# US 2014/0195769 A1 · Management of storage in a storage network > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0195769 A1 - Document ID: US20140195769A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/137,680 - Filed: 2013-12-20 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-08 - Assignees: Lyve Minds, Inc. - Applicants: Lyve Minds, Inc. - Inventors: Christian M. Kaiser; Rick Pasetto; Stephen Sewerynek - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140195769A1 ## CPC - G06F 3/0631: {by allocating resources to storage systems} - G06F 3/0604: {Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management} - G06F 3/0608: {Saving storage space on storage systems} - G06F 3/0613: {in relation to throughput} - G06F 3/0619: {in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors} - G06F 3/064: {Management of blocks} - G06F 3/0649: {Lifecycle management} - G06F 3/065: {Replication mechanisms} - G06F 3/0653: {Monitoring storage devices or systems} - G06F 3/067: {Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]} - G06F 11/00: Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring (error detection, correction or monitoring in information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B20/18; monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing G11B27/36; in static stores G11C29/00) - G06F 12/023: {Free address space management} - G06F 16/178: Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems - G06F 16/275: {Synchronous replication} - H04L 67/1097: for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS] - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A storage block may include a first portion allocated for storage of network data associated with a storage network. The storage network may include the storage block and one or more other storage blocks. The storage block may further include a second portion allocated for storage of local data. The local data may be associated with one or more programs of a device that includes the storage block. Additionally, the storage block may include a third portion as free space of the storage block. The third portion may be maintained at approximately a target size through adjustments made to an amount of network data stored on the first portion. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of managing storage allocation on a storage block, the method comprising: allocating a first portion of a storage block for storage of network data associated with a storage network including the storage block and one or more other storage blocks; allocating a second portion of the storage block for storage of local data associated with one or more programs of a device that includes the storage block; allocating a third portion of the storage block as free space of the storage block, the third portion having a target size associated with a desired amount of free space on the storage block; and maintaining the third portion at approximately the target size by adjusting an amount of network data stored on the first portion. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein maintaining the third portion at approximately the target size comprises adding network data to the first portion from the one or more other storage blocks of the storage network when an actual size of the third portion is greater than the target size of the third portion. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising adding the network data to the first portion according to instructions received from storage network manager of the storage network. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein maintaining the third portion at approximately the target size comprises removing network data from the first portion when an actual size of the third portion is less than the target size of the third portion. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising removing one or more data files of the network data designated as secondary copies first. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising removing the network data according to instructions received from a storage network manager of the storage network. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining whether an overall size of the network data is larger than available space on the first portion; when the overall size of the network data is larger than the available space on the first portion, storing, on the first portion, a catalog of data including information about data files of the network data and storing a subset of the data files on the first portion; and when the overall size of the network data is smaller than the available space on the first portion, storing all the network data on the first portion. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the target size is a percentage of a total storage capacity of the storage block or a fixed amount of storage space. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the target size is based on one or more of average file sizes of the network data and average file sizes of the local data. ### Claim 10 A storage block comprising: a first portion allocated for storage of network data associated with a storage network including one or more other storage blocks; a second portion allocated for storage of local data associated with one or more programs of a device that includes the storage block; and a third portion as free space of the storage block, the third portion being maintained at approximately a target size through adjustments made to an amount of network data stored on the first portion. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The storage block of claim 10, wherein, to maintain the third portion at approximately the target size, network data is added to the first portion from the one or more other storage blocks of the storage network when an actual size of the third portion is greater than the target size of the third portion. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The storage block of claim 11, wherein the network data is added according to instructions received from a storage network manager of the storage network. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The storage block of claim 10, wherein to maintain the third portion at approximately the target size, network data is removed from the first portion when an actual size of the third portion is less than the target size of the third portion. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The storage block of claim 13, wherein the network data is removed according to instructions received from a storage network manager of the storage network. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The storage block of claim 13, wherein one or more data files the network data that are designated as secondary copies are removed first. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The storage block of claim 10, wherein the target size is a percentage of a total storage capacity of the storage block or a fixed amount of storage space. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The storage block of claim 10, wherein the target size is based on one or more of average file sizes of the network data and average file sizes of the local data. ### Claim 18 A computer-readable storage medium including instructions that cause a system to perform operations to manage storage allocation on a storage agent, the operations comprising: allocating a first portion of a storage block for storage of network data associated with a storage network including the storage block and one or more other storage blocks; allocating a second portion of the storage block for storage of local data associated with one or more programs of a device that includes the storage block; allocating a third portion of the storage block as free space of the storage block, the third portion having a target size associated with a desired amount of free space on the storage block; and maintaining the third portion at approximately the target size by adjusting an amount of network data stored on the first portion. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein maintaining the third portion at approximately the target size comprises adding network data to the first portion from the one or more other storage blocks of the storage network when an actual size of the third portion is greater than the target size of the third portion. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein maintaining the third portion at approximately the target size comprises removing network data from the first portion when an actual size of the third portion is less than the target size of the third portion.