Patent ID: 8255611

Claim:
A method for use in a computer system, comprising: receiving, at a second server, at least one storage access request from a first server that indicates that the first server has a content unit to be stored to at least one storage system, wherein the content unit is associated with an object identifier in the at least one storage access request from the first server, and wherein the object identifier identifies the content unit independently of at least one storage location on the at least one storage system at which the content unit is to be stored, wherein the at least one storage access request sent from the first server is different than a write request sent from the first server and does not include the content unit to be stored to the at least one storage system; in response to the at least one storage access request, returning, from the second server to the first server, at least one first block I/O address that identifies the at least one storage location on the at least one storage system at which the content unit is to be stored; and associating the object identifier for the content unit with the at least one first block I/O address.