KR100875964B1 - Network storage systems - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention proposes a network storage system that can improve the convenience for users. To this end, in the present invention, the network storage system further includes a web-based protocol processing unit and a non-standard protocol processing unit for processing a web-based protocol or a non-standard protocol, as well as a standard protocol processing unit for processing a standard protocol. Therefore, general users without knowledge of standard protocols can easily access the network storage system and easily use the storage space provided by the network storage system. As a result, the network storage system of the present invention can improve user convenience.

Description

Network Storage System {NETWORK STORAGE SYSTEM}

1 is a functional block diagram of a conventional network storage system,

2 is a functional block diagram of a network storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a network environment that may utilize a network storage system according to another embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a functional block diagram of the first network storage system shown in FIG. 3;

5 is a flowchart illustrating a data transmission / reception procedure of the first and second network storage systems shown in FIG. 3;

6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a network environment utilizing a network storage system according to another embodiment of the present invention;

7 is a functional block diagram of the network storage system shown in FIG. 6;

8 is a block diagram of the gateway proxy shown in FIG. 7;

9 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a network environment utilizing a network storage system according to another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of a gateway proxy included in the network storage system shown in FIG. 9.

Description of the main parts of the drawing

100-Network Storage Systems 110-Network Connections

121-Standard Protocol Processor 122-Web-Based Protocol Processor

123-Non-Standard Protocol Processor 131-Authentication Processor

132-First Certificate Store 133-Second Certificate Store

140-File System 151-Logical Volume Manager

152-Physical Volume Manager 160-Physical Storage

171-Storage / Share Management Unit 172-Storage / Share Storage Unit

180-Automatic Data Transmission / Reception Processing Unit 190-Gateway Proxy

The present invention relates to a network storage system, and more particularly, to a network storage system that can be conveniently used by general users without knowledge of standard protocols.

1 is a block diagram of a conventional network storage system.

Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional network storage system 90 includes a network connection unit 10, a standard file transfer protocol processing unit 20, an authentication processing unit 30, an authentication storage unit 40, a file system 50, and logic. The volume manager 60, the physical volume manager 70, and the physical storage 80 are included.

The client system 5 requests data transmission / reception to the standard file transfer protocol processor 20 through the network connection unit 10 using the standard file transfer protocol. The standard file transfer protocol processing unit 20 transmits a data transmission / reception request to the authentication processing unit 30, and the authentication processing unit 30 responds to the data transmission / reception request based on the authentication information stored in the authentication storage unit 40. Handle authentication The authentication result is transmitted to the standard file transfer protocol processor 20, and the standard file transfer protocol processor 20 transmits the approved data transmission / reception request to the file system 50. The file system 50 obtains a physical address for reading or writing data through the logical volume manager and the physical volume manager. The physical volume manager performs data transmission / reception request by reading or writing the corresponding data to the location of the physical storage corresponding to the physical address. As described above, the conventional network storage system receives a user's data transmission / reception request from a client system using a standard file transfer protocol.

Standard file transfer protocols used in the prior art include Network File System (NFS), Common Internet File System (CIFS), and the like. The NFS protocol is difficult to use for users who are unfamiliar with Unix-like commands. The CIFS protocol is a protocol that is proposed for Windows-based users. However, the CIFS protocol is a server-centric protocol, and it is difficult for a user to use a network storage system through the CIFS protocol in homes and small offices without a server administrator. Therefore, there is a need for a method that can easily use a network storage system even for general users who do not know the standard file transfer protocol.

On the other hand, in an environment where a user on an external network and a user on an internal network share data using a network storage system, there may be a significant difference between the speed of an internal intranet and the speed of an external internet network. This happens. In such an environment, there is a need for a network storage system that can efficiently transfer data.

In addition, there is a need for a network storage system that can efficiently provide network storage services in a variety of network environments, such as when there are many users or a firewall exists (or does not exist).

An object of the present invention for solving the above problems is to propose a network storage system that can be conveniently used by a general user without knowledge of the standard protocol.

Another object of the present invention is to propose a network storage system that can efficiently transfer data even in an environment where there is a significant difference between the speed of an internal intranet and the speed of an external internet network.

Another object of the present invention is to propose a network storage system capable of efficiently providing a network storage service in various network environments, such as when there are many users or a firewall exists (or does not exist).

Accordingly, a network storage system for achieving the objects of the present invention includes a network connection unit, first and second protocol processing unit, authentication processing unit, file system, physical storage and storage management unit. Network connections support network connectivity with client systems equipped with client modules for web-based protocols. The first protocol processor receives a user's request from the client system through a first file transfer protocol defined as a standard, and transmits / receives data according to the user's request. The second protocol processor receives the user's request from the client system through a second file transfer protocol defined by a web-based protocol, and transmits / receives the data according to the user's request. The authentication processing unit processes the authentication for the user's request, and transmits the authentication result to the first or second protocol processing unit. The file system receives the request of the user transmitted from the first and second protocol processing units to generate, store and manage data. The data is stored in the physical storage, the storage manager manages access to the physical storage, and allocates an area in which the data is stored to the physical storage.

The network storage system according to the present invention receives a request of the user from the client system through a third file transfer protocol defined between the network storage system and the client system, and transmits the data according to the request of the user. The apparatus further includes a third protocol processor configured to transmit / receive.

The third protocol processing unit is connected to the authentication processing unit, the authentication processing unit processes the authentication for the request of the user input through the third protocol processing unit, and the authentication result is transmitted back to the third protocol processing unit.

The network storage system according to the present invention is a storage / sharing management unit for reading, writing, and sharing the data according to a request of the user transmitted from the third protocol processor, and storage information of data transmitted through the third file transfer protocol. And a storage / shared data storage unit for storing the shared information.

On the other hand, the storage management unit is provided between the physical volume management unit for managing access to the physical storage, and between the file system and the physical volume management unit to reconfigure the physical storage into logical storage, management of physical storage and It includes a logical volume management unit for performing data storage management. Here, the storage / sharing manager is directly connected to the physical volume manager to store data directly in the storage, and manages a storage address, a storage method, and sharing of data.

The network storage system according to the present invention includes a first authentication storage unit for storing authentication information defined by the first and second file transfer protocols, and a second authentication storage unit for storing authentication information defined by the third file transfer protocol. It includes more.

In addition, the network storage system according to the present invention further comprises a data automatic transmission / reception processing unit for transmitting and receiving data with two or more remote network storage systems by the user's settings.

Meanwhile, the data automatic transmission / reception processing unit is provided under the first to third file transfer protocol processing units to receive / receive a request of a remote user through the first to third file transfer protocols to transmit / receive data. .

The remote user's request is to send / receive data automatically.

In addition, the authentication processing unit processes authentication of the remote user and the two or more remote network storage systems.

The network storage system according to the present invention further includes a third authentication storage unit for storing authentication information for the remote user and the two or more remote network storage systems.

The storage / sharing management unit is further configured to manage storing and sharing data transmitted and received through the automatic data transmission / reception processing unit between remote network storage systems.

The network storage system according to the present invention further includes a remote storage / sharing storage unit for storing storage information and sharing information of data transmitted / received through the automatic data transmission / reception processing unit between remote network storage systems.

In addition, the network storage system according to the present invention is provided between the network connection unit and the first to third protocol processing unit, by analyzing the header information of the data packet received from the network connection unit the first to third protocol It transmits to the protocol processing unit of the processing unit, and further includes a gateway proxy for allowing and blocking the access of the client system.

The gateway proxy may include a packet analyzer configured to receive the data packet from the network connection unit and analyze header information of the data packet; An access control unit allowing and blocking access to the client system based on access control setting information, and transferring the analyzed header information when access to the client system is permitted; A first storage unit storing the access control setting information; A port forwarding processor configured to forward header information of the data packet transmitted from the access controller to the corresponding protocol processor based on port forwarding setting information of the user system when the client system is allowed access; And a second storage unit in which the port forwarding setting information is stored.

In addition, when the client system is allowed to access, the gateway proxy checks IPs of neighboring network storage systems that are to forward the data packet based on IP forwarding configuration information, and transmits the data to the corresponding network storage system having the corresponding IP. An IP forwarding processor for forwarding the packet; And a third storage unit in which the IP forwarding setting information is stored.

The third file transfer protocol is a non-standard file transfer protocol.

Other objects and further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

2 is a block diagram of a network storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2, the network storage system 100 according to the present invention includes a network connection unit 110, a standard protocol processing unit 121, a web-based protocol processing unit 122, a non-standard protocol processing unit 123, and an authentication processing unit 131. ), First and second authentication storage unit 132, 133, file system 140, logical volume management unit 151, physical volume management unit 152, physical storage 160, storage / sharing processing unit 171 and The storage / shared storage unit 172 is included. For convenience of description, the logical volume manager 151 and the physical volume manager 152 are sometimes referred to herein as storage managers.

The network connection unit 110 supports a network connection between the network storage system 100 and other equipment (for example, the client system 8 of the present invention).

The network connection unit 110 may be configured as software or hardware, and may be configured as, for example, a local area network (LAN) or an infiniband. The network connection 110 includes a physical interface between the client system 8 and the network storage system 100, and also includes a driver for driving such physical interface.

The standard protocol processor 121 processes data transmission / reception using a file transfer protocol defined as a standard. The standard protocol processor 121 may also be configured with software and / or hardware.

The standard protocol processor 121 transmits / stores data from the client system 8 to the network storage system 100 using the standard file transfer protocol, or transfers data from the network storage system 100 to the client system 8. Perform the function of sending. As an example of the present invention, the standard file transfer protocol 121 may include Network File System (NFS), Common Internet File System (CIFS), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), or Apple Talk (Apple Talk). Can be).

The web-based protocol processor 122 processes data transmission / reception based on a file transfer protocol defined by the web.

Specifically, a function of transmitting / saving data from the client system 8 to the network storage system 100 using a web-based file transfer protocol, or transferring data from the network storage system 100 to the client system 8 is provided. To perform. The web-based protocol processing unit 122 may be configured with software and / or hardware, and may be implemented with, for example, Hypertext Transfer protocol (Http) or WebDev.

In the case of using the web-based protocol, in general, when the client system does not support the standard file transfer protocol, it is a case that cannot use a separate non-standard file protocol because of restrictions by a firewall or the like and program installation are impossible. In this case, the client system may transmit data through a web browser capable of connecting to the web and a specific port (eg, port 80) used by the web.

The non-standard protocol processing unit 123 processes data transmission / reception using a non-standard file transfer protocol defined between the network storage system 100 and the client system 8 without conforming to a data transmission standard. The non-standard protocol processor 123 may be implemented in software and / or hardware.

Specifically, the non-standard protocol processor 123 transfers / stores data from the client system 8 to the network storage system 100 using a non-standard file transfer protocol, or from the network storage system 100 to the client system 8. Performs the function of transmitting data.

The non-standard protocol processor 123 defines a separate port to perform communication, and when changing the port, the protocol for the port must be changed between the client system 8 and the network storage system 100. If the service port is blocked, service is impossible, and if the policy for the port does not match between the client system 8 and the network storage system 100, service is impossible even if the same communication protocol is used.

The non-standard protocol processor 123 may be a client / server program, for example.

On the other hand, the client system 8 is equipped with a client service module (not shown) for using a remote storage space. The client service module includes a first client service module such as NFS / CIFS that supports a standard file transfer protocol, a second client service module for a web disk-only protocol, or a third client service module that supports a non-standard protocol. The second and third client service modules work with the web-based protocol processor 122 and the non-standard protocol processor 123, respectively, to provide a user with a remote storage space and a function for utilizing the same.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the third client service module may be installed by being received from the network storage system 100 or may be directly installed in the client system 8.

The authentication processing unit 131 processes authentication for the client system 8 and the user who uses the client system 8 connected to the network storage system 100. Specifically, the user and client system 8 that wants to access the network storage system 100 must be authorized to use the network storage system 100. Therefore, the authentication processing unit 131 processes the registration of the user, the change of the user information, the setting of the user authority, and the authentication of the service request.

The authentication processing unit 131 according to an embodiment of the present invention may perform authentication using two authentication processing methods. To this end, the authentication processing unit 131 performs authentication using respective information stored in the first and second authentication storage units 132 and 133.

The first authentication storage unit 132 stores authentication information defined by standard and web-based file transfer protocols, and the second authentication storage unit 133 stores authentication information defined by non-standard file transfer protocols. The first authentication storage unit 132 stores the authentication information in a data structure provided by the OS of the network storage system 100, and the second authentication storage unit 133 authenticates to a separate database for a non-standard file transfer protocol. Save the information. In this way, it is possible to more effectively support various environments that the user and system authentication methods provided by the system OS cannot handle.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first and second authentication storage units 132 and 133 store authentication information such as information about a user, access rights information and an allowable range of a user and a client system, respectively.

The file system 140 generates, stores, and manages data files stored in the network storage system 100. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the file system 140 is a system provided by the OS of the network storage system. In particular, the file system 140 stores and manages data in a storage space provided by the logical volume manager 151. As an example, the file system 140 may be implemented as an eXetended File System (XFS), a Reiser File System (ReiserFS), or an Ext3 file system.

The logical volume manager 151 is a module provided by the OS of the network storage system 100 for logical storage management of data.

The logical volume management unit 151 according to an embodiment of the present invention reconfigures the lower physical storage 160 to a logical storage volume, and logical storage related to storage management and data storage management such as data storage and duplication. Performs the management function. As an example, the logical volume manager 151 may change the physical address into a logical address system that the file system 140 may manage.

The physical volume manager 152 manages access to the physical storage 160. In detail, the physical storage 160 is recognized and the volume of the physical storage 160 is managed.

The physical storage 160 is a physical storage medium in which data is stored. As an example of the present invention, a physical hard disk and a RAID including a hard disk driver (HDD) (SCSI, IDE, SATA, SAS, etc.) Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID).

The storage / sharing manager 171 stores or shares data according to a data storage method and a sharing method defined by the network storage system 100. In detail, when the network storage system 100 stores and manages data using a non-standard file transfer protocol, the physical storage may be stored through the storage / sharing manager 171 without using the file system 140 provided by the OS. Data is stored in 160, and data sharing is set. Therefore, the storage / sharing manager 171 manages the storage address of the data and manages the storage method setting.

In addition, the storage / sharing management unit 171 manages the sharing settings of the data for the user stored in the second authentication storage unit 133 and the user having access authority and the user without access authority.

The storage / sharing management unit 171 is connected to the storage / sharing storage unit 172 to store or share data according to a method stored in the storage / sharing storage unit 172.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the storage / sharing storage unit 172 stores metadata such as a storage address of the data and sharing information according to a method of storing and sharing data defined by a non-standard file transfer protocol.

Hereinafter, an operation process of the network storage system 100 will be described.

First, a request for data transmission / reception from the client system 8 is transmitted to the standard protocol processing unit 121 through the network connection unit 110 in an environment using the standard file transfer protocol. The request for data transmission / reception transmitted to the standard protocol processing unit 121 is transmitted to the authentication processing unit 131, and the authentication processing unit 131 can access the network storage system 100 to the above-described data / transmission / reception request. Perform the authentication process. At this time, the authentication processing unit 131 performs authentication based on the data stored in the first authentication storage unit 132.

The authentication processor 131 transfers the authentication result to the standard protocol processor 121. The standard protocol processing unit 121 transmits a data transmission / reception request to the file system 140 in the case of a request from the approved client system 8. The file system 140 obtains a physical address for reading or writing the corresponding data through the logical volume manager 151 and the physical volume manager 152. Thus, data is read or written to the physical storage 160 based on the physical address. In this case, the result read or written to the physical storage 160 is transferred to the client system 8 through the physical volume manager 152, the logical volume manager 151, the file system 140, and the standard protocol processor 121. .

In an environment using the web-based file transfer protocol, a request for data transmission / reception from the client system 8 is transmitted to the web-based protocol processor 122 through the network connection 110. The request for data transmission / reception transmitted to the web-based protocol processing unit 122 is transmitted to the authentication processing unit 131, and the authentication processing unit 131 is configured to access the network storage system 100 to the request for data / transmission and reception described above. Perform an authentication procedure if possible. At this time, the authentication processing unit 131 performs authentication based on the data stored in the first authentication storage unit 132. Since the process is the same as in the environment using the standard file transfer protocol described above it will be omitted.

On the other hand, in an environment using a non-standards-based file transfer protocol, a request for data transmission / reception from the client system 8 is transmitted to the non-standard protocol processing unit 123 through the network connection unit 110. The request for data transmission / reception transmitted to the non-standard protocol processing unit 123 is transmitted to the authentication processing unit 131, and the authentication processing unit 131 can access the network storage system 100 to the above-described data / transmission / reception request. Perform the authentication process. At this time, the authentication processing unit 131 performs authentication based on the data stored in the second authentication storage unit 133.

If the request is an approved client system, the non-standard protocol processing unit 123 transmits the data transmission / reception request to the storage / sharing management unit 171. The storage / sharing manager 171 performs a function of reading, writing, and sharing data according to the type of data transmission / reception request. In this case, meta data such as an address where data is stored and sharing information are stored in the storage / sharing storage unit 172, and the storage / sharing storage unit 172 is managed by the storage / sharing management unit 171.

The storage / sharing management unit 171 transmits data and storage space addresses to the physical volume management unit 152 together with the data transmission / reception request, and the physical volume management unit 152 reads data from the physical storage 160 or Or write data to physical storage. The result of the read or write operation performed in the physical storage 160 is transferred to the client system 8 through the physical volume manager 152, the storage / share manager 171, and the non-standard protocol processor 123.

As such, the network storage system 100 of the present invention not only processes the standard file transfer protocol, but also has a base capable of handling the web-based file transfer protocol and the non-standard file transfer protocol, thereby not knowing about the standard file transfer protocol. Users can also easily use the network storage system.

In addition, the network storage system shown in FIG. 2 can be used by being connected to an internal network in a home or small and medium-sized office environment, and performs networking with home appliances or small devices. Thus, small devices that lack storage space can efficiently use network storage systems.

3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a network environment utilizing a network storage system according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the first network storage system shown in FIG. 3. However, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those illustrated in FIG. 2 among the components illustrated in FIG. 4, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 3, the first and second client systems 8-1 and 8-2 are connected to the first network storage system 101 through the first intranet I1, and the second network storage system 102 is connected to the first network storage system 101. ) Are connected to third and fourth client systems 8-3 and 8-4 via a second intranet I2. In addition, the first and second network storage systems 101 and 102 are connected via a wired and / or wireless internet network.

Here, the first and second client systems 8-1 and 8-2 are connected to each other through the first and second network storage systems 101 and 102 connected to each other through a wired / wireless internet network. Data can be shared with the fourth client system 8-3, 8-4. As such, in an environment in which the first intranet I1 and the second intranet I2 share data through the Internet network, each of the first and second network storage systems 101 and 102 according to an embodiment of the present invention It further comprises an automatic data transmission / reception processing unit.

The second network storage systems 101 and 102 are the same as the configuration of the first network storage system of FIG. 4 or include a configuration of the first network storage system of FIG. 4. Therefore, FIG. 4 illustrates only an internal configuration of the first network storage system 101.

Referring to FIG. 4, the first network storage system 101 may include a network connection unit 110, a standard protocol processor 121, a web-based protocol processor 122, a non-standard protocol processor 123, and an automatic data transmission / reception processor ( 180, the authentication processor 131, the first to third authentication storage units 132, 133, and 134, the file system 140, the logical volume manager 151, the physical volume manager 152, and the physical storage 160. , Storage / sharing manager 171, storage / shared storage 172, and remote storage / shared storage 173.

The automatic data transmission / reception processing unit 180 automatically performs data transmission / reception between two or more different network storage systems (first and second network storage systems in the present invention) according to a user's setting. Preferably, the automatic data transmission / reception processing unit 180 notifies the user of each network storage system of the automatic transmission / reception result.

The automatic data transmission / reception processing unit 180 according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided below the standard protocol processing unit 121, the web-based protocol processing unit 122, and the non-standard protocol processing unit 123, and the standard protocol processing unit ( 121) is designed to support both the web-based protocol processor 122 and the non-standard protocol processor 123.

The authentication processing unit 131 uses the automatic data transmission / reception processing unit 180 to allow the first and second network storage systems 102 and 102 (shown in FIG. 3) to transmit and receive data. The authentication process for the system 102 is performed.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the authentication processing unit 131 is provided in the first network storage system 101 to process authentication for the second network storage system 102. In addition, the authentication processing unit provided in the second network storage system 102 processes the authentication of the first network storage system 101.

Specifically, the authentication processing unit 131 may be any remote network storage system (in the present invention, the second network storage system 102) and remote users (in the present invention, the third network) to use the first network storage system 101. And authentication for the fourth client system 8-3, 8-4).

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the authentication processing unit 131 registers a local user (in this embodiment, a user of the first and second client systems 8-1 and 8-2), and changes information of the local user. It handles the configuration of permissions, and authentication for local users on service requests. In addition, the authentication processing unit 131 also authenticates the second network storage system 102 and authenticates the remote user (the third and fourth client systems 8-3 and 8-4 in this embodiment). do.

The authentication processor 131 may perform authentication of the first network storage system 101 and a local user through an authentication scheme provided by the system OS and an internal authentication scheme for a non-standard file transfer protocol.

The authentication processing unit 131 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a third authentication storage unit 134 provided for remote authentication in order to process authentication of the second network storage system 102 and authentication of a remote user. It includes.

In this embodiment, the authentication information for the data transmitted and received by the data automatic transmission / reception processing unit 180 is stored in the third authentication storage unit 134. In this embodiment, regardless of the type of the transmission protocol, the authentication information for the data transmitted and received by the data automatic transmission / reception processing unit 180 is stored in the third authentication storage unit 134.

In the above-described embodiment, the authentication information for data transmission and reception through the standard or web protocol is stored in the first authentication storage unit 132, and the authentication information for data transmission and reception through the non-standard protocol is the second authentication storage unit 133. Although it is described that the authentication information for data transmitted and received remotely by the data automatic transmission / reception processing unit 180 is stored in the third authentication storage unit 134, this is the type of authentication information used in the present invention. (I.e., authentication information for data transmission and reception through a standard protocol, authentication information for data transmission and reception through a web protocol, authentication information for data transmission and reception through a non-standard protocol, and data transmitted and received remotely by an automatic data transmission / reception processing unit. Authentication information), and the four types of authentication information must be stored in a physically separate storage device. It does not mean that. That is, even if the three types of authentication information are stored in one or two storage devices, the object of the present invention can be smoothly achieved. Furthermore, even if the three types of authentication information are stored in four or more storage devices, the object of the present invention can be achieved. This can be achieved smoothly. For example, an authentication storage unit for storing authentication information for data transmission and reception through a standard protocol, an authentication storage unit for storing authentication information for data transmission and reception through a web protocol, and authentication information for data transmission and reception through a non-standard protocol. The authentication storage unit may be configured as an authentication storage unit for storing the authentication information for the data transmitted and received remotely by the automatic data transmission / reception processing unit.

The storage / sharing management unit 171 stores or shares data according to the data storage method and sharing method defined by the first network storage system 101, and the second network storage system through the data automatic transmission / reception processing unit 180. Manage storage and sharing of data automatically sent and received from 102.

The automatic data transmission / reception processing unit 180 according to an embodiment of the present invention may automatically transmit and receive data with a remote network storage system according to a user's setting. The setting of the user may include, for example, scheduling to send or receive specific data at a particular specific time in the future.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the automatic data transmission and reception processing unit 180 stores the reservation and, at a specific time, transmits or receives specific data designated by the user. Alternatively, the first network storage system 101 includes a separate function block for a separate reservation, and when the function block reaches the specific time, the data automatic transmission / reception processing unit 180 transmits specific data designated by the user. Can be configured to control transmission or reception.

 The storage / sharing manager 171 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention performs storage address management, storage method setting and management of data. In addition, it provides a shared configuration and management function for each data for the user having a system access authority, such as a remote user / group / system stored in the third authentication storage unit 134 and an external user without access authority.

For example, the data transmitted / received through the automatic data transmission / reception processing unit 180 between remote network storages is stored and managed by the storage / sharing management unit 171 in the physical storage 160, and sets data sharing. In this case, the remote storage / sharing storage unit 173 stores metadata such as shared information including a storage address of data according to a method of storing and sharing data automatically transmitted and received with the remote network storage.

The network storage system according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention configured as described above can efficiently transmit data even when the Internet network is relatively slower than the intranets I1 and I2.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a data transmission / reception procedure of the first and second network storage systems illustrated in FIG. 3.

Hereinafter, the data transmission / reception procedure of FIG. 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5.

The preprocessing process is preceded by the first and second network storage systems 101, 102 (shown in FIG. 3) before sending / receiving data. The preprocessing step is to set authentication information for mutual authentication, and data transmission / reception is not substantially performed.

Specifically, in the preprocessing, the first and second steps A1 and B1 are steps of setting basic settings for each of the first and second network storage systems 101 and 102. To use a network storage system, system and network settings, user ID issuance, and storage space settings are required. In addition, it is necessary to set up a directory for remote sharing for data transmission / reception between the first and second network storage systems 101 and 102. The directory for remote sharing can set a directory in each user's area or set a specific directory of each network storage system as a shared directory. Here, the setting of authentication information for the system may be performed by a user or a system administrator.

In the preprocessing process, the third and fourth steps A2 and B2 are steps of registering information of the partner network storage system in each of the first and second network storage systems 101 and 102. In this process, each of the first and second network storage systems 101 and 102 receives information about an IP, an authentication ID, a password, and a shared directory path for the partner network storage system.

The fifth and sixth steps A3 and B3 of the preprocessing process are performed by mapping the local directory and the remote directory registered through the third and fourth steps A2 and B2 to establish a trust between the first and second network storage systems. It is a step to establish a trust relationship. It is possible to establish trust relationships for multiple partner devices for one network storage system, and to establish one-way or two-way trust. If one-way trust is established, data can be transmitted in one direction only. If two-way trust is established, data can be sent and received in both directions.

The following describes a remote data transmission / reception process in which data transmission is substantially performed.

In a state in which a trust relationship is established between the first and second network storage systems through a preprocessing process, when the transmitting data is uploaded to the directory for remote sharing at the transmitting side as in step A4, the first and second network storage systems are stored. The automatic data transmission / reception processing unit 180 (shown in FIG. 4) provided in the systems 101 and 102 is operated. At this time, as in the eighth step, the receiver is in a standby state, and when data upload is completed to the remote sharing directory, a request for data transmission / reception is transmitted to the receiver. At this time, the local user has already uploaded the data necessary for transmission to the local shared directory at high speed, and there is no load for uploading data, so the user can freely perform the operation. Thereafter, all procedures are performed by the first and second network storage systems 101 and 102 themselves.

In the ninth and tenth steps A5 and B5, the first and second network storage systems 101 and 102 perform authentication on the trust relationship and related information. Specifically, the authentication of the presence or absence of operation of the remote system, the authentication of the system and the user, and the existence of the shared directory is performed.

When the authentication is completed, through the eleventh and twelfth steps (A6, B6) to create a connection for data transmission, and transmits the data information to be transmitted. As an example of the present invention, the data information is the total disk size, the number of files, and the like, after which the data information becomes basic data for confirming completion of data transmission / reception.

The thirteenth and fourteenth steps A7 and B7 are substantially data transmission / reception steps. When an abnormality occurs and the connection is abnormally disconnected during data transmission, a notification message is transmitted to the transmitting side and the receiving side. As an example of the present invention, the notification message may be delivered as a message such as an email, an SMS, and a message. The automatic data transmission / reception processing unit 180 attempts to reconnect after abnormal interruption. If reconnection is made, data retransmission is performed. On the other hand, when the connection is interrupted by the user's command, reconnection by the automatic data transmission / reception processing unit 180 is not made, the retransmission is made by the user's command.

When the data transmission is completed, in a fifteenth step A8, a transmission completion notification message informing that the data transmission is completed is transmitted to the sender, and in a sixteenth step B8, a reception completion notification message informing the receiving side that data reception is completed. Send it. The second network storage system 102 can download and use data at high speed after receiving the reception completion notification message, thereby eliminating the overhead of receiving data from a remote location and reducing the delay time.

When data transmission / reception is completed, transmission and connection are terminated as in the seventeenth and eighteenth steps A9 and B9.

As such, by automatically transmitting / receiving data through an automatic data transmission / reception processing unit provided in the network storage system, when the data needs to be shared, the load of uploading or downloading the data to a remote device can be reduced. Therefore, data can be transmitted / received at high speed.

The effect according to the present embodiment will be described in detail.

First, network storage system users can always upload and download data in the local network environment when uploading / downloading data, thereby minimizing upload / download time and reducing work delays caused by upload / download. In particular, if you need to share a large amount of data or many files of small size, the system load on upload / download can be significantly reduced.

Second, since data is automatically transmitted and received between network storage systems, the user can utilize the computing resources to be used for data transmission and reception for other tasks.

Third, since data transmission / reception can be performed automatically even in an unstable network environment, it can be efficiently used in an unstable network environment.

Fourth, it is possible to set up automatic transmission and reception of one: many, many: one, N: M, and thus it can be efficiently used for data distribution.

6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a network environment utilizing a network storage system according to another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the network storage system shown in FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 is a gateway proxy shown in FIG. 7. Is a block diagram of. However, among the components shown in FIG. 7, the same reference numerals are given to the same elements as those shown in FIG. 2, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 6, the network storage system 103 is connected to the first and second client systems 8-1 and 8-2 through an intranet. Here, a firewall is installed in the intranet. In addition, the network storage system 103 is connected to the third to sixth client systems 8-3, 8-4, 8-5, and 8-6 through wired / wireless Internet networks.

As an example of the present invention, the network storage system 103 is provided with a gateway proxy so that the network storage system 103 can be utilized in various network environments.

The gateway proxy analyzes header information of data transmitted from the outside, delivers header information analyzed to a corresponding protocol processor, and distinguishes authorized / unauthorized client systems to allow or block access. It also forwards connections to adjacent network storage systems.

As shown, when only a specific port is opened in an environment where a firewall is installed in an intranet, the gateway proxy forwards data transmitted through a specific port to a corresponding protocol processor.

When a firewall is installed in a conventional network storage system, when data is transmitted according to a protocol that cannot change a service port, it is blocked by the firewall before being transmitted to the network system. In addition, in the case where a firewall allowing a specific service port is installed in the network storage system, even if the data is passed through the firewall by transmitting data to the specific service port according to a protocol capable of changing the service port, the desired destination may be effectively reached. Can't.

In contrast, in the case where a firewall allowing a specific service port is installed in the network storage system, when data is passed through the firewall by transmitting data to the specific service port according to a protocol capable of changing the service port, an embodiment of the present invention The gateway proxy forwards to the protocol processor.

The gateway proxy according to an embodiment of the present invention may control access to the network storage system 103 even in an environment without a firewall in FIG. 6. Specifically, the gateway proxy analyzes the header information of all data transmitted to the network storage system 103, grants only authorized access and disallows the remaining unauthorized access. Thus, in an environment without a firewall, the gateway proxy may control access to the third to sixth client systems 8-3, 8-4, 8-5, and 8-6.

Referring to FIG. 7, the network storage system 103 illustrated in FIG. 6 includes a gateway proxy 190.

The gateway proxy 190 according to an embodiment of the present invention operates on top of the standard protocol processor 121, the web-based protocol processor 122, and the non-standard protocol processor 123, and the standard protocol processor 121 and the web-based protocol. It is designed to support both the protocol processor 122 and the non-standard protocol processor 123.

The gateway proxy 190 analyzes the headers of all packets transmitted through the network connection unit 110 and hands over the packets to the corresponding protocol processing unit based on the analyzed header information. Processing of the packet transmitted to the protocol processing unit is the same as the process described with reference to FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 8, the gateway proxy 190 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a packet analyzer 191, a connection controller 192, a first storage unit 193 for storing connection control setting information, The packet forwarding processor 194 and the second storage unit 195 are provided.

The packet analyzer 191 receives the packet from the network connection unit 110 and analyzes the packet. Information about the analyzed packet is transmitted to the access controller 192. The access controller 192 determines permission or disallow of access of the packet based on the access control setting information stored in the first storage unit 193. If the connection of the packet is not allowed, the connection controller 192 disconnects the connection. On the other hand, when the packet connection is permitted, the packet analysis information is transmitted to the port forwarding processor. The packet forwarding processor 194 transfers the packet to the service protocol processor according to the packet analysis information. Specifically, the packet forwarding processor 194 checks the corresponding service port, reconfigures the packet to the corresponding service port, and then delivers the packet to the corresponding protocol processor.

The operation of the connection controller 192 of the gateway proxy 190 is summarized.

 If (if access control IP list is set)

{

If (packet is from the access control list of the sending IP)

Disconnection without processing the packet

Else

Perform the following processing on the packet

}

If (if port forwarding is configured for the header setting)

{

Passing Data to Port Forwarding Processing Unit

}

If (if IP forwarding is configured for the header setting)

{

Data forwarding to IP forwarding processor

}

In other cases, error handling and exception handling

As such, by installing a gateway proxy in the network storage system, in a firewalled environment, data transmitted to a specific port is forwarded to a corresponding protocol processing unit. It can play the role of controlling access of the system.

The effect of the network storage system according to the present invention having a gateway proxy will be described in detail.

First, when only a specific port (mainly 80) is open in a firewall environment, the gateway proxy forwards data transmitted through a specific port from the outside to the corresponding protocol processing unit. Therefore, the network storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention can be used in any environment where the firewall allows only a specific port as a service port.

Second, the gateway proxy may parse the header to grant only authorized access and deny access to the remaining unauthorized access. Therefore, gateway proxy can be used to control the client accessing the network storage system even in a firewall-free environment, and various access control policies can be set.

Although the network storage system 103 illustrated in FIG. 7 does not include the automatic data transmission / reception processing unit 180, a configuration including the data automatic transmission / reception processing unit 180 is naturally possible.

9 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a network environment utilizing a network storage system according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a gateway proxy embedded in the network storage system illustrated in FIG. 9. However, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those illustrated in FIG. 4 among the components illustrated in FIG. 10, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 9, in an environment in which a plurality of network storage systems are operated in one intranet, overhead may occur when a user of an external client system connects.

As an example of the present invention, one intranet operates the first to third network storage systems. In this case, each of the external client systems (third to sixth client systems) is allocated to any one of the first to third network storage systems. Thus, the user of the external client system transmits / receives data through the network storage system to which he is assigned. In this case, each of the first to third network storage systems is provided with a gateway proxy according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In an environment where multiple network storage systems operate on one intranet, in order to receive efficient network storage services, it is necessary to operate multiple network storage systems and distribute services for each user. You need to know the address (eg IP) for the network storage system. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first to third network storage systems of FIG. 9 may virtualize a service through IP forwarding. Thus, the user does not need to know the address for the network storage system assigned to him. If only the representative IP is known and the representative IP is connected, the gateway proxy performs packet forwarding to the corresponding IP.

As shown in FIG. 10, the gateway proxy 198 further includes an IP forwarding processor 196 and a third storage unit 197 connected to the connection controller 192. The IP forwarding processor 196 checks the IP of the network storage system to forward the packet transmitted from the outside based on the IP forwarding setting information stored in the third storage unit 197. Thereafter, the IP forwarding processing unit forwards the packet to the network storage system when the network storage system having the corresponding IP exists. On the other hand, if there is no network storage system with the corresponding IP, the IP forwarding processor 196 performs error processing.

As such, when a user operates a plurality of network storage systems to efficiently provide services in many environments, the gateway proxy 198 checks the IP of the network storage system that will process the packet, and then forwards them to the corresponding network storage system. Therefore, service delay caused by load can be prevented.

Packet forwarding according to the present embodiment is more useful in a dynamic IP environment such as DHCP. In a dynamic IP environment, the IP of the network storage system can be changed, so each user must check the changed IP every time. In such a dynamic IP environment, the gateway proxy according to an embodiment of the present invention may maintain and manage an IP table for a network storage system to be forwarded to perform packet forwarding with equipment allocated to a user even in a dynamic IP environment. . As a result, the user may feel as if they are using one network storage system, but in reality, the load is distributed to a plurality of network storage systems to enable better service.

In the present specification, for example, " / " used in a storage / sharing management unit, a storage / shared storage unit, an automatic data transmission / reception processing unit, and the like is used in the meaning of “and”.

The meaning of "remote" used in the specification is explained. Referring to FIG. 3, the remote users to be authenticated in the first network storage system 101 are the third client system 8-3 and the fourth client system 8-4, and the remote system is the second network storage system ( 102). On the other hand, the local user of the network storage system 101 is the first client system 8-1 and the second client system 8-2. Meanwhile, the remote users to be authenticated in the second network storage system 102 are the first client system 8-1 and the second client system 8-2, and the remote system is the first network storage system 101. As such, remote systems and remote users in a network storage system refer to other network storage systems and their users.

In the present specification, the embodiments of the present invention, which are illustrated and described as functional blocks, are to be understood as having such function, but do not necessarily mean that the functional blocks are physically implemented separately. It should be noted that various functions may be implemented in one physical device, and that one function may be implemented in various physical devices.

As described above, the network storage system according to the present invention provides a network storage system by easily accessing the network storage system through a web-based file transfer protocol or a self-defined non-standard file transfer protocol even by a user who is not familiar with the standard protocol. Services such as data storage and sharing. Accordingly, the network storage system according to the present invention can provide convenience for the user to use the remote storage space.

In addition, the network storage system is provided with an automatic data transmission / reception processing unit that can handle data transmission / reception with a remote network storage system, thereby preventing overhead during data transmission / reception or sharing with a remote network storage system. This can shorten the time required to transmit / receive data.

In addition, the network storage service can be efficiently provided in various network environments, such as when there are many users or when there is a firewall (or non-existence).

While the invention has been shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments for illustrating the principles of the invention, the invention is not limited to the construction and operation as such is shown and described. Rather, those skilled in the art will appreciate that many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, all such suitable changes, modifications, and equivalents should be considered to be within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (19)

In a network storage system, A network connection for supporting a network connection with a client system; A first protocol processor which receives a user's request from the client system through a first file transfer protocol defined as a standard, and transmits or receives data according to the user's request; A second protocol processor which receives a request of the user from the client system through a second file transfer protocol defined in a web-based protocol, and transmits or receives the data according to the request of the user; An authentication processing unit which processes authentication of the user's request and transmits an authentication result to the first or second protocol processing unit; Physical storage for storing data; A storage manager configured to manage access to the physical storage and to allocate an area for storing the data to the physical storage; A file system for storing data or reading data stored in the physical storage in an area allocated by the storage manager according to a request of the user transmitted from the first and second protocol processors; A third protocol processing unit which receives a request of the user from the client system through a third file transfer protocol defined between the network storage system and the client system, and transmits or receives the data according to the request of the user ; A storage / sharing manager configured to read, write, and share the data according to a request of the user transmitted from the third protocol processor; And A storage / sharing storage unit for storing storage information and sharing information of data transmitted through the third file transfer protocol;  And the data read by the file system is transmitted to the client system through the network connection. delete The method of claim 1, wherein the third protocol processing unit is connected to the authentication processing unit, And the authentication processing unit processes authentication of the user's request input through the third protocol processing unit, and transmits an authentication result to the third protocol processing unit. delete The method of claim 1, wherein the storage management unit, A physical volume manager to manage access to the storage; And And a logical volume manager disposed between the file system and the physical volume manager, configured to reconfigure the physical storage into logical storage, and to perform storage management and data storage management. The network storage of claim 5, wherein the storage / sharing management unit is directly connected to the physical volume management unit to store data directly in the storage, and manages a storage address, a storage method, and sharing of data. system. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a first authentication storage unit for storing authentication information defined by the first and second file transfer protocols; And And a second authentication storage unit for storing authentication information defined in the third file transfer protocol. The system of claim 7, wherein the file system is a system provided by an OS of the network storage system. And the authentication information is stored in the first authentication storage unit in a manner defined by an OS of the network storage system. The network storage system of claim 1, further comprising an automatic data transmission / reception processing unit configured to transmit and receive data to and from two or more remote network storage systems according to a user's setting. The data transmission / reception processing unit of claim 9, Network storage system, characterized in that for receiving the request of the remote user via at least one of the first file transfer protocol unit, the second file transfer protocol unit, and the third file transfer protocol unit to transmit or receive data. . 11. The network storage system of claim 10 wherein the remote user's request is to automatically send or receive data. The network storage system of claim 10, wherein the authentication processing unit processes authentication of the remote user and the two or more remote network storage systems. 13. The network storage system of claim 12, further comprising a third authentication store that stores authentication information for the remote user and the two or more remote network storage systems. The network storage system of claim 10, wherein the storage / sharing management unit manages storing and sharing data transmitted and received through the automatic data transmission / reception processing unit between remote network storage systems. 15. The network storage system of claim 14, further comprising a remote storage / sharing storage unit for storing storage information and sharing information of data transmitted / received through the automatic data transmission / reception processing unit between remote network storage systems. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the header information of the data packet received by the network connection unit is analyzed to determine which protocol is used, and according to the determination result, the first protocol processor, the second protocol processor, and the third protocol processor. The network storage system further comprises a gateway proxy for transmitting to a corresponding protocol processing unit and allowing and blocking access of the client system. The method of claim 16, wherein the gateway proxy is A packet analyzer which receives the data packet from the network connection unit and analyzes header information of the data packet; An access control unit allowing and blocking access to the client system based on access control setting information, and transferring the analyzed header information when access to the client system is permitted; And A first storage unit storing the access control setting information; A port forwarding processor configured to forward header information of the data packet transmitted from the access controller to the corresponding protocol processor based on port forwarding setting information of the user system when the client system is allowed access; And And a second storage unit for storing the port forwarding setting information. The method of claim 17, wherein the gateway proxy is When the client system is allowed to access, IP forwarding which checks IPs of neighboring network storage systems to forward the data packet based on IP forwarding configuration information, and forwards the data packet to the corresponding network storage system having the corresponding IP. Processing unit; And And a third storage unit in which the IP forwarding setting information is stored. The network storage system of claim 1, wherein the third file transfer protocol is a non-standard file transfer protocol.

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