Storage of data with verification in a dispersed storage network

• US 9,665,429 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2015
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pure Storage, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Resch, Jason K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chase, Shelly A
• Application Number:
  US14/589,639
• Publication Number:
  US 20150242273A1
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1076 Parity data used in redundant arrays of independent storages, e.g. in RAID systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1092 Rebuilding, e.g. when physically replacing a failing disk
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/1028 Distributed, i.e. distributed RAID systems with parity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/254 Distributed memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0644 Management of space entities, e.g. partitions, extents, pools
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0659 Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0661 Format or protocol conversion arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/1515 Reed-Solomon codes
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/616 Matrix operations, especially for generator matrices or check matrices, e.g. column or row permutations
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 7/6011 Encoder aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/30 Compression, e.g. Merkle-Damgard construction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/34 Encoding or coding, e.g. Huffman coding or error correction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/608 Watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 : Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 : Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 : Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/085 : Secret sharing or secret splitting, e.g. threshold schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0894 : Escrow, recovery or storing of secret information, e.g. secret key escrow or cryptographic key storage

Abstract

A method begins by a computing device sending a set of redundant dispersed storage error encoding write requests regarding a data object to a set of dispersed storage (DS) processing modules. The method continues with the set of DS processing modules dispersed storage error encoding the data object to produce a group of pluralities of sets of encoded data slices. The method continues with a set of storage units temporarily storing the group of pluralities of sets of encoded data slices. The method continues with the set of storage units permanently storing encoded data slices of the group of pluralities of sets of encoded data slices based on successful execution of a storage verification process to produce a plurality of sets of encoded data slices.

Claims

1. A method comprises:

sending, by a computing device, a first write request of a set of redundant dispersed storage error encoding write requests regarding a data object to a first dispersed storage (DS) processing module, wherein the first write request includes the data object, a data object identifier, and encoding parameters;

sending, by the computing device, a second write request of the set of redundant dispersed storage error encoding write requests to a second DS processing module, wherein the second write request includes the data object, the data object identifier, and the encoding parameters;

dispersed storage error encoding, by the first DS processing module, the data object in accordance with the encoding parameters to produce a first plurality of sets of encoded data slices;

dispersed storage error encoding, by the second DS processing module, the data object in accordance with the encoding parameters to produce a second plurality of sets of encoded data slices, wherein, when the first and second DS processing modules each dispersed storage error encodes the data object in accordance with the encoding parameters with negligible error, the first plurality of sets of encoded data slices substantially match the second plurality of sets of encoded data slices;

temporarily storing, by a set of storage units, the first and second plurality of sets of encoded data slices; and

permanently storing, by the set of storage units, encoded data slices of the first or the second plurality of sets of encoded data slices based on successful execution of a storage verification process to produce a plurality of sets of encoded data slices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the encoding parameters comprises one or more of:

an encryption seed;

a non-deterministic function seed value;

a dispersed storage error encoding function;

a secret sharing function;

an all or nothing transformation (AONT);

an integrity check function;

a compression function; and

an encryption function.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

generating, by the computing device, the first and second write requests to include a redundancy dispersed storage error encoding flag;

generating, by the first DS processing module, a first plurality of sets of storage requests regarding the first plurality of sets of encoded data slices, wherein at least some of the first plurality of sets of storage requests include the redundancy dispersed storage error encoding flag;

generating, by the second DS processing module, a second plurality of sets of storage requests regarding the second plurality of sets of encoded data slices, wherein at least some of the second plurality of sets of storage requests include the redundancy dispersed storage error encoding flag; and

interpreting, by the set of storage units, the redundancy dispersed storage error encoding flag to associate the first and second plurality of sets of encoded data slices and to trigger execution of the storage verification process.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

sending, by the computing device, the first write request of the set of redundant dispersed storage error encoding write requests regarding the data object via an internal bus structure of the computing device to a processing module of the computing device functioning as the first DS processing module; and

sending, by the computing device, the second write request of the set of redundant dispersed storage error encoding write requests to the second DS processing module via a network connection.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the dispersed storage error encoding by the first DS processing module comprises:

using the encoding parameters to produce first stage encoded data; and

performing a dispersed storage error encoding function on the first stage encoded data to produce the first plurality of sets of encoded data slices.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the storage verification process comprises:

sending, by the set of storage units, first write responses to the first DS processing module indicating a level of successful temporary storage of the first plurality of encoded data slices;

sending, by the set of storage units, second write responses to the second DS processing module indicating a level of successful temporary storage of the second plurality of encoded data slices;

when the level of successful temporary storage of the first plurality of encoded data slices is above a threshold, sending, by the first DS processing module, first commit requests to the set of storage units regarding the first plurality of sets of encoded data slices;

when the level of successful temporary storage of the second plurality of encoded data slices is above the threshold, sending, by the second DS processing module, second commit requests to the set of storage units regarding the second plurality of sets of encoded data slices; and

processing, by the set of storage units, the first and second commit requests to select an encoded data slice for each data slice position of the plurality of sets of encoded data slices from the corresponding data slice position of the first and second plurality of sets of encoded data slices.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

sending, by the computing device, a third write request of the set of redundant dispersed storage error encoding write requests to a third DS processing module, wherein the third write request includes the data object, the data object identifier, and the encoding parameters;

dispersed storage error encoding, by the third DS processing module, the data object in accordance with the encoding parameters to produce a third plurality of sets of encoded data slices, wherein, when the first, second, and third DS processing modules each dispersed storage error encodes the data object in accordance with the encoding parameters with negligible error, the first, second, and third plurality of sets of encoded data slices substantially match each other;

temporarily storing, by the set of storage units, the first, second, third plurality of sets of encoded data slices; and

permanently storing, by the set of storage units, encoded data slices of the first, the second, or the third plurality of sets of encoded data slices based on successful execution of the storage verification process to produce the plurality of sets of encoded data slices.

8. A computer readable memory 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;

send a first write request of a set of redundant dispersed storage error encoding write requests regarding a data object to a first dispersed storage (DS) processing module, wherein the first write request includes the data object, a data object identifier, and encoding parameters;

send a second write request of the set of redundant dispersed storage error encoding write requests to a second DS processing module, wherein the second write request includes the data object, the data object identifier, and the encoding parameters;

dispersed storage error encode the data object in accordance with the encoding parameters to produce a first plurality of sets of encoded data slices;

dispersed storage error encode the data object in accordance with the encoding parameters to produce a second plurality of sets of encoded data slices, wherein, when the first and second DS processing modules each dispersed storage error encodes the data object in accordance with the encoding parameters with negligible error, the first plurality of sets of encoded data slices substantially match the second plurality of sets of encoded data slices;

temporarily store the first and second plurality of sets of encoded data slices in a set of storage units; and

permanently store encoded data slices of the first or the second plurality of sets of encoded data slices in the set of storage units, where the storing is based on successful execution of a storage verification process to produce a plurality of sets of encoded data slices.

9. The computer readable memory of claim 8, wherein the encoding parameters comprises one or more of:

an encryption seed;

a non-deterministic function seed value;

a dispersed storage error encoding function;

a secret sharing function;

an all or nothing transformation (AONT);

an integrity check function;

a compression function; and

an encryption function.

10. The computer readable memory of claim 8 further comprises:

the at least one memory section stores further operational instructions that, when executed by the one or more processing modules, causes the one or more computing devices of the DSN to;

generate the first and second write requests to include a redundancy dispersed storage error encoding flag;

generate a first plurality of sets of storage requests regarding the first plurality of sets of encoded data slices, wherein at least some of the first plurality of sets of storage requests include the redundancy dispersed storage error encoding flag;

generate a second plurality of sets of storage requests regarding the second plurality of sets of encoded data slices, wherein at least some of the second plurality of sets of storage requests include the redundancy dispersed storage error encoding flag; and

interpret the redundancy dispersed storage error encoding flag to associate the first and second plurality of sets of encoded data slices and to trigger execution of the storage verification process.

11. The computer readable memory of claim 8 further comprises:

the at least one memory section stores further operational instructions that, when executed by the one or more processing modules, causes the one or more computing devices of the DSN to;

send the first write request of the set of redundant dispersed storage error encoding write requests regarding the data object via an internal bus structure of a first computing device of the plurality of computing devices to a processing module of the first computing device functioning as the first DS processing module; and

send the second write request of the set of redundant dispersed storage error encoding write requests to the second DS processing module via a network connection.

12. The computer readable memory of claim 8, wherein the one or more processing modules functions to execute the operational instructions stored by the at least one memory section to cause the one or more computing devices of the DSN to dispersed storage error encode the data object by:

using the encoding parameters to produce first stage encoded data; and

performing a dispersed storage error encoding function on the first stage encoded data to produce the first plurality of sets of encoded data slices.

13. The computer readable memory of claim 8, wherein the one or more processing modules functions to execute the operational instructions stored by the at least one memory section to cause the one or more computing devices of the DSN to execute the storage verification process by:

sending first write responses to the first DS processing module indicating a level of successful temporary storage of the first plurality of encoded data slices;

sending second write responses to the second DS processing module indicating a level of successful temporary storage of the second plurality of encoded data slices;

when the level of successful temporary storage of the first plurality of encoded data slices is above a threshold, sending first commit requests to the set of storage units regarding the first plurality of sets of encoded data slices;

when the level of successful temporary storage of the second plurality of encoded data slices is above the threshold, sending second commit requests to the set of storage units regarding the second plurality of sets of encoded data slices; and

processing the first and second commit requests to select an encoded data slice for each data slice position of the plurality of sets of encoded data slices from the corresponding data slice position of the first and second plurality of sets of encoded data slices.

14. The computer readable memory of claim 8 further comprises:

the at least one memory section stores further operational instructions that, when executed by the one or more processing modules, causes the one or more computing devices of the DSN to;

send a third write request of the set of redundant dispersed storage error encoding write requests to a third DS processing module, wherein the third write request includes the data object, the data object identifier, and the encoding parameters;

dispersed storage error encode the data object in accordance with the encoding parameters to produce a third plurality of sets of encoded data slices, wherein, when the first, second, and third DS processing modules each dispersed storage error encodes the data object in accordance with the encoding parameters with negligible error, the first, second, and third plurality of sets of encoded data slices substantially match each other;

temporarily store the first, second, third plurality of sets of encoded data slices in the set of storage units; and

permanently store encoded data slices of the first, the second, or the third plurality of sets of encoded data slices in the set of storage units, where the storing is based on successful execution of the storage verification process to produce the plurality of sets of encoded data slices.