Data storage and/or retrieval

• US 20050102498A1
• Filed: 11/07/2003
• Published: 05/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Wood, Robert, Plotkin, Serge, Bojinov, Hristo
• Granted Patent: US 8,352,726 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/151
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/16 Implementing security features at a particular protocol layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/00 Cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communications; Network security protocols

Abstract

Embodiments of methods, devices and/or systems for data storage and/or retrieval are described.

Claims

1. In a system including a first layer, a second layer and a third layer, a method comprising:

writing data in any order, said first layer having made a write request;

wherein said second layer is capable of performing services including encryption and said third layer is capable of performing services including data storage, said encryption being transparent to said third layer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said encryption is also transparent to said first layer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said first layer and said third layer reside on the same computing platform.

4. The method of claim 1, and further comprising reading data in any order, said first layer having made the read request;

wherein said second layer is further capable of performing services including decryption; and

wherein the data being read comprises, at least sometimes, a default data pattern.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein data is written in multiples of data encryption block size.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said writing data in any order comprises:

encrypting said data to be written by said second layer to produce encrypted data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said writing data in any order further comprises:

changing the encryption method of said second layer if said encrypted data includes said default data pattern.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein changing the encryption method includes changing the encryption key.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein said writing data in any order further comprises:

changing the encryption method of said second layer and additional other processing if said encrypted data includes said default data pattern.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein additional other processing includes writing said encrypted data somewhere other than previously written.

11. The method of claim 4, wherein if said data being read comprises said default data pattern, said second layer applies a different decryption method to said default data pattern than otherwise applied.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein applying a different decryption method includes providing said data being read to said first layer without performing decryption.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said data is read and written in multiples of data encryption block size.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein an encryption block size comprises a multiple of 2.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein said default data pattern comprises data read from locations to which data has not yet been written.

16. The method of claims 15, wherein said default data pattern comprises a fixed pattern.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said default fixed data pattern comprises zeros.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein said writing data in any order comprises:

writing data to a file in data segments, the data segments being written in any order.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein at least some of said data segments make up holes.

20. In a system including a first layer, a second layer and a third layer, a method comprising:

reading data in any order;

said first layer having made a read request;

wherein said second layer is capable of performing services including decryption and said third layer is capable of performing services including data storage, said decryption being transparent to said third layer; and

the data being read comprising, at least sometimes, a default data pattern.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said reading data in any order comprises:

reading data from a file in data segments, the data segments being read in any order.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein if said data being read comprises said default data pattern, said second layer provides said data being read to said first layer without performing decryption.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said data is read in multiples of encryption block size.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein said default data pattern comprises a fixed pattern.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said default fixed data pattern comprises zeros.

26. For a system including a first layer, a second layer and a third layer, an article comprising:

a storage medium having stored thereon instructions, that, when executed by said system, results in;

writing data in any order, said first layer having made a write request;

wherein said second layer is capable of performing services including encryption and said third layer is capable of performing services including data storage, said encryption being transparent to said third layer.

27. The article of claim 26, wherein said instructions, when further executed, result in said encryption being also transparent to said first layer.

28. The article of claim 26, wherein said article further comprises instructions that, when executed, further result in:

reading data in any order, said first layer having made a read request;

wherein said second layer is further capable of performing services including decryption; and

wherein the data being read comprises, at least sometimes, a default data pattern.

29. The article of claim 28, wherein said article further comprises instructions that, when executed, further result in:

said writing data in any order comprising encrypting said data to be written by said second layer to produce encrypted data.

30. The article of claim 29, wherein said article further comprises instructions that, when executed, further result in:

said writing data in any order further comprising changing the encryption method of said second layer if said encrypted data includes said default data pattern.

31. The article of claim 29, wherein said article further comprises instructions that, when executed, further result in:

said writing data in any order further comprising changing the encryption method of said second layer and additional other processing if said encrypted data includes said default data pattern.

32. The article of claim 31, wherein said article further comprises instructions that, when executed, further result in:

said additional other processing includes writing said encrypted data somewhere other than previously written.

34. The article of claim 28, wherein said article further comprises instructions that, when executed, further result in:

if said data being read comprises said default data pattern, said second layer applies a different decryption method to said default data pattern than otherwise applied.

33. The article of 30, wherein said article further comprises instructions that, when executed, further result in:

said writing data in any order further comprising changing the encryption key of said second layer if said encrypted data includes said default data pattern.

35. The article of 34, wherein said article further comprises instructions that, when executed, further result in:

if said data being read comprises said default data pattern, said different decryption method comprises said data being read to said first layer without performing decryption.

36. The article of 28, wherein said article further comprises instructions that, when executed, further result in:

said default data pattern comprising data read from locations to which data has not yet been written.

37. The article of 36, wherein said article further comprises instructions that, when executed, further result in:

said default data pattern comprising a fixed pattern.

38. The article of 26, wherein said article further comprises instructions that, when executed, further result in:

said writing data in any order comprising writing data to a file in data segments, the data segments being written in any order.

39. For a system including a first layer, a second layer and a third layer, an article comprising:

a storage medium having stored thereon instructions, that, when executed by said system, results in;

reading data in any order;

said first layer having made the read request;

wherein said second layer is capable of performing services including decryption and said third layer is capable of performing services including data storage, said encryption being transparent to said third layer; and

the data being read comprising, at least sometimes, a default data pattern.

40. The article of claim 39, wherein said article further comprises instructions that, when executed, further result in:

said reading data in any order comprising reading data from a file in data segments, the data segments being read in any order.

41. The article of claim 40, wherein said article further comprises instructions that, when executed, further result in:

if said data being read comprises said default data pattern, said second layer provides said data being read to said first layer without performing decryption.

42. The article of claim 40, wherein said article further comprises instructions that, when executed, further result in:

said data segments comprising a length that is a multiple of 2.

43. The article of claim 41, wherein said article further comprises instructions that, when executed, further result in:

said default data pattern comprising a fixed pattern.

44. A method of operating a computing platform comprising:

encrypting data prior to storing it on said computing platform;

wherein encrypting data includes providing for, at least sometimes, at least one hole in said data.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein providing for, at least sometimes, at least one hole comprises providing for, at least sometimes, multiple holes in said data.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein providing for, at least sometimes, multiple holes includes, prior to encrypting, padding said data to correspond to a multiple of encryption block size.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein said data padded to correspond to a multiple of the encryption block size is encrypted.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein providing for, at least sometimes, multiple holes further includes inserting one or more default patterns in said data so as to correspond to locations and lengths of said multiple holes.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein the inserted one or more default patterns are also encrypted.

50. The method of claim 48, wherein the inserted one or more default patterns are not encrypted.

51. The method of claim 48, wherein providing for, at least sometimes, multiple holes further includes inserting, at least sometimes, additional data about said multiple holes.

52. A method of operating a computing platform comprising:

decrypting stored encrypted data prior to providing said stored data to a device external to said computing platform;

wherein decrypting includes, at least sometimes, filling at least one hole in said stored data.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein filling at least one hole in said stored data includes filling multiple holes in said stored data.

54. The method of claim 53, wherein filling multiple holes in said stored data comprises writing to storage locations containing a default pattern

55. The method of claim 54, wherein writing to storage locations containing a default pattern comprises in writing in multiples of encryption-sized blocks.

56. The method of claim 54, wherein filling multiple holes in said stored data includes writing over a string of decrypted data, said decrypted data comprising said default pattern.

57. The method of claim 54, wherein filling multiple holes in said stored data includes writing over a string of non-decrypted data, said non-decrypted data comprising said default pattern.

58. An apparatus comprising:

a network, said network comprising a system including a first layer, a second layer and a third layer;

said system being capable of writing data in any order, once said first layer has made a write request;

wherein said second layer is capable of performing services including encryption and said third layer is capable of performing services including data storage, said encryption to be performed by said second layer capable of being transparent to said third layer.

59. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein said encryption to be performed by said second layer also capable of being transparent to said first layer.

60. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein said first layer and said third layer reside on the same computing platform.

61. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein said system is adapted to read data in any order, once said first layer has made a read request;

wherein said second layer is further capable of performing services including decryption; and

wherein the data being read is capable of comprising, at least sometimes, a default data pattern.

62. The apparatus of claim 61, wherein said data is capable of being written in multiples of the data encryption block size.

63. The apparatus of claim 62, wherein if said data being read comprises said default data pattern, said second layer being adapted to apply a different decryption method to said default data pattern than otherwise applied.

64. The apparatus of claim 63, wherein being adapted to apply a different decryption method includes being adapted to provide said data being read to said first layer without performing decryption.

65. The apparatus of claim 61, wherein said system is adapted so that said default data pattern comprises data read from locations to which data has not yet been written.

66. The apparatus of claims 65, wherein said system is further adapted so that said default data pattern comprises a fixed pattern.

67. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein being adapted to write data in any order comprises being adapted to write data to a file in data segments, the data segments being written in any order.