Method and system for enabling recovery of data stored in a computer network; a method and a system for recovering data stored in a computer network

• US 20050022046A1
• Filed: 07/11/2003
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Agency For Science Technology and Research
• Original Assignee: Agency For Science Technology and Research
• Inventors: Cheng, Heng Seng, Yuan, Zheng, Ngoh, Lek Heng
• Granted Patent: US 7,234,079 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2007 using redundant communication media
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0041 Arrangements at the transmitter end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0045 Arrangements at the receiver end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0072 Error control for data other than payload data, e.g. control data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0095 Ring

Abstract

A method for enabling recovery of data stored in a computer network, the computer network comprises a plurality of computer nodes, the method comprising the steps of generating a set of redundancy data based on a predetermined relationship between a first set of data and a second set of data, injecting the first set of data, the second set of data and the set of redundancy data into separate looping paths of the computer network, wherein a looping path is a path along a plurality of computer nodes in which data is transported, and the looping paths are defined in separate communication channels between the computer nodes and pass through at least one common node of the computer network, such that the redundancy data and the second set of data can be used to reconstruct the first set of data based on the predetermined relationship between the first and second set of data when the first set of data is lost, thereby enabling the recovery of data stored in the computer network.

Claims

1. A method for enabling recovery of data stored in a computer network, the computer network comprises a plurality of computer nodes, the method comprising the steps of

generating a set of redundancy data based on a predetermined relationship between a first set of data and a second set of data;

injecting the first set of data, the second set of data and the set of redundancy data into separate looping paths of the computer network,

wherein a looping path is a path along a plurality of computer nodes in which data is transported, and the looping paths are defined in separate communication channels between the computer nodes and pass through at least one common node of the computer network, such that the redundancy data and the second set of data can be used to reconstruct the first set of data based on the predetermined relationship between the first and second set of data when the first set of data is lost, thereby enabling the recovery of data stored in the computer network.

2. The method for enabling recovery of data stored in a computer network according to claim 1, wherein the set of redundancy data is generated using a Forward Error Correction technique.

3. The method for enabling recovery of data stored in a computer network according to claim 2, wherein the set of redundancy data is generated based on an Exclusive-OR relationship between the first set of data and the second set of data.

4. The method for enabling recovery of data stored in a computer network according to claim 1, further comprising the step of adding an identity field having a predefined value to each of the first set of data, the second set of data and the set of redundancy data, wherein the predefined value of the identity field of the first set of data, the second set of data and the set of redundancy data corresponds with one another.

5. The method for enabling recovery of data stored in a computer network according to claim 4, further comprising the steps for storing a new first set of data:

receiving the new first set of data to be stored in the computer network;

adding an identity field having a predefined value to the new first set of data, wherein the predefined value of the new first set of data is the same as the predefined value of the identity field of the first set of data;

reading the second set of data from the respective looping path of the computer network, wherein the predefined value of the identity field of the second set of data corresponds to the predefined value of the identify field of the first set of data;

generating a new set of redundancy data based on a predetermined relationship between the new first set of data and the second set of data,

injecting the new first set of data together with its corresponding identity field into the looping path of the first set of data, wherein the new first set of data replaces the first set of data, and

injecting the new set of redundancy data into the looping path of the set of redundancy data, wherein the new set of redundancy data replaces the set of redundancy data which has the predefined value of the identity field corresponding with the predefined value of the identity field of the first set of data.

6. The method for enabling recovery of data stored in a computer network according to claim 4, wherein the predefined values of the identity field of the first set of data, the second set of data and the set of redundancy data are set to the same value.

7. The method for enabling recovery of data stored in a computer network according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of

fragmenting a payload of a data packet to be stored in the computer network into at least a first sub-packet and a second sub-packet;

and

adding a data packet header of the data packet to both the first sub-packet and the second sub-packet to form the first set of data and the second set of data, respectively.

8. The method for enabling recovery of data stored in a computer network according to claim 7, further comprising the step of adding an identity field having a predefined value to each of the first sub-packet, the second sub-packet and the set of redundancy data, wherein the predefined value of the identity field of the first set of data, the second set of data and the set of redundancy data correspond with one another.

9. A method for recovering data stored in a computer network, the computer network comprises a plurality of nodes, the method comprising the steps of

reconstructing a first set of data from a second set of data and a set of redundancy data stored in separate looping paths of the computer network when the first set of data is lost, wherein the set of redundancy data is generated based on a predetermined relationship between the first set of data and the second set of data, and

injecting the reconstructed first set of data into the looping path of the first set of data to be stored therein, thereby recovering the first set of data stored in the computer network.

10. The method for recovering data in a computer network according to claim 9, wherein the set of redundancy data is generated based on an Exclusive-OR relationship between the first set of data and the second set of data.

11. The method for recovering data in a computer network according to claim 10, wherein the first set of data is reconstructed based on an Exclusive-OR relationship between the second set of data and the set of redundancy data.

12. The method for recovering data in a computer network according to claim 9, further comprising the step of

reading the second set of data and the set of redundancy data from the respective looping paths of the computer network,

wherein the second set of data and the set of redundancy data each have an identity field having a value which corresponds to a predefined value of an identity field of the first set of data.

13. The method for recovering data in a computer network according to claim 9, further comprising the step of

reading the second set of data and the set of redundancy data from the respective looping paths of the computer network,

wherein the first set of data, the second set of data and the set of redundancy data have identical data packet headers,

wherein the second set of data and the set of redundancy data each have an identity field having a value which corresponds to a predefined value of-an identity field of the first set of data.

14. A data recovery system for data stored in a computer network, the computer network comprises a plurality of computer nodes, the data recovery system comprises:

a processing unit at at least one node for generating a set of redundancy data based on a predetermined relationship between a first set of data and a second set of data;

a read and write unit for injecting the first set of data, the second set of data and the set of redundancy data into separate looping paths of the computer network,

wherein a looping path is a path along a plurality of computer nodes in which data is transported, and the looping paths are defined in separate communication channels between the computer nodes and pass through at least one common node of the computer network.

15. The data recovery system for data stored in a computer network according to claim 14, wherein the communication channels connecting the computer nodes are optical fiber cables.

16. The data recovery system for data stored in a computer network according to claim 15, the system further comprises at least an optical switch for switching a pair of optical fiber cables.

17. The data recovery system for data stored in a computer network according to claim 16, wherein the system comprises at least three pairs of optical fibers connecting the nodes of the computer network.

18. A data recovery system for data stored in a computer network, the computer network comprises a plurality of computer nodes, the data recovery system comprises:

a processing unit at at least one node for reconstructing a first set of data from a second set of data and a set of redundancy data stored in separate looping paths of the computer network when the first set of data is lost, wherein the set of redundancy data is generated based on a predetermined relationship between the first set of data and the second set of data, and

a read and write unit for injecting the reconstructed first set of data into the looping path of the first set of data to be stored therein to recover the first set of data stored in the computer network,

wherein a looping path is a path along a plurality of computer nodes in which data is transported, and the looping paths are defined in separate communication channels between the computer nodes and pass through at least one common node of the computer network.

19. The data recovery system for data stored in a computer network according to claim 18, wherein the communication channels between the computer nodes are optical fiber cables.

20. The data recovery system for data stored in a computer network according to claim 19, the system further comprises at least an optical switch for switching a pair of optical fiber cables.

21. The data recovery system for data stored in a computer network according to claim 20, wherein the system comprises at least three pairs of optical fibers connecting the nodes of the computer network.