Patent ID: 7228320

Claim:
A system for object-level snapshot creation in an object-based storage system comprising: a host device, the host device including a first object management table (OMT) and a file system; and an object-based storage system operatively connected to the host device, the storage system including a controller and at least one object-based storage device (OSD) for storing data as objects, wherein an object comprises content data and attribute data of the content data, the controller comprising a snapshot module and a second OMT, wherein the object-based storage system receives I/O requests from the host device and processes the I/O requests as OSD commands, wherein the snapshot module is configured to create a mirror object of an original object in the at least one OSD by: reading original content data of the original object; getting original attribute data of the original object; creating the mirror object using the original content data of the original object and the original attribute data; storing the mirror object in a volume separate from said original object; and mirroring updates of said original object to said mirror object, and wherein said snapshot module is configured to initiate a snapshot operation in the at least one OSD by stopping the mirroring of updates to said mirror object at a specified point in time to create a snapshot of said original object.