write Once, Read Many (WORM) file such that it is written only once and read zero or more times, wherein one of the back storage systems is a hot back storage system which is currently being written to, wherein the front storage system writes client files to the hot back storage system only, until it is filled, and wherein the plurality of back storage systems are filled with client files in a time order sequentially, and wherein each back storage system enters an inactive state after a predetermined time period of unuse, and wherein each inactive back storage system becomes active in response to receiving a wakeup command from the front storage system.