OBJECT INTERFACE TO A DISPERSED DATA STORAGE NETWORK

• US 20100169391A1
• Filed: 12/29/2009
• Published: 07/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pure Storage, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cleversafe Incorporated (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: MARK, ZACHARY J., BAPTIST, ANDREW, DHUSE, GREG, GLADWIN, S. CHRISTOPHER, PALTHEPU, SRINIVAS, QUIGLEY, JOHN, THORNTON, VANCE T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,533,256 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/827
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/168 Details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems, e.g. browsing and visualisation, 2d or 3d GUIs query results presentation G06F16/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems

Abstract

A data object interface to a dispersed data storage network is disclosed. The disclosed interface accepts read and write commands from a client computer and generates network commands that are forwarded to slice servers that form the storage component of the dispersed data storage network. The slice servers then fulfill the read and write commands.

Claims

1. A method of reading a data object from a dispersed data storage network comprising a plurality of networked computers including a plurality of slice servers, each of said slice servers storing a plurality of data slices, whereby n of said data slices are associated with said data object, and whereby m of said associated data slices are required to reconstruct said data object, and further whereby m is less than n, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving data indicative of the data object to read;

based on the data indicative of the data object to read, retrieving an information record describing the data object to read, said information record identifying n data slices storing data associated with said data object;

reading m data slices from m of said n slice servers; and

assembling said data object from said read data slices.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said data indicative of the data object to read is a unique data object identifier.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said data indicative of the data object to read is a user supplied name.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of generating a data object identifier from said user supplied name using a hashing function.

5. A method of writing a data object to a dispersed data storage network comprising a plurality of networked computers including a plurality of slice servers, each of said slice servers storing a plurality of data slices, whereby n of said data slices are associated with said data object, and whereby m of said associated data slices are required to reconstruct said data object, and further whereby m is less than n, said method comprising the steps of:

assigning a data object identifier to said data object;

applying an information dispersal algorithm to said data object to generate a plurality of data slices;

transmitting said plurality of data slices to said plurality of slice servers wherein each data slice is transmitted to a different slice server; and

storing each of said plurality of data slices on the slice server to which it was transmitted.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the steps of accepting a name and generating a data object identifier from the name using a hashing function.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of randomly generating a unique data object identifier.

8. A computer for reading a data object from a dispersed data storage network comprising a plurality of networked computers including a plurality of slice servers, each of said slice servers storing a plurality of data slices, whereby n of said data slices are associated with said data object, and whereby m of said associated data slices are required to reconstruct said data object, and further whereby m is less than n, said computer comprising:

a network port;

a database including a plurality of information records wherein each of said information records identifies a data object stored by said dispersed data storage network and identifies n data slices including data associated with said identified data object; and

a dispersed data storage application for (1) receiving data indicative of a data object to read, (2) retrieving an information record from said database describing the data object to read, (3) reading m of said data slices identified by said retrieved information record from m of the n slice servers using said network port, and (4) assembling said data object to read from said read data slices.

9. The computer of claim 8 wherein said data indicative of the data object to read is a unique data object identifier.

10. The computer of claim 8 wherein said data indicative of the data object to read is a user supplied name.

11. The computer of claim 10 further comprising the step of generating a data object identifier from said user supplied name using a hashing function.

12. A computer for writing a data object to a dispersed data storage network comprising a plurality of networked computers including a plurality of slice servers, each of said slice servers storing a plurality of data slices, whereby n of said data slices are associated with said data object, and whereby m of said associated data slices are required to reconstruct said data object, and further whereby m is less than n, said computer comprising:

a network port;

a database including a plurality of information records wherein each of said information records identifies a data object stored by said dispersed data storage network; and

a dispersed data storage application for (1) assigning a data object identifier to said data object, (2) creating an information record including said data object identifier, (3) applying an information dispersal algorithm to said data object to generate a plurality of data slices, (4) transmitting said plurality of data slices to said plurality of slice servers wherein each data slice is transmitted to a different slice server, and (5) storing said created information record in said database.

13. The computer of claim 12 wherein said data storage application generates said data object identifier by applying a hashing function to a name.

14. The computer of claim 12 wherein said data object identifier is a randomly generated unique identifier.