Dynamic proximity based networked storage

• US 9,426,221 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2014
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Fleming, Mark S., McNeal, Steven E., Wei, Zhi Qiang, Windsor, Gregory C., Xu, Jin Yu, Zhu, Zhe Yi
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): Garcia-Ching, Karina J
• Application Number:
  US14/307,802
• Publication Number:
  US 20150373108A1
• Time in Patent Office: 797 Days
• Field of Search: 709/213
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1408 by using cryptography for digital transmission H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1052 Security improvement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/154 Networked environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/402 Encrypted data
• 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 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

A computer implemented method of storing data in at least one mobile node according to mobile node location may include identifying a first qualified mobile node and determining a first geographic position of the first qualified mobile node. The method may include determining a user geographic position of a user device, determining whether the first geographic position is within a first proximity relative to the user device, and causing storage of a first data portion in the first qualified mobile node in response to determining that the first geographic position is within the first proximity.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of storing data in at least one mobile node participating in a dynamic, proximity-based, local storage system, wherein the storage system comprises a plurality of participating mobile nodes, the method comprising:

identifying a first participating mobile node from the plurality of participating mobile nodes;

identifying a set of user-selected attributes for a user device, the set of user-selected attributes including remaining battery life, access parameters, type of memory, processing power, and available RAM;

determining the first participating mobile node has at least one user-selected attribute from the set of user-selected attributes;

identifying the first participating mobile node as a first qualified mobile node based on having the at least one user-selected attribute;

determining a first geographic position of the first qualified mobile node;

determining a user geographic position of the user device;

determining whether the first geographic position is within a first proximity relative to the user device;

causing storage of a first data portion associated with the user device in the first qualified mobile node in response to determining that the first geographic position of the first qualified mobile node is within the first proximity relative to the user device;

wherein the user device is a mobile device;

monitoring the user geographic position of the user device at a regular interval;

determining whether the user geographic position of the user device has changed subsequent to storage of the first data portion;

freeing a memory capacity storing the first data portion in the first qualified mobile node in response to determining that the first geographic position of the first qualified mobile node is outside of the first proximity; and

maintaining the first data portion stored in the first qualified mobile node in response to determining that the first geographic position is within a second proximity relative to the user device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that there are no qualified mobile nodes positioned within the first proximity;

determining whether the first geographic position of the first qualified mobile node is within a second proximity relative to the user device in response to determining that there are no qualified mobile nodes within the first proximity; and

causing storage of the first data portion in the first qualified mobile node in response to determining that the first geographic position is within the second proximity.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring the first geographic position of the first qualified mobile node at a regular interval;

determining whether the first geographic position of the first qualified mobile node has changed subsequent to storage of the first data portion; and

freeing a memory capacity storing the first data portion in the first qualified mobile node in response to determining that a first changed geographic position of the first qualified mobile node is outside of the first proximity.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

maintaining the first data portion stored in the first qualified mobile node in response to determining that the first changed geographic position is within a second proximity relative to the user device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a second qualified mobile node;

determining a second geographic position of the second qualified mobile node;

determining whether the second geographic position is within the first proximity; and

storing a second data portion of the data from the user device in the second qualified mobile node in response to determining that the second geographic position is within the first proximity.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data portion is encrypted and stored in at least the first qualified mobile node and in the user device according to a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) format.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, on a user interface of the user device, at least one attribute of the first qualified mobile node, the at least one attribute at least including geographic position of the first qualified mobile node and owner information for the first qualified mobile node.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving future location data for the first qualified mobile node, the future location data manually entered into a user interface; and

determining whether to migrate stored data portions associated with the participating mobile node based on the future location data.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

tracking access frequency of data portions from the user device, wherein the causing storage of the first data portion in the first qualified mobile node is further in response to determining that the first data portion is accessed more frequently than other data portions associated with the user device.

8. A system for storing data in at least one mobile node according to mobile node location, the system comprising:

a user device;

a plurality of participating mobile nodes; and

a server, coupled to the user device and the plurality of participating mobile nodes through a network, the server configured to;

identify a first participating mobile node from the plurality of participating mobile nodes;

identify a set of user-selected attributes, including remaining battery life, access parameters, type of memory, processing power, and available RAM;

determine whether a first participating mobile node has at least one user-selected attribute from the set of user-selected attributes;

identify the first participating mobile node as a first qualified mobile node based on having the at least one user-selected attribute;

determine a first geographic position of the first qualified mobile node;

determine a user geographic position of the user device;

determine whether the first geographic position is within a first proximity relative to the user device;

cause a first data portion associated with the user device to be stored in the first qualified mobile node in response to determining that the first geographic position of the first qualified mobile node is within the first proximity relative to the user device;

monitor the user geographic position of the user device at a regular interval;

determine whether the user geographic position of the user device has changed subsequent to storage of the first data portion;

free a memory capacity storing the first data portion in the first qualified mobile node in response to determining that the first geographic position of the first qualified mobile node is outside of the first proximity; and

maintain the first data portion stored in the first qualified mobile node in response to determining that the first geographic position is within a second proximity relative to the user device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the server is further configured to:

determine that there are no qualified mobile nodes positioned within the first proximity;

determine whether the first geographic position of the first qualified mobile node is within a second proximity relative to the user device in response to determining that there are no qualified mobile nodes within the first proximity; and

cause storage of the first data portion in the first qualified mobile node in response to determining that the first geographic position is within the second proximity.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the server is further configured to:

monitor the first geographic position of the first qualified mobile node at a regular interval;

determine whether the first geographic position of the first qualified mobile node has changed subsequent to storage of the first data portion; and

free a memory capacity storing the first data portion in the first qualified mobile node in response to determining that a first changed geographic position of the first qualified mobile node is outside of the first proximity.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the server is further configured to:

maintain the first data portion stored in the first qualified mobile node in response to determining that the first changed geographic position is within a second proximity relative to the user device.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the server is further configured to:

identify a second qualified mobile node;

determine a second geographic position of the second qualified mobile node;

determine whether the second geographic position is within the first proximity; and

store a second data portion of the data associated with the user device in the second qualified mobile node in response to determining that the second geographic position is within the first proximity.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the first data portion is encrypted and stored in at least the first qualified mobile node and in the user device according to a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) format.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the server being configured to identify a first qualified mobile node includes:

identifying a first mobile node;

determining whether the first mobile node has an accessible capacity sufficient to store the first data portion.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein the user device is configured to:

display, on a user interface of the user device, at least one attribute of the first qualified mobile node, the at least one attribute at least including geographic position of the first qualified mobile node and owner information for the first qualified mobile node.

16. A computer program product for storing data in at least one mobile node according to mobile node position, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium, wherein the computer readable storage medium is not a transitory signal per se, having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions readable by a processor circuit to cause the processor circuit to:

identify a first participating mobile node from a plurality of participating mobile nodes;

identify a set of user-selected attributes, including remaining battery life, access parameters, type of memory, processing power, and available RAM;

determine whether a first participating mobile node has at least one user-selected attribute from the set of user-selected attributes;

identify the first participating mobile node as a first qualified mobile node based on having the at least one user-selected attribute;

determine a first geographic position of the first qualified mobile node;

determine a user geographic position of the user device;

determine whether the first geographic position is within a first proximity relative to the user device;

cause a first data portion associated with the user device to be stored in the first qualified mobile node in response to determining that the first geographic position of the first qualified mobile node is within the first proximity relative to the user device;

monitor the user geographic position of the user device at a regular interval;

determine whether the user geographic position of the user device has changed subsequent to storage of the first data portion;

free a memory capacity storing the first data portion in the first qualified mobile node in response to determining that the first geographic position of the first qualified mobile node is outside of the first proximity; and

maintain the first data portion stored in the first qualified mobile node in response to determining that the first geographic position is within a second proximity relative to the user device.