Online backup services like Mozy® and Carbonite® provide consumers with remote data backup. However, these services require a monthly fee and users do not have physical access to their backup media. Moreover, in the event of a failure of their backed up storage device, consumers subscribing to such services are forced to carry out a restore procedure that does not restore a mirror image of their failed drive and that can be quite lengthy. Indeed, even using a high speed connection, restoring an entire drive can take hours, especially if the backed up content includes rich media.
What are needed, therefore, are methods and systems that do not suffer from the aforementioned disadvantages.
One embodiment solves the problem of safeguarding data in one location from physical damage by mirroring that data on another network connected storage device, using two (or more) paired NAS devices. The pairing of one NAS device to another identical or similar NAS device may comprise exchanging security and communication information, to enable one of the NAS devices to securely send content and NAS settings to the other NAS device across a potentially unsecure computer network. The security information may comprise, for example, an encryption key or keys and the communication information may comprise, for example, network addresses of one or more of the NAS devices. The pairing functionality may be integrated into the NAS device by, for example, incorporating such functionality into the NAS devices' firmware. According to one embodiment, such pairing and mirroring functionality may be carried out with ease, relative to existing solutions, even by relatively less technologically-savvy users.
One embodiment is a system comprising a first NAS device and a second NAS device. The first and second NAS devices may be configured to be paired with one another to enable an ongoing secure exchange of content (e.g., files, pictures, movies, audio recordings, applications, application data and settings) and NAS settings (e.g., RAID settings, backup schedules, etc.) between the first and second NAS devices across a network. According to one embodiment, through this ongoing secure exchange of content and NAS settings, the second NAS device becomes and is thereafter maintained as a mirror of the first NAS device, such that the second NAS device is maintained as a drop-in physical and functional replacement for the first NAS device in the event of a failure of the first NAS device. According to one embodiment, the terms “mirror” and “mirroring” comprises reproducing all or substantially all data stored on a first NAS device on a second device NAS device, such that the file system, user files, content and settings as well as the NAS settings stored on the first NAS device are collectively reproduced identically or near identically on the second NAS device to enable the second NAS device to act as a drop-in physical and functional replacement for the first NAS device. For example, the content and NAS settings mirrored on the second NAS device may not be compressed on the second NAS device, unless they are so compressed on the first NAS device. The directory structures stored in the first NAS device, through such mirroring, may be preserved and stored in non-compressed and optionally non-encrypted format that is readily accessible and readable by suitable user applications accessing the second NAS device when it is pressed into service following the failure of the first NAS device or the removal thereof for other reasons.
The pairing of the first NAS device with the second NAS device may be accomplished in a number of different ways.
The pairing 106 shown in
As suggested at 106 in
According to one embodiment, the first and second NAS devices 102, 104 need not be paired together at the factory 108. Instead, the user may purchase two identical or similar NAS devices 102, 104 and perform the pairing operation him or herself after purchase.
To use such secure site 119, the user may connect thereto, and follow prompts of an online registration process prompts to identify and register the first and/or second NAS devices 102, 104. According to one embodiment, the first and second NAS devices 102, 104 may be configured to contact and identify themselves to the secure site 119. The first and second NAS devices may be configured to, during the online registration process, exchange cryptographic keys and settings to enable the ongoing secure exchange of content and NAS settings, either through the secure site 119 or directly with one another through a network, such as network 118 of
Advantageously, one embodiment offers what may be characterized as local offsite backup and mirroring functionality. Indeed, upon failure of the first NAS 102, the user may travel to the local offsite backup location where the second NAS device is located, and bring the second NAS device back, and couple the second NAS device to a user device and/or network in place of the failed first NAS device, such that the second NAS device is effectively a drop-in replacement for the failed first NAS device with little or no configuration. The second NAS device may be configured to “unslave” itself from the failed first NAS and/or be configured to thereafter act as the primary NAS device. According to one embodiment, a replacement second NAS device may then be purchased by the user and configured, in one of the manners described above, to pair itself with the second NAS device that has now been configured as the “new” first NAS device. Thereafter, the replacement second NAS device may be configured to be maintained as a mirror of the new first NAS device such that the replacement second NAS device is maintained as a drop-in physical and functional replacement for the new first NAS device in the event of a failure of the new first NAS device.
While certain embodiments of the inventions have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions. Indeed, the novel methods, devices and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the methods and systems described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventions. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the inventions. For example, those skilled in the art will appreciate that in various embodiments, the actual structures and functionalities (such as, for example, the structure of the NAS devices, the communication protocols employed and the degree of user input during the registration and NAS device pairing initiation) may differ from those shown in the figures. Depending on the embodiment, certain of the steps described in the example above may be removed, others may be added. Also, the features and attributes of the specific embodiments disclosed above may be combined in different ways to form additional embodiments, all of which fall within the scope of the present disclosure. Although the present disclosure provides certain preferred embodiments and applications, other embodiments that are apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, including embodiments which do not provide all of the features and advantages set forth herein, are also within the scope of this disclosure. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to be defined only by reference to the appended claims.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/491,491, filed on Jun. 7, 2012, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 13491491 | Jun 2012 | US |
Child | 14672484 | US |