Cleversafe, Inc.

International Business Machines Corporation

Other

Matthew Michael England

S Christopher Gladwin

Zachary J Mark

Vance T Thornton

Manish Motwani

Jesse Louis Young

Jason K Resch

Dustin M Hendrickson

Sejal Kumarbhai Modi

Dhanvi Gopala Krishna Kapila Lakshmana Harsha

Dhavi Gopala Krishna Kapila Lakshmana Harsha

Joshua J Mullin

Vance T Thomton

A method includes obtaining a data object for storage. The method further includes generating a data object identifier for the data object. The method further includes determining a vault for storing the data object. The method further includes generating a source name for the data object based on the data object identifier and a vault identifier. The method further includes dispersed storage error encoding the data object to produce a plurality of sets of encoded data slices. The method further includes generating a plurality of sets of slice names, wherein each of the slice names of the plurality of slice names includes the source name. The method further includes sending, in accordance with the plurality of sets of slice names, the plurality of sets of encoded data slices to a set of storage units of the DSN that supports the vault for storage therein.

Command line interpreter for accessing a data object stored in a distributed storage network

A user device includes a DSN interface operably coupled with a DSN memory and a DS processing module for storing and retrieving a data object from the DSN memory, wherein the data object is partitioned into a plurality of data segments and wherein each of the plurality of data segments is stored in the DSN memory as a plurality of encoded data slices that are generated based on an error encoding dispersal function. The user device also includes a command line interpreter operable to interpret a file command as a request to display the data object by an application program, determine the data object is stored in the DSN memory and request the DSN processing module to retrieve the data object from the DSN memory and provide the data object to the application program.

An efficient method for breaking source data into smaller data subsets and storing those subsets along with coded information about some of the other data subsets on different storage nodes such that the original data can be recreated from a portion of those data subsets in an efficient manner.

System, methods, and apparatus for subdividing data for storage in a dispersed data storage grid

Systems, methods, and apparatus for subdividing data for storage in a dispersed data storage grid

An apparatus includes a processing module and a network interface. The processing module is operably coupled to: access user level metadata based on account identifier to identify a plurality of files associated with a user and retrieve user level metadata for the plurality of files; access file level metadata associated with the plurality of files to retrieve, for each of the plurality of files, file level metadata and determine, for each of the plurality of files, a plurality of file slices associated with a corresponding file of the plurality of files; and generate billing transaction information based on the user level metadata and the file level metadata of the plurality of files. The network interface is operably coupled to: convert the billing transaction information into a network billing transaction information message and transmit it.

Billing system for information dispersal system

An apparatus includes a processing module and a network interface. The processing module is operably coupled to obtain; a data storage transaction request regarding a file; determine identity of a user based on the data storage transaction request; access file level metadata based on the identity of the user to determine a plurality of file slices associated with the file; access file slice metadata to identify at least one of a plurality of storage nodes that stores or is to store, a data slice and coded subsets of at least one of the plurality of file slices; and generate a data storage transaction message to facilitate a data storage transaction regarding the at least one of the plurality of file slices. The network interface is operably coupled to convert the data storage transaction message into a network data storage message and transmit it.

Metadata management system for an information dispersed storage system

A digital data file storage system is disclosed in which original data files to be stored are dispersed using some form of information dispersal algorithm into a number of file 'slices' or subsets in such a manner that the data in each file share is less usable or less recognizable or completely unusable or completely unrecognizable by itself except when combined with some or all of the other file shares. These file shares are stored on separate digital data storage devices as a way of increasing privacy and security. As dispersed file shares are being transferred to or stored on a grid of distributed storage locations, various grid resources may become non-operational or may operate below at a less than optimal level. When dispersed file shares are being written to a dispersed storage grid which not available, the grid clients designates the dispersed data shares that could not be written at that time on a Rebuild List. In addition when grid resources already storing dispersed data become non-available, a process within the dispersed storage grid designates the dispersed data shares that need to be recreated on the Rebuild List. At other points in time a separate process reads the set of Rebuild Lists used to create the corresponding dispersed data and stores that data on available grid resources.

System for rebuilding dispersed data

A billing process is disclosed for a information dispersal system or digital data storage system. In one embodiment of the invention, the original data to be stored is separated into a number of data 'slices' or shares in such a manner that the data in each subset is less usable or less recognizable or completely unusable or completely unrecognizable by itself except when combined with some or all of the other data subsets. These data subsets are stored on separate digital data storage devices as a way of increasing privacy and security. As dispersed file shares are being stored or removed from a grid of distributed storage locations, a set of metadata tables are created, separate from the dispersed file share storage, to maintain information about the original data size of each block, file or set of file shares dispersed on the grid. The original data size information in these separate metadata tables is used to determine usage information based upon the original file size even though the file has been dispersed onto a storage grid that contains file slices who size may not relate to the original file size and the file slices may have been compressed by the system in order to reduce storage space or improve transmission time. As such, the billing process is able to enable a broad range of commercial billing options for billing for commercial data services on an information dispersal grid.

Described is an information dispersal system in which original data to be stored is separated into a number of data 'slices' in such a manner that the data in each subset is less usable or less recognizable or completely unusable or completely unrecognizable by itself except when combined with some or all of the other data subsets. These data subsets are stored on separate storage devices as a way of increasing privacy and security. A metadata management system stores and indexes user files across all of the storage nodes. The metadata management system stores metadata for dispersed data where: the dispersed data is in several pieces; and the metadata is in a separate dataspace from the dispersed data.

Growing community of inventors

Chicago, IL, United States of America

Matthew Michael England