ROUTER ASSISTED DISPERSED STORAGE NETWORK METHOD AND APPARATUS

• US 20110106973A1
• Filed: 08/04/2010
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pure Storage, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cleversafe Incorporated (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: GRUBE, GARY W., MARKISON, TIMOTHY W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,572,282 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2089 Redundant storage control functionality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0802 Addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means, e.g. caches
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1009 using page tables, e.g. page table structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1045 associated with a data cache
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/1668 Details of memory controller
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/401 Compressed data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0629 Configuration or reconfiguration of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0659 Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0683 Plurality of storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/09 Error detection only, e.g. using cyclic redundancy check [CRC] codes or single parity bit
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/15 Cyclic codes, i.e. cyclic shifts of codewords produce other codewords, e.g. codes defined by a generator polynomial, Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem [BCH] codes H03M13/17 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/1515 Reed-Solomon codes
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/23 using convolutional codes, e.g. unit memory codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 : for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

A method begins by a router receiving a data packet and determining a destination of the data packet. The method continues with the router determining whether the router has an affiliation with the destination. The method continues with the router determining whether to temporarily locally store the data packet when the router has the affiliation with the destination. The method continues with the router locally storing the data packet and forwarding the data packet to the destination in accordance with a transfer protocol when the determination to temporarily locally store the data packet is favorable.

Claims

1. A method for execution by a router, the method comprises:

receiving a data packet;

determining a destination of the data packet;

determining whether the router has an affiliation with the destination;

when the router has the affiliation with the destination, determining whether to temporarily locally store the data packet; and

when the determination to temporarily locally store the data packet is favorable;

locally storing the data packet; and

forwarding the data packet to the destination in accordance with a transfer protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data packet comprises:

an encoded data slice of a set of encoded data slices, wherein a data segment is encoded using an error coding dispersal storage function to produce the set of encoded data slices.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the destination comprises:

a dispersed storage unit of a dispersed storage network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether the router has the affiliation comprises at least one of:

accessing a router table database; and

receiving metadata, wherein the metadata indicates the affiliation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether the router has the affiliation comprises:

determining that another router does not have an active affiliation with the destination; and

when the other router does not have the active affiliation, determining to establish the active affiliation with the destination based on one or more of;

a destination performance indicator;

a maximum number of routes;

a minimum number of routes; and

an affiliation history record.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprises:

when the other router does have the active affiliation, indicating that the router does not have the affiliation; and

forwarding the data packet to the other router.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether to temporarily locally store the data packet comprises at least one of:

interpreting metadata associated with the data packet;

interpreting historical data traffic of the destination;

interpreting current data traffic of the destination; and

receiving a request from the destination.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the forwarding the data packet to the destination in accordance with the transfer protocol comprises at least one of:

forwarding the data packet at expiration of a time interval;

forwarding the data packet during a given time of the day;

forwarding the data packet in response to a request from the destination;

forwarding the data packet when a local memory utilization is above a threshold;

forwarding the data packet in response to a change in routing table information; and

forwarding the data packet in response to a change in the affiliation.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

when the determination to temporarily locally store the data packet is favorable, responding to a write request associated with the data packet.

10. A router comprises:

an interface;

a memory; and

a processing module operable to;

receive, via the interface, a data packet;

determine a destination of the data packet;

determine whether the router has an affiliation with the destination;

determine whether to temporarily locally store the data packet when the router has the affiliation with the destination; and

when the determination to temporarily locally store the data packet is favorable;

locally store the data packet in the memory; and

output, via the interface, the data packet to the destination in accordance with a transfer protocol.

11. The router of claim 10, wherein the data packet comprises:

an encoded data slice of a set of encoded data slices, wherein a data segment is encoded using an error coding dispersal storage function to produce the set of encoded data slices.

12. The router of claim 10, wherein the destination comprises:

a dispersed storage unit of a dispersed storage network.

13. The router of claim 10, wherein the processing module functions to determine whether the router has the affiliation by at least one of:

accessing a router table database; and

receiving, via the interface, metadata, wherein the metadata indicates the affiliation.

14. The router of claim 10, wherein the processing module functions to determine whether the router has the affiliation by:

determining that another router does not have an active affiliation with the destination; and

when the other router does not have the active affiliation, determining to establish the active affiliation with the destination based on one or more of;

a destination performance indicator;

a maximum number of routes;

a minimum number of routes; and

an affiliation history record.

15. The router of claim 14, wherein the processing module further functions to:

indicate that the router does not have the affiliation when the other router does have the active affiliation; and

output, via the interface, the data packet to the other router.

16. The router of claim 10, wherein the processing module further functions to determine whether to temporarily locally store the data packet by at least one of:

interpreting metadata associated with the data packet;

interpreting historical data traffic of the destination;

interpreting current data traffic of the destination; and

receiving, via the interface, a request from the destination.

17. The router of claim 10, wherein the processing module further functions to forward the data packet to the destination in accordance with the transfer protocol by at least one of:

outputting, via the interface, the data packet at expiration of a time interval;

outputting, via the interface, the data packet during a given time of the day;

outputting, via the interface, the data packet in response to a request from the destination;

outputting, via the interface, the data packet when the memory utilization is above a threshold;

outputting, via the interface, the data packet in response to a change in routing table information; and

outputting, via the interface, the data packet in response to a change in the affiliation.

18. The router of claim 10, wherein the processing module further functions to:

output, via the interface, a response to a write request associated with the data packet when the determination to temporarily locally store the data packet is favorable.