DISPERSED DATA STORAGE IN A VPN GROUP OF DEVICES

• US 20140325224A1
• Filed: 07/10/2014
• 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 10,015,141 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1092 Rebuilding, e.g. when physically replacing a failing disk
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/24 Key scheduling, i.e. generating round keys or sub-keys for block encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/32 including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system or for message authentication, e.g. authorization, entity authentication, data integrity or data verification, non-repudiation, key authentication or verification of credentials

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 encoding group specific data based on a consensus threshold number of devices in the VPN group of devices and a number of devices in the VPN group of devices to produce one or more sets of encoded data slices. The method continues by sending the one or more sets of encoded data slices to at least one of: the consensus threshold number of devices or a dispersed storage network (DSN) memory for storage therein. When the at least the consensus threshold number of devices are not active in the VPN group of devices, each of the devices in the VPN group of devices are prohibited from creating the group specific data or accessing previously created group specific data.

Claims

1. A method comprises:

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

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

sending the one or more sets of encoded data slices to at least one of;

the consensus threshold number of devices or a dispersed storage network (DSN) memory for storage therein; and

when the at least the consensus threshold number of devices are not active in the VPN group of devices, prohibiting each of the devices in the VPN group of devices from creating the group specific data or accessing previously created group specific data.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

creating the group specific data by one or more of the consensus threshold number of devices.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

establishing the VPN group of devices; and

establishing error coding parameters based on the consensus threshold number of devices in the VPN group of devices and the number of devices in the VPN group of devices for accessing the group specific data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the encoding the group specific data further comprises:

encrypting the group specific data using an encryption key.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprises:

encoding the encryption key based on the consensus threshold number of devices and the number of devices in the VPN group of devices to produce one or more sets of encoded key slices; and

sending the one or more sets of encoded key slices to at least one of;

the consensus threshold number of devices or the DSN memory for storage therein.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprises:

when the one or more sets of encoded data slices are sent to the DSN memory for storage, sending the one or more sets of encoded key slices to the consensus threshold number of devices;

or

when the one or more sets of encoded data slices are sent to the consensus threshold number of devices, sending the one or more sets of encoded key slices to the DSN memory for storage.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

generating data directory information regarding storage of the group specific data;

encoding the data directory information based on the consensus threshold number of devices and the number of devices in the VPN group of devices to produce one or more sets of encoded directory slices; and

sending the one or more sets of encoded directory slices to at least one of;

the consensus threshold number of devices or the DSN memory for storage therein

8. The method of claim 7 further comprises:

when the one or more sets of encoded data slices are sent to the DSN memory for storage, sending the one or more sets of encoded directory slices to the consensus threshold number of devices;

or

when the one or more sets of encoded data slices are sent to the consensus threshold number of devices, sending the one or more sets of encoded directory slices to the DSN memory for storage.

9. 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.

10. 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 consensus threshold number of devices is in accordance with a group gathering threshold; and

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

11. A computer readable memory device 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;

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

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

send the one or more sets of encoded data slices to at least one of;

the consensus threshold number of devices or a dispersed storage network (DSN) memory for storage therein; and

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

when the at least the consensus threshold number of devices are not active in the VPN group of devices, prohibit each of the devices in the VPN group of devices from creating the group specific data or accessing previously created group specific data.

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

create the group specific data by one or more of the consensus threshold number of devices.

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

establish the VPN group of devices; and

establish error coding parameters based on the consensus threshold number of devices in the VPN group of devices and the number of devices in the VPN group of devices for accessing the group specific data.

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

encrypt the group specific data using an encryption key.

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

encode the encryption key based on the consensus threshold number of devices and the number of devices in the VPN group of devices to produce one or more sets of encoded key slices; and

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

send the one or more sets of encoded key slices to at least one of;

the consensus threshold number of devices or the DSN memory for storage therein.

16. The computer readable memory device of 15, wherein the second 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 sent to the DSN memory for storage, send the one or more sets of encoded key slices to the consensus threshold number of devices;

or

when the one or more sets of encoded data slices are sent to the consensus threshold number of devices, send the one or more sets of encoded key slices to the DSN memory for storage.

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

generate data directory information regarding storage of the group specific data;

encode the data directory information based on the consensus threshold number of devices and the number of devices in the VPN group of devices to produce one or more sets of encoded directory slices; and

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

send the one or more sets of encoded directory slices to at least one of;

the consensus threshold number of devices or the DSN memory for storage therein.

18. The computer readable memory device of 17, wherein the second 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 sent to the DSN memory for storage, send the one or more sets of encoded directory slices to the consensus threshold number of devices;

or

when the one or more sets of encoded data slices are sent to the consensus threshold number of devices, send the one or more sets of encoded directory slices to the DSN memory for storage.

19. The computer readable memory device of 11, 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.

20. The computer readable memory device of 11, 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 consensus threshold number of devices is in accordance with a group gathering threshold; and

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