POLICY-BASED STORAGE IN A DISPERSED STORAGE NETWORK

• US 20160335202A1
• Filed: 07/28/2016
• Published: 11/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pure Storage, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Grube, Gary W., Resch, Jason K.
• Granted Patent: US 10,372,686 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/00 Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring error detection, correction or monitoring in information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B20/18; monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing G11B27/36; in static stores G11C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/08 Error detection or correction by redundancy in data representation, e.g. by using checking codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1084 Degraded mode, e.g. caused by single or multiple storage removals or disk failures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1827 Management specifically adapted to NAS management of storage area networks [SAN] G06F3/067
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• 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 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/1028 Distributed, i.e. distributed RAID systems with parity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1052 Security improvement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2151 Time stamp
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6467 Information loss recovery, e.g. error correction, prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• 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]

Abstract

A method for execution by a dispersed storage and task (DST) processing unit operates to receive a write threshold number of slices of a data object and an access policy; determine a current timestamp that indicates a current time value; and store the write threshold number of slices, the access policy, and the timestamp in a plurality of storage units of a dispersed storage network (DSN).

Claims

1. A method for execution by a dispersed storage and task (DST) processing unit that includes a processor, the method comprises:

receiving a write threshold number of slices of a data object and an access policy;

determining a current timestamp that indicates a current time value; and

storing the write threshold number of slices, the access policy, and the timestamp in a plurality of storage units of a dispersed storage network (DSN).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the write threshold number of slices are received from at least one of:

a user device, a DST processing unit, a storage integrity processing unit, a managing unit, or another DST execution unit.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the access policy is predetermined by the managing unit in association with the write threshold number of slices.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the access policy includes a time varying availability pattern of at least one of:

a DST storage unit, a pillar, or a vault.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the current time value is determined by a processing system clock.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the write threshold number of slices, the access policy, and the timestamp includes storing slice names associated with the write threshold number of slices, the access policy, and the timestamp with a local virtual DSN address to a physical location table record.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the physical location table record links the slice names, the access policy, and the timestamp to one another for subsequent retrieval.

8. A processing system of a dispersed storage and task (DST) processing unit comprises:

at least one processor;

a memory that stores operational instructions, that when executed by the at least one processor cause the processing system to;

receive a write threshold number of slices of a data object and an access policy;

determine a current timestamp that indicates a current time value; and

store the write threshold number of slices, the access policy, and the timestamp in a plurality of storage units of a dispersed storage network (DSN).

9. The processing system of claim 8, wherein the write threshold number of slices are received from at least one of:

a user device, a DST processing unit, a storage integrity processing unit, a managing unit, or another DST execution unit.

10. The processing system of claim 8, wherein the access policy is predetermined by the managing unit in association with the write threshold number of slices.

11. The processing system of claim 8, wherein the access policy includes a time varying availability pattern of at least one of:

a DST storage unit, a pillar, or a vault.

12. The processing system of claim 8, wherein the current time value is determined by a processing system clock.

13. The processing system of claim 8, wherein storing the write threshold number of slices, the access policy, and the timestamp includes storing slice names associated with the write threshold number of slices, the access policy, and the timestamp with a local virtual DSN address to a physical location table record.

14. The processing system of claim 13, wherein the physical location table record links the slice names, the access policy, and the timestamp to one another for subsequent retrieval.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprises:

at least one memory section that stores operational instructions that, when executed by a processing system of a dispersed storage network (DSN) that includes a processor and a memory, causes the processing system to;

receive a write threshold number of slices of a data object and an access policy;

determine a current timestamp that indicates a current time value; and

store the write threshold number of slices, the access policy, and the timestamp in a plurality of storage units of a dispersed storage network (DSN).

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the access policy is predetermined by the managing unit in association with the write threshold number of slices.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the access policy includes a time varying availability pattern of at least one of:

a DST storage unit, a pillar, or a vault.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the current time value is determined by a processing system clock.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein storing the write threshold number of slices, the access policy, and the timestamp includes storing slice names associated with the write threshold number of slices, the access policy, and the timestamp with a local virtual DSN address to a physical location table record.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the physical location table record links the slice names, the access policy, and the timestamp to one another for subsequent retrieval.