Storing portions of data in a dispersed storage network

• US 8,656,253 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2012
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pure Storage, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cleversafe Incorporated (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Leggette, Wesley, Resch, Jason K.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRIMMINGS, JOHN P
• Application Number:
  US13/464,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20120311395A1
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 714/763
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/10 Adding special bits or symbols to the coded information, e.g. parity check, casting out 9's or 11's
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1076 Parity data used in redundant arrays of independent storages, e.g. in RAID systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2089 Redundant storage control functionality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1408 by using cryptography for digital transmission H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/17331 Distributed shared memory [DSM], e.g. remote direct memory access [RDMA]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/602 Providing cryptographic facilities or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/263 Network storage, e.g. SAN or NAS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2107 File encryption
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0644 Management of space entities, e.g. partitions, extents, pools
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/24 Key scheduling, i.e. generating round keys or sub-keys for block encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/34 Encoding or coding, e.g. Huffman coding or error correction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/085 Secret sharing or secret splitting, e.g. threshold schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0861 Generation of secret information including derivation or calculation of cryptographic keys or passwords

Abstract

A method begins by a dispersed storage (DS) processing module generating preliminary dispersed storage network (DSN) storage information for data to be stored in a DSN. The method continues with the DS processing module accessing DSN storage information regarding other data stored in the DSN and comparing the preliminary DSN storage information for the data with the DSN storage information regarding the other data. When at least a portion of the data has compatible preliminary DSN storage information with DSN storage information of at least a portion of the other data, the method continues with the DS processing module generating DSN storage information for remaining portions of the data to produce remaining portions DSN storage information and generating DSN storage information for the data based on the DSN storage information of the at least the portion of the other data and the remaining portions DSN storage information.

Claims

1. A computing device implemented method comprises:

generating preliminary dispersed storage network (DSN) storage information for data to be stored in a DSN;

accessing DSN storage information regarding other data stored in the DSN;

comparing the preliminary DSN storage information for the data with the DSN storage information regarding the other data; and

when at least a portion of the data has compatible preliminary DSN storage information with DSN storage information of at least a portion of the other data;

generating DSN storage information for remaining portions of the data to produce remaining portions DSN storage information; and

generating DSN storage information for the data based on the DSN storage information of the at least the portion of the other data and the remaining portions DSN storage information.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

dispersed storage error encoding the remaining portions of the data to produce dispersed storage error encoded data; and

storing the dispersed storage error encoded data in accordance with the remaining portions DSN storage information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing DSN storage information of the other data comprises:

accessing one or more segment allocation tables for the other data, wherein a segment allocation table of the one or more segment allocation tables includes data portioning information for portions of the other data and deterministic function representations of the portions of the other data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the comparing further comprises:

generating deterministic function representations of the data; and

comparing the deterministic function representations of the data with the deterministic function representations of the portions of the other data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing DSN storage information of the other data further comprises:

identifying a relationship between the data and the other data; and

accessing the DSN storage information of the other data based on the relationship.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

the data being segmented into a plurality of segments, wherein the at least the portion of the data includes one or more of the plurality of segments.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the DSN storage information for the data further comprises:

associating the at least the portion of the data with the DSN storage information of the at least the portion of the other data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the DSN storage information for the data further comprises:

creating a segment allocation table that includes data portioning information for the portions of the data and deterministic function representations of the portions of the data, wherein the portions of the data include the at least the portion of the data and the remaining portions of the data.

9. A dispersed storage (DS) module comprises:

a first module, when operable within a computing device, causes the computing device to;

generate preliminary dispersed storage network (DSN) storage information for data to be stored in a DSN;

a second module, when operable within the computing device, causes the computing device to;

access DSN storage information regarding other data stored in the DSN;

a third module, when operable within the computing device, causes the computing device to;

compare the preliminary DSN storage information for the data with the DSN storage information regarding the other data; and

a fourth module, when operable within the computing device, causes the computing device to, when at least a portion of the data has compatible preliminary DSN storage information with DSN storage information of at least a portion of the other data;

generate DSN storage information for remaining portions of the data to produce remaining portions DSN storage information; and

generate DSN storage information for the data based on the DSN storage information of the at least the portion of the other data and the remaining portions DSN storage information.

10. The DS module of claim 9 further comprises:

a fifth module, when operable within the computing device, causes the computing device to;

dispersed storage error encode the remaining portions of the data to produce dispersed storage error encoded data; and

store the dispersed storage error encoded data in accordance with the remaining portions DSN storage information.

11. The DS module of claim 9, wherein the second module is operable to access the DSN storage information of the other data by:

accessing one or more segment allocation tables for the other data, wherein a segment allocation table of the one or more segment allocation tables includes data portioning information for portions of the other data and deterministic function representations of the portions of the other data.

12. The DS module of claim 11, wherein the third module is further operable to compare by:

generating deterministic function representations of the data; and

comparing the deterministic function representations of the data with the deterministic function representations of the portions of the other data.

13. The DS module of claim 9, wherein the second module is further operable to access the DSN storage information of the other data by:

identifying a relationship between the data and the other data; and

accessing the DSN storage information of the other data based on the relationship.

14. The DS module of claim 9, wherein the first module is further operable to:

segment the data into a plurality of segments, wherein the at least the portion of the data includes one or more of the plurality of segments.

15. The DS module of claim 9, wherein the fourth module is further operable to generate the DSN storage information for the data by:

associating the at least the portion of the data with the DSN storage information of the at least the portion of the other data.

16. The DS module of claim 9, wherein the fourth module is further operable to generate the DSN storage information for the data by:

creating a segment allocation table that includes data portioning information for the portions of the data and deterministic function representations of the portions of the data, wherein the portions of the data include the at least the portion of the data and the remaining portions of the data.