Distributed processing system, distributed processing method and image processing apparatus

• US 8,095,791 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2006
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Suwabe, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Arani, Taghi
• Assistant Examiner(s): HERZOG, MADHURI R
• Application Number:
  US11/550,472
• Publication Number:
  US 20070094458A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,910 Days
• Field of Search: 713/193, 713165-167, 382/125, 710/1, 380/1.15, 380/1.16, 358/1.15, 358/1.16, 709201-203, 711/100, 711/156, 711/161
• US Class Current: 713/166
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2166 for mass storage, e.g. in document filing systems information retrieval G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2183 the stored images being distributed among a plurality of different locations, e.g. among a plurality of users
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32363 at the transmitter or at the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32502 in systems having a plurality of input or output devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32545 Distributing a job or task among a plurality of input devices or a plurality of output devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/329 Storage of less than a complete document page or image frame

Abstract

A distributed storage system implements high-speed data reconstitution processing while ensuring a high security level. Devices (63) in a device group (51) with security level “low” distributedly store fragmented data. When a process requesting device (60) belonging to a device group (50) with security level “high” instructs devices (62) belonging to the same group to reconstitute the data, the devices (62) collect and reconstitute part of the fragmented and stored data. After that, the process requesting device (60) collects the data partially reconstituted by the devices (62) and completely reconstitutes the data.

Claims

1. In a distributed storage and processing system in which object data are each divided into fragments which are distributedly stored in the system, and which has a plurality of device groups which have different security levels, including at least a first device group, a second device group containing at least two devices, and a third device group, the third device group having a lower security level than the first and second device groups, a first device, which is in the first device group, said first device comprising:

a displaying unit which lists the object data that have each been divided into fragments which are distributedly stored in the devices in the third device group;

a selecting unit which allows a user to select an object datum listed by said displaying unit for reconstitution of the selected object datum;

an instructing unit which instructs each of the at least two devices in the second device group to reconstitute intermediate data constituting a part of the object datum selected by said selecting unit, causing each of the at least two devices in the second device group to collect the fragments of the selected object datum directly from devices in the third device group and reconstitute the intermediate data using the collected fragments of the selected object datum; and

a collecting unit which collects the intermediate data constituting parts of the object datum selected by said selecting unit directly from the at least two devices in the second device group and reconstitutes the selected object datum using the collected intermediate data,

wherein said displaying unit further displays, for an object datum which has been divided into fragments which are distributedly stored in the devices in the third device group, status information which indicates that the object datum is distributedly stored, and updates, when the object datum has been reconstituted, the status information to indicate that the restored object datum is stored in the first device.

2. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device group and the second device group have the same security level.

3. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device group comprises only said first device.

4. The first device according to claim 1, wherein devices that exist in an intranet are categorized in the first device group, and devices that exist in the Internet are categorized in the second device group.

5. The first device according to claim 1, wherein devices registered in a grid computing network in advance are set as the first device group and the second device group.

12. The first device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a management unit which manages one or more object data including object data stored in the first device or object data which are divided into fragments which are distributedly stored in other devices;

a second displaying unit which displays a window for selecting an object datum managed by said management unit, by an operation of a user; and

a determination unit which determines whether the object datum selected by said second displaying unit is stored in the first device or distributedly stored in other devices, wherein

said instructing unit instructs, when said determination unit determines that the object datum selected by said second displaying unit is divided into fragments which are distributedly stored in other devices, the at least two devices in the second device group to reconstitute intermediate data constituting a part of the selected object datum, and

said collecting unit collects the intermediate data from each of the at least two devices in the second device group and reconstitutes the object datum selected by said second displaying unit using the collected intermediate data.

13. The first device according to claim 12, wherein said second displaying unit further displays whether each of the object data is stored in the first device or distributedly stored in devices other than the first device.

6. A distributed processing method for a first device, which is in a first device group included in a processing system which reconstitutes object data which are each divided into fragments which are distributedly stored in devices in the processing system, and includes a plurality of device groups, including the first device group, a second device group containing at least two devices, and a third device group, the third device group having a lower security level than the first and second device groups, said method comprising the steps of:

displaying a list of the object data that have each been divided into fragments which are distributedly stored in devices in the third device group;

selecting in accordance with a user instruction an object datum included in the list of the object data displayed in said displaying step;

instructing each of the at least two devices in the second device group to reconstitute intermediate data that constitutes a part of the object datum selected in said selecting step, causing each of the at least two devices in the second device group to collect the fragments of the selected object datum directly from the devices in the third device group and to reconstitute the intermediate data using the collected fragments of the selected object datum; and

collecting the intermediate data constituting parts of the object datum selected in said selecting step directly from each of the at least two devices in the second device group and reconstituting the selected object datum using the collected intermediate data,

wherein said displaying step includes displaying, for an object datum which has been divided into fragments which are distributedly stored in the devices in the third device group, status information which indicates that the object datum is distributedly stored, and updates, when the object datum has been reconstituted, the status information to indicate that the restored object datum is stored in the first device.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the first device group and the second device group have the same security level.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the first device comprises only a single device.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein devices that exist in an intranet are categorized in the first device group, and devices that exist in the Internet are categorized in the second device group.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein devices registered in a grid computing network in advance are set as the first device group and the second device group.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium which stores a computer program implementing a control method for a first device, which is in a first device group included in a processing system which reconstitutes object data which are each divided into fragments which are distributedly stored in the processing system, and includes a plurality of device groups, including the first device group, a second device group containing at least two devices, and a third device group, the third device group having a lower security level than the first and second device groups, said method comprising:

displaying a list of the object data which have each been divided into fragments which are distributedly stored in devices in the third device group;

selecting in accordance with a user instruction an object datum included in the list of the object data displayed in said displaying step;

instructing each of the at least two devices in the second device group to reconstitute intermediate data that constitutes a part of the object datum selected in said selecting step, causing each of the at least two devices in the second device group to collect the fragments of the selected object datum directly from the devices in the third device group and to reconstitute the intermediate data using the collected fragments of the selected object datum; and

collecting the intermediate data constituting parts of the object datum selected in said selecting step directly from each of the at least two devices in the second device group and reconstituting the selected object datum using the collected intermediate data,

wherein said displaying step includes displaying, for an object datum which has been divided into fragments which are distributedly stored in the devices in the third device group, status information which indicates that the object datum is distributedly stored, and updates, when the object datum has been reconstituted, the status information to indicate that the restored object datum is stored in the first device.

14. A device comprising:

a storing unit which stores one or more object data;

a displaying unit which lists both the object data stored in said storing unit and the object data which are each divided into fragments which are distributedly stored in a plurality of external devices

an instructing unit which selects an object datum displayed by said displaying unit as an instruction target, and

a reconstituting unit which reconstitutes, when the object datum selected by said instructing unit divided into fragments which are distributedly stored in the plurality of external devices, the selected object datum by collecting intermediate fragments of the selected object datum from a plurality of second devices, wherein the intermediate fragments have been reconstituted by the plurality of second devices by collecting fragments of the selected object datum distributedly stored in the plurality of external devices,

wherein said displaying unit further displays, for an object datum which has been divided into fragments which are distributedly stored in the plurality of external devices, status information which indicates that the object datum is distributedly stored, and updates, when the object datum has been reconstituted, the status information to indicate that the restored object datum is stored in the device by said storing unit.