Dynamic migration within a network storage system

Abstract

This is directed to providing access to content stored on a personal cloud. In particular, a personal cloud can be constructed by sharing the resources of several devices owned by a user and by other users trusted by the user. To add a device to a personal cloud, the device can identify its owner to a librarian, which can provide addressing information for other devices forming a cloud on behalf of the owner. The new device can establish a communications path with the other devices, and configure itself based on the services or data required for the personal cloud (e.g., as determined from communications with the other devices). Services operating on individual devices of the personal cloud can migrate dynamically and automatically to ensure that a user can remove a device from the personal cloud at will without adversely affecting the operation of the personal cloud.

1 . An electronic device dynamically migrating a personal cloud service in a personal cloud, the device comprising control circuitry and communications circuitry, the control circuitry operative to:
 receive an instruction to disconnect from the personal cloud a device forming a node in the personal cloud;   identify a personal cloud service provided the node;   determine that another node is shadowing the identified personal cloud service; and   direct the other node to activate the shadowing identified personal cloud service.   
     
     
         2 . The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is further operative to:
 determine that no other node is shadowing the identified personal cloud service;   identify an available node in the personal cloud with available resources for providing the identified personal cloud service; and   transfer the identified personal cloud service to the available node.   
     
     
         3 . The electronic device of  claim 2 , wherein the control circuitry is further operative to:
 retrieve metadata used by the identified personal cloud service; and   transfer the retrieved metadata to the available node.   
     
     
         4 . The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the identified personal cloud service comprises at least one of:
 a coordinating service;   a catalog service;   a data service;   a healing service; and   a backup service.   
     
     
         5 . The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is further operative to:
 provide an indication to a coordinating service that the personal cloud service will no longer be provided by the node.   
     
     
         6 . The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is further operative to:
 disconnect the node from the personal cloud.   
     
     
         7 . A method for dynamically migrating active services between nodes of a personal cloud, comprising:
 detecting that the operation of a personal cloud can improve by migrating an active service provided by a first node to a second node;   determining that the second node has sufficient resources to implement the active service;   transferring data required for the operation of the active service from the first node to the second node; and   directing the first node to cease providing the active service while directing the second node to start providing the active service.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein detecting further comprises:
 detecting that the first node is no longer available to the personal cloud.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein detecting further comprises:
 detecting that a communications path between end users making use of the active service and the second node is faster than a communications path between the end users and the first node.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein detecting further comprises:
 monitoring historical availability of each of the first and second nodes;   defining the probability that each node will be available at different moments in time; and   determining that the first node is likely to be less available than the second node based on the defined probability at a particular moment in time.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 shadowing data stored by the first node for use by the active service using the second node; and   wherein transferring further comprises directing the active service provided by the second node to make use of the shadowing data stored on the second node.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 providing a coordinating service to coordinate the migration of the active service from the first node to the second node.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein:
 the coordinating service is operative to identify the availability of the second node for the active service.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 identifying a third node having available resources for implementing the active service; and   transferring at least one of instructions for executing the service and metadata used by the active service to the third node.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the active service comprises at least one of:
 a coordinating service;   a catalog service;   a data service;   a healing service; and   a backup service.   
     
     
         16 . A service implemented on an electronic device providing a node of a personal cloud, the electronic device comprising control circuitry operative to:
 receive an indication that a first device providing a first service for a personal cloud will no longer provide the first service;   identify a second device implementing a second service, wherein the second device has resources available to implement the first service in addition to the second service;   transfer the metadata corresponding to the implementation of the first service to the second device; and   direct the second device to implement the first service using the transferred metadata.   
     
     
         17 . The service of  claim 16 , wherein the control circuitry is further operative to:
 attempt to establish a communications path with the first device;   detect that the communications path with the first device cannot be established; and   deduce that the first device is no longer providing the first service in response to detecting that the communications path cannot be established.   
     
     
         18 . The service of  claim 16 , wherein the control circuitry is further operative to:
 detect that the second device stores the metadata corresponding to the implementation of the first service to back up the first service; and   direct the second device to implement the first service using the metadata stored by the second device corresponding to the implementation of the first service.   
     
     
         19 . The service of  claim 16 , wherein the resources of the second device comprise at least one of:
 storage; and   processing.   
     
     
         20 . Computer readable media for dynamically migrating active services between nodes of a personal cloud, comprising computer readable code recorded thereon for:
 detecting that the operation of a personal cloud can improve by migrating an active service provided by a first node to a second node;   determining that the second node has sufficient resources to implement the active service;   transferring data required for the operation of the active service from the first node to the second node; and   directing the first node to cease providing the active service while directing the second node to start providing the active service.