DISPERSED STORAGE NETWORK WITH DATA SEGMENT BACKUP AND METHODS FOR USE THEREWITH

• US 20140310491A1
• Filed: 06/26/2014
• Published: 10/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Pure Storage, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cleversafe Incorporated (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Resch, Jason K., Leggette, Wesley
• Application Number:
  US14/315,748
• Publication Number:
  US 20140310491A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0751 Error or fault detection not based on redundancy power supply failures G06F1/30; network fault management H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1076 Parity data used in redundant arrays of independent storages, e.g. in RAID systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2038 with a single idle spare processing component
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2048 where the redundant components share neither address space nor persistent storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2094 Redundant storage or storage space G06F11/2056 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/172 Caching, prefetching or hoarding of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/80 Database-specific techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/1028 Distributed, i.e. distributed RAID systems with parity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0635 by changing the path, e.g. traffic rerouting, path reconfiguration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• 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 with a processing module selecting one of a plurality of dispersed storage (DS) processing modules for facilitating access to a dispersed storage network (DSN) memory. The method continues with the processing module sending a DSN memory access request to the one of the plurality of DS processing modules. The method continues with the processing module selecting another one of the plurality of DS processing modules when no response is received within a given time frame or when the response to the access request does not include an access indication. The method continues with the processing module sending the DSN memory access request to the another one of the plurality of DS processing modules.

Claims

1. A method for execution by one or more processing modules of one or more computing devices of a dispersed storage network (DSN), the method comprises:

providing a data segment;

retrieving a plurality of first slices, corresponding to a previous revision of the data segment, from the distributed storage network;

recreating the previous revision of the data segment from the plurality of first slices corresponding to the previous revision of the data segment;

determining if the previous revision of the data segment compares unfavorably to the data segment; and

storing the data segment in the DSN when determined that the previous version of the data segment compares unfavorably to the data segment.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the data segment is created from a data object that is provided for backup in the DSN.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein storing the data segment in the DSN includes:

encoding the data segment into a plurality of second slices; and

storing the plurality of second slices in the DSN.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the plurality of first slices has a read threshold number of slices and the plurality of second slices has a write threshold number of slices and wherein the read threshold is less than the write threshold.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining if the previous revision of the data segment compares favorably to the data segment;

wherein the data segment is not stored in the DSN when determined that the previous revision of the data segment compares favorably to the data segment.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the data segment includes:

receiving a data object and a corresponding back-up command; and

creating the data segment from the data object.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein providing the data segment further includes:

determining operational parameters corresponding to the data object;

wherein creating the data segment from the data object is based on the operational parameters.

8. A dispersed storage (DS) processing unit for use in a dispersed storage network (DSN) comprises:

at least one module, when operable within a computing device, that causes the computing device to;

provide a data segment;

retrieve a plurality of first slices, corresponding to a previous revision of the data segment, from the distributed storage network;

recreate the previous revision of the data segment from the plurality of first slices corresponding to the previous revision of the data segment;

determine if the previous revision of the data segment compares unfavorably to the data segment; and

store the data segment in the DSN when determined that the previous revision of the data segment compares unfavorably to the data segment.

9. The DS processing unit of claim 8 wherein the data segment is created from a data object that is provided for backup in the DSN.

10. The DS processing unit of claim 8 wherein storing the data segment in the DSN includes:

encoding the data segment into a plurality of second slices; and

storing the plurality of second slices in the DSN.

11. The DS processing unit of claim 10 wherein the plurality of first slices has a read threshold number of slices and the plurality of second slices has a write threshold number of slices and wherein the read threshold is less than the write threshold.

12. The DS processing unit of claim 8 wherein the at least one module, when operable within the computing device, further causes the computing device to:

determine if the previous revision of the data segment compares favorably to the data segment;

wherein the data segment is not stored in the DSN when determined that the previous revision of the data segment compares favorably to the data segment.

13. The DS processing unit of claim 8 wherein providing the data segment includes:

receiving a data object and a corresponding back-up command; and

creating the data segment from the data object.

14. The DS processing unit of claim 13 wherein providing the data segment further includes:

determining operational parameters corresponding to the data object;

wherein creating the data segment from the data object is based on the operational parameters.

15. A computer readable storage medium comprises:

at least one memory section that stores operational instructions that, when executed by one or more processing modules of one or more computing devices of a dispersed storage network (DSN), causes the one or more computing devices to;

provide a data segment;

retrieve a plurality of first slices, corresponding to a previous revision of the data segment, from the distributed storage network;

recreate the previous revision of the data segment from the plurality of first slices corresponding to the previous revision of the data segment;

determine if the previous revision of the data segment compares unfavorably to the data segment; and

store the data segment in the DSN when determined that the previous revision of the data segment compares unfavorably to the data segment.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15 wherein storing the data segment in the DSN includes:

encoding the data segment into a plurality of second slices; and

storing the plurality of second slices in the DSN.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the plurality of first slices has a read threshold number of slices and the plurality of second slices has a write threshold number of slices and wherein the read threshold is less than the write threshold.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15 wherein the operational instructions, when executed by the one or more processing modules of the one or more computing devices of the dispersed storage network (DSN), further causes the one or more computing devices to:

determine if the previous revision of the data segment compares favorably to the data segment;

wherein the data segment is not stored in the DSN when determined that the previous revision of the data segment compares favorably to the data segment.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15 wherein providing the data segment includes:

receiving a data object and a corresponding back-up command; and

creating the data segment from the data object.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19 wherein providing the data segment further includes:

determining operational parameters corresponding to the data object;

wherein creating the data segment from the data object is based on the operational parameters.