Allowing client systems to interpret higher-revision data structures in storage systems

A method of accessing data in an object-based distributed data storage system comprising:

• obtaining a data access map that contains information about said data access;
• interpreting said data access map so as to determine one or more operations needed to be performed as part of accessing said data;
• and
• performing said one or more operations as part of accessing said data.

A method of accessing data in an object-based data storage system including a first computer and a second computer, said method comprising:

• said first computer obtaining a data access map from said second computer, wherein said data access map contains information to be interpreted by said first computer to perform said data access;
• in the event that said first computer being unable to interpret said data access map, said first computer notifying said second computer of a data access operation needed to be performed by said first computer to access said data;
• said second computer constructing a directed acyclic graph (DAG) based on said information contained in said data access map, wherein said DAG identifies a sequence of I/O operations for said data access operation needed to be performed by said first computer to access said data;
• said second computer sending said DAG to said first computer;
• and
• said first computer executing said DAG to perform said I/O operations in said sequence so as to access said data.

A method of accessing data in an object-based data storage system comprising:

• receiving a request from a requestor describing a data access operation needed to be performed by said requester to access said data in said data storage system;
• constructing a directed acyclic graph (DAG) in response to said request using information contained in a data access map corresponding to said data access to be performed by said requester, wherein said DAG identifies a sequence of I/O operations for said data access operation needed to be performed by said requestor to access said data;
• sending said DAG to said requestor;
• and
• configuring said requester to execute said DAG to perform said I/O operations in said sequence so as to access said data.

A computer-readable storage medium containing a program code, which, upon execution by a processor in an object-based distributed data storage system, causes said processor to perform the following:

• receive a request from a requestor describing a data access operation needed to be performed by said requestor to access data in said data storage system;
• construct a directed acyclic graph (DAG) in response to said request using information contained in a data access map corresponding to said data access to be performed by said requester, wherein said DAG identifies a sequence of I/O operations for said data access operation needed to be performed by said requester to access said data;
• and
• send said DAG to said requestor.

An object-based data storage system comprising:

• means for receiving a request from a requestor describing a data access operation needed to be performed by said requestor to access data in said data sorage system;
• means for constructing a directed acyclic graph (DAG) in response to said request using information contained in a data access map corresponding to said data access to be performed by said requestor, wherein said DAG identifies a sequence of I/O operations for said data access operation needed to be performed by said requestor to access said data;
• means for sending said DAG to said requester;
• and
• means for configuring said requestor to execute said DAG to perform said I/O operations in said sequence so as to access said data.