Persistent key-value repository with a pluggable architecture to abstract physical storage

A method for storing key-value pairs, the method comprising:

• exposing a repository interface through which clients may make calls to store and access key-value pair information in a repository;
• receiving a call from a client through a routine that implements a portion of said repository interface;
• and
• based on said call, determining whether to establish a component of said repository that is associated with said client as a caching component responsible for managing a cache for said repository.

A method for storing key-value pairs, the method comprising:

• exposing a repository interface through which clients may make calls to store and access key-value pair information in a repository designed specifically for key-value pair information;
• receiving one or more calls from a client through said repository interface;
• wherein said one or more calls are received at said repository interface prior to allocating, on persistent storage, any structures for said repository for persistently storing said key-value pair information;
• and
• based on said one or more calls, creating structures for persistently storing said key-value pair information on said persistent storage.

A computer-readable medium carrying instructions for storing key-value pairs, the instructions comprising instructions for performing the steps of:

• exposing, at an application programming layer, a repository interface through which clients may make calls to store and access key-value pair information in a repository;
• servicing calls made through said repository interface by calling one of a plurality of plug-ins through a common storage abstraction interface;
• wherein each plug-in of said plurality of plug-ins exposes said common storage abstraction interface for accessing durably stored key-value pair information;
• wherein each plug-in of said plurality of plug-ins is designed to interact with a particular type of storage subsystem in response to calls made through said common storage abstraction interface;
• and
• wherein the storage subsystem with which each plug-in interacts is a different type of storage subsystem than the storage subsystem with which each other of said plurality of plug-ins interacts.

A computer-readable medium carrying instructions for storing key-value pairs, the computer-readable medium comprising instructions for performing the steps of:

• exposing a repository interface through which clients may make calls to store and access key-value pair information in a repository;
• receiving a call from a client through a routine that implements a portion of said repository interface;
• and
• based on said call, determining whether to establish a component of said repository that is associated with said client as a caching component responsible for managing a cache for said repository.

A computer-readable medium carrying instructions for storing key-value pairs, the computer-readable medium comprising instructions for performing the steps of:

• exposing a repository interface through which clients may make calls to store and access key-value pair information in a repository designed specifically for key-value pair information;
• receiving one or more calls from a client through said repository interface;
• wherein said one or more calls are received at said repository interface prior to allocating, on persistent storage, any structures for said repository for persistently storing said key-value pair information;
• and
• based on said one or more calls, creating structures for persistently storing said key-value pair information on said persistent storage.