Load based file allocation among a plurality of storage devices

A system for balancing loads among a plurality of storage servers within a storage node, comprising:

• a node manager server for receiving a request from a user device to download a data file;
• a plurality of storage servers contained within a first storage node for storing one or more copies of the data file;
• a transfer server coupled to the plurality of storage servers for downloading the data file requested by users;
• wherein the node manager server comprises:
• a first module for receiving the request from the user device to download the data file;
• a second module for identifying a first set of storage servers among the plurality of storage servers in the node containing the requested data file, wherein the first set comprises one or more storage servers;
• a third module for identifying a first storage server from the first set that is currently least busy among the storage servers in the first set, and directing the first storage server to serve the request;
• a fourth module for determining if the first storage device is too busy, wherein if the first storage device is too busy, copying the requested data file to a second storage server which did not previously store the data file, thereby adding the second storage server to the first set of storage servers containing the requested data file;
• and
• a fifth module for determining whether one or more redundant copies of the requested file from the first set of storage servers should be deleted based at least in part on a number of current access requests for the file, wherein the fifth module comprises a sixth module for determining whether a quotient, provided by a total number of current access requests for the file divided by a total number of copies of the files stored in the first set, is lower than a predetermined threshold, wherein if the quotient is lower than the predetermined threshold, the one or more redundant copies are designated to be deleted.

A non-transient computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions that when executed perform a process for balancing loads among a plurality of storage servers within a storage node, the instructions comprising:

• a first code module for receiving a request from a user device to download a data file;
• a second code module for identifying a first set of storage servers among a plurality of storage servers in a first node containing the requested data file, wherein the first set comprises one or more storage servers;
• a third code module for identifying a first storage server from the first set that is currently least busy among the storage servers in the first set, and directing the first storage server to serve the request;
• a fourth code module for determining if the first storage device is too busy, wherein if the first storage device is too busy, copying the requested data file to a second storage server which did not previously store the data file, thereby adding the second storage server to the first set of storage servers containing the requested data file, wherein the fourth code module comprises a fifth code module for determining whether a number of current access requests being served by the first storage server exceeds a predetermined threshold value;
• and
• wherein the fifth code module further determines whether one or more redundant copies of the requested file from the first set of storage servers should be deleted based at least in part on a number of current access requests for the file, wherein the fifth code module comprises a sixth code module for determining whether a quotient, provided by a total number of current access requests for the file divided by a total number of copies of the files stored in the first set, is lower than a predetermined threshold, wherein if the quotient is lower than the predetermined threshold, the one or more redundant copies are designated to be deleted.