Data protection by segmented storage

• US 20100161926A1
• Filed: 12/23/2008
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Li, Hong, Khosravi, Hormuzd M.
• Application Number:
  US12/317,429
• Publication Number:
  US 20100161926A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries

Abstract

A device, method, and system are disclosed. In one embodiment the device includes logic to handle and protect data. Specifically, the device includes logic to segment data that can receive a data object that needs to be stored. The logic within the device can segment the data object into a plurality of data segments. A segmented portion of the data object is an incomprehensible portion the data object when viewed in the segmented format. The device can then send each of the data segments to a several different storage locations.

Claims

1. A data protection handling device, comprising:

data segmentation logic to;

receive a data object to store;

segment the data object into a plurality of data segments, wherein each data segment comprises an incomprehensible portion the data object when viewed in the segmented format; and

send the plurality of data segments to a plurality of storage locations.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the data segmentation logic is further operable to utilize a segmentation algorithm, accessible by the device, the segmentation algorithm to:

instruct the data segmentation logic the manner in which to segment the data; and

instruct the data segmentation logic which of the plurality of storage locations will store which of the plurality of data segments.

3. The device of claim 2, further comprising:

data re-assembling logic to;

receive a request for retrieval of the data object;

retrieve each of the plurality of data segments comprising the data object from the plurality of storage locations;

re-assemble the data object from the plurality of retrieved data segments; and

provide the re-assembled data object to an entity that sent the request.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the data re-assembling logic is further operable to utilize a re-assembling algorithm, accessible by the device, the re-assembling algorithm to:

instruct the data re-assembling logic which of the plurality of storage locations store which of the plurality of data segments; and

instruct the data re-assembling logic the manner in which to assemble the plurality of retrieved data segments to recreate the data object.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein the data-reassembling logic is further operable to authenticate the entity requesting retrieval of the data object prior to allowing re-assembly to take place.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of storage locations storing a data segment is unaware of the locations where each of the remaining data segments are stored.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the incomprehensible portion of the data object stored in a given data segment includes a plurality of non-contiguous sub-segments of the data object.

8. A method, comprising:

receiving a data object to store;

segmenting the data object into a plurality of data segments, wherein each data segment comprises an incomprehensible portion the data object when viewed in the segmented format; and

sending the plurality of data segments to a plurality of storage locations.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining the manner in which to segment the data; and

determining which of the plurality of storage locations will store which of the plurality of data segments.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a request for retrieval of the data object;

retrieving each of the plurality of data segments comprising the data object from the plurality of storage locations;

re-assembling the data object from the plurality of retrieved data segments; and

providing the re-assembled data object to an entity that sent the request.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining which of the plurality of storage locations store which of the plurality of data segments; and

determining the manner in which to assemble the plurality of retrieved data segments to recreate the data object.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

authenticating the entity requesting retrieval of the data object prior to allowing re-assembly to take place.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of storage locations storing a data segment is unaware of the locations where each of the remaining data segments are stored.

14. A system, comprising:

a requesting device to provide a data object to store;

a plurality of storage locations; and

a distributed data storage protection device to;

receive the data object;

segment the data object into a plurality of data segments, wherein each data segment comprises an incomprehensible portion the data object when viewed in the segmented format; and

send the plurality of data segments to the plurality of storage locations.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the distributed data storage protection device is further operable to utilize a segmentation algorithm, the segmentation algorithm to:

instruct the distributed data storage protection device the manner in which to segment the data; and

instruct the distributed data storage protection device which of the plurality of storage locations will store which of the plurality of data segments.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the distributed data storage protection device is further operable to:

receive a request for retrieval of the data object from an authenticated device;

retrieve each of the plurality of data segments comprising the data object from the plurality of storage locations;

re-assemble the data object from the plurality of retrieved data segments; and

provide the re-assembled data object to an entity that sent the request.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the distributed data storage protection device is further operable to utilize a re-assembling algorithm, the re-assembling algorithm to:

instruct the distributed data storage protection device which of the plurality of storage locations store which of the plurality of data segments; and

instruct the distributed data storage protection device the manner in which to assemble the plurality of retrieved data segments to recreate the data object.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of storage locations storing a data segment is unaware of the locations where each of the remaining data segments are stored.

19. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a computer platform including a manageability engine, wherein the distributed data storage protection device is integrated into the manageability engine.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the distributed data storage protection device sends the plurality of data segments to the plurality of storage locations through an out-of-band communication channel.