DISPERSED STORAGE USING LOCALIZED PEER-TO-PEER CAPABLE WIRELESS DEVICES IN A PEER-TO-PEER OR FEMTO CELL SUPPORTED CARRIER SERVED FASHION

• US 20140324931A1
• Filed: 07/11/2014
• Published: 10/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2009
• 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 9,996,548 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/828
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1092 Rebuilding, e.g. when physically replacing a failing disk
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1834 implemented based on peer-to-peer networks, e.g. gnutella p2p communication protocols H04L67/104

Abstract

A method begins when at least a consensus threshold number of devices are active in a virtual private network (VPN) group of devices. The method continues by obtaining directory information regarding group specific data and retrieving one or more sets of encoded data slices from the at least the consensus threshold number of devices or a dispersed storage network (DSN) memory in accordance with the directory information. The method continues by decoding the one or more sets of encoded data slices based on the at least the consensus threshold number of devices and a number of devices in the VPN group of devices to produce the group specific data. When the at least a consensus threshold number of devices are not active in the VPN group of devices, preventing at least one of the obtaining directory information or the retrieving one or more sets of encoded data slices.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

when at least a consensus threshold number of devices are active in a virtual private network (VPN) group of devices;

obtaining data directory information regarding group specific data;

retrieving one or more sets of encoded data slices from the at least the consensus threshold number of devices or a dispersed storage network (DSN) memory in accordance with the data directory information;

decoding the one or more sets of encoded data slices based on the at least the consensus threshold number of devices and a number of devices in the VPN group of devices to produce the group specific data; and

when the at least a consensus threshold number of devices are not active in the VPN group of devices, preventing at least one of the obtaining data directory information regarding group specific data or the retrieving one or more sets of encoded data slices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining the data directory information comprises:

retrieving one or more sets of encoded directory slices from the at least the consensus threshold number of devices; and

decoding the one or more sets of encoded directory slices based on the at least the consensus threshold number of devices and the number of devices in the VPN group of devices to produce the data directory information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the decoding the one or more sets of encoded data slices comprises;

decrypting encrypted group specific data using a decryption key to produce the group specific data.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprises:

retrieving one or more sets of encoded key slices from the at least the consensus threshold number of devices or the dispersed storage network (DSN) memory in accordance with the data directory information; and

decoding the one or more sets of encoded key slices based on the at least the consensus threshold number of devices and the number of devices in the VPN group of devices to produce the decryption key.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprises:

when the one or more sets of encoded data slices are retrieved from the DSN memory, retrieving the one or more sets of encoded key slices from the at least the consensus threshold number of devices;

or

when the one or more sets of encoded data slices are retrieved from the at least the consensus threshold number of devices, retrieving the one or more sets of encoded key slices from the DSN memory.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

determining that the at least the consensus threshold number of devices are active in the VPN group of devices by;

verifying user identifiers (IDs) affiliated with the VPN group of devices; and

verifying a unique user code related to the group specific data.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

determining that the at least the consensus threshold number of devices are active in the VPN group of devices by;

verifying a proximity of the at least the consensus threshold number of devices is in accordance with a group gathering threshold; and

verifying a peer-to-peer communication between the at least the consensus threshold number of devices.

8. A computer readable memory comprises:

a first memory section that stores operational instructions that, when executed by a computing device, causes the computing device to;

when at least a consensus threshold number of devices are active in a virtual private network (VPN) group of devices;

obtain data directory information regarding group specific data;

retrieve one or more sets of encoded data slices from the at least the consensus threshold number of devices or a dispersed storage network (DSN) memory in accordance with the data directory information;

decode the one or more sets of encoded data slices based on the at least the consensus threshold number of devices and a number of devices in the VPN group of devices to produce the group specific data; and

a second memory section that stores operational instructions that, when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to;

when at least a consensus threshold number of devices are not active in the VPN group of devices, prevent at least one of the obtaining data directory information regarding group specific data or the retrieving one or more sets of encoded data slices.

9. The computer readable memory of claim 8, wherein the first memory section further stores operational instructions that, when executed by the computing device, causes the computing device to obtain the data directory information by:

retrieving one or more sets of encoded directory slices from the at least the consensus threshold number of devices; and

decoding the one or more sets of encoded directory slices based on the at least the consensus threshold number of devices and the number of devices in the VPN group of devices to produce the data directory information.

10. The computer readable memory of claim 8, wherein the first memory section further stores operational instructions that, when executed by the computing device, causes the computing device to decode the one or more sets of encoded data slices by decrypting encrypted group specific data using a decryption key to produce the group specific data.

11. The computer readable memory of claim 10 wherein the first memory section further stores operational instructions that, when executed by the computing device, causes the computing device to:

retrieve one or more sets of encoded key slices from the at least the consensus threshold number of devices or a dispersed storage network (DSN) memory in accordance with the data directory information; and

decode the one or more sets of encoded key slices based on the at least the consensus threshold number of devices and the number of devices in the VPN group of devices to produce the decryption key.

12. The computer readable memory of claim 11 wherein the first memory section further stores operational instructions that, when executed by the computing device, causes the computing device to:

when the one or more sets of encoded data slices are retrieved from the DSN memory, retrieve the one or more sets of encoded key slices from the at least the consensus threshold number of devices;

or

when the one or more sets of encoded data slices are retrieved from the at least the consensus threshold number of devices, retrieve the one or more sets of encoded key slices from the DSN memory.

13. The computer readable memory of claim 8 wherein the first memory section further stores operational instructions that, when executed by the computing device, causes the computing device to:

determine that the at least the consensus threshold number of devices are active in the VPN group of devices by;

verifying user identifiers (IDs) affiliated with the VPN group of devices; and

verifying a unique user code related to the group specific data.

14. The computer readable memory of claim 8 wherein the first memory section further stores operational instructions that, when executed by the computing device, causes the computing device to:

determine that the at least the consensus threshold number of devices are active in the VPN group of devices by;

verifying a proximity of the at least the consensus threshold number of devices is in accordance with a group gathering threshold; and

verifying a peer-to-peer communication between the at least the consensus threshold number of devices.