REDUNDANT ARRAY OF INDEPENDENT CLOUDS

• US 20120047339A1
• Filed: 08/20/2010
• Published: 02/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cirtas Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cirtas Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Samuels, Allen, Decasper, Dan, Stone, Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US12/860,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20120047339A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1076 Parity data used in redundant arrays of independent storages, e.g. in RAID systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/1028 Distributed, i.e. distributed RAID systems with parity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/1045 Nested RAID, i.e. implementing a RAID scheme in another RAID scheme

Abstract

A computing device executing a reliable cloud storage module divides data into a first data block and a second data block. The computing device stores the first data block in a first storage cloud provided by a first storage service, and stores the second data block in a second storage cloud provided by a second storage service. The computing device thereafter receives a command to read the data. In response, the computing device retrieves the first data block from the first storage cloud and the second data block from the second storage cloud. The computing device then reproduces the original data from the first data block and the second data block.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

dividing data into a first data block and a second data block by a computing device executing a reliable cloud storage module;

sending the first data block to a first storage cloud provided by a first storage service;

sending the second data block to a second storage cloud provided by a second storage service;

receiving a request to read the data by the computing device;

retrieving the first data block from the first storage cloud and the second data block from the second storage cloud; and

reproducing the data from the first data block and the second data block.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a parity block from the first data block and the second data block; and

sending the parity block to a third storage cloud.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

encrypting the first data block using a first encryption key associated with the first storage cloud; and

encrypting the second data block using a second encryption key associated with the second storage cloud.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the parity block is generated from the first data block and the second data block after the first data block and the second data block have been encrypted.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the parity block is generated from the first data block and the second data block before the first data block and the second data block have been encrypted, the method further comprising:

encrypting the parity block using a third encryption key associated with the third storage cloud.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving the request to read the data while the first storage cloud is unresponsive;

retrieving the second data block from the second storage cloud and the parity block from the third storage cloud; and

rebuilding the first data block from the second data block and the parity block.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

detecting that one of the first storage cloud, the second storage cloud or the third storage cloud has become unresponsive;

temporarily caching the first data block, the second data block or the parity block that is to be sent to the unresponsive storage cloud; and

upon establishing a connection to the unresponsive storage cloud, synchronizing contents of the unresponsive storage cloud to contents of the remaining storage clouds by sending the first data block, the second data block or the parity block to the unresponsive storage cloud.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending the first data block to a third storage cloud provided by a third storage service, wherein the third storage cloud mirrors the first storage cloud; and

sending the second data block to a fourth storage cloud provided by a fourth storage service, wherein the fourth storage cloud mirrors the second storage cloud.

9. A computer readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform a method, comprising:

dividing data into a first data block and a second data block by the computing device;

sending the first data block to a first storage cloud provided by a first storage service;

sending the second data block to a second storage cloud provided by a second storage service;

receiving a request to read the data;

retrieving the first data block from the first storage cloud and the second data block from the second storage cloud; and

reproducing the data from the first data block and the second data block.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, the method further comprising:

generating a parity block from the first data block and the second data block; and

sending the parity block to a third storage cloud.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, the method further comprising:

encrypting the first data block using a first encryption key associated with the first storage cloud; and

encrypting the second data block using a second encryption key associated with the second storage cloud.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the parity block is generated from the first data block and the second data block after the first data block and the second data block have been encrypted.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the parity block is generated from the first data block and the second data block before the first data block and the second data block have been encrypted, the method further comprising:

encrypting the parity block using a third encryption key associated with the third storage cloud.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, the method further comprising:

receiving the request to read the data while the first storage cloud is unresponsive;

retrieving the second data block from the second storage cloud and the parity block from the third storage cloud; and

rebuilding the first data block from the second data block and the parity block.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, the method further comprising:

detecting that one of the first storage cloud, the second storage cloud or the third storage cloud has become unresponsive;

temporarily caching the first data block, the second data block or the parity block that is to be sent to the unresponsive storage cloud; and

upon establishing a connection to the unresponsive storage cloud, synchronizing contents of the unresponsive storage cloud to contents of the remaining storage clouds by sending the first data block, the second data block or the parity block to the unresponsive storage cloud.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 9, the method further comprising:

sending the first data block to a third storage cloud provided by a third storage service, wherein the third storage cloud mirrors the first storage cloud; and

sending the second data block to a fourth storage cloud provided by a fourth storage service, wherein the fourth storage cloud mirrors the second storage cloud.

17. A storage appliance, comprising:

a memory to store instructions for a reliable cloud storage module; and

a processing device, connected with the memory, to execute the instructions, wherein the instructions cause the processing device to;

divide data into a first data block and a second data block;

send the first data block to a first storage cloud provided by a first storage service;

send the second data block to a second storage cloud provided by a second storage service;

retrieve the first data block from the first storage cloud and the second data block from the second storage cloud upon receipt of a request to read the data; and

reproduce the data from the first data block and the second data block.

18. The storage appliance of claim 17, further comprising the instructions to cause the processing device to:

generate a parity block from the first data block and the second data block; and

send the parity block to a third storage cloud.

19. The storage appliance of claim 18, further comprising the instructions to cause the processing device to:

encrypt the first data block using a first encryption key associated with the first storage cloud; and

encrypt the second data block using a second encryption key associated with the second storage cloud.

20. The storage appliance of claim 19, wherein the parity block is generated from the first data block and the second data block after the first data block and the second data block have been encrypted.

21. The storage appliance of claim 19, wherein the parity block is generated from the first data block and the second data block before the first data block and the second data block have been encrypted, the instructions further to cause the processing device to:

encrypt the parity block using a third encryption key associated with the third storage cloud.

22. The storage appliance of claim 19, the instructions further to cause the processing device to:

receive the request to read the data while the first storage cloud is unresponsive;

retrieve the second data block from the second storage cloud and the parity block from the third storage cloud; and

rebuild the first data block from the second data block and the parity block.

23. The storage appliance of claim 18, the instructions further to cause the processing device to:

detect that one of the first storage cloud, the second storage cloud or the third storage cloud has become unresponsive;

temporarily cache the first data block, the second data block or the parity block that is to be sent to the unresponsive storage cloud; and

upon establishing a connection to the unresponsive storage cloud, synchronize contents of the unresponsive storage cloud to contents of the remaining storage clouds by sending the first data block, the second data block or the parity block to the unresponsive storage cloud.

24. The storage appliance of claim 18, further comprising the instructions to cause the processing device to:

send the first data block to a third storage cloud provided by a third storage service, wherein the third storage cloud mirrors the first storage cloud; and

send the second data block to a fourth storage cloud provided by a fourth storage service, wherein the fourth storage cloud mirrors the second storage cloud.