Distributed Storage Provisioning with Error-Coded Slice Availability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing computer storage systems face issues with memory device failures, particularly in commercial-grade devices using physical movement, leading to data loss and security vulnerabilities, and redundant array of independent discs (RAID) solutions increase maintenance demands and security risks with multiple data copies.
Innovation Solution
A distributed storage network (DSN) system that distributes data across geographically diverse storage units using error coding and dispersal, ensuring data integrity and security through forward error correction and secure authentication, with a DS managing unit for parameter setting and network management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If RAID solutions are used to protect against data loss, then data reliability is improved, but maintenance demands and security risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments data into multiple slices and disperses them across different storage units in a distributed network. This segmentation approach provides data redundancy and reliability without requiring complex RAID configurations, as each slice can be independently stored and retrieved, reducing overall system maintenance complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a managing unit as an intermediary that coordinates data operations across the distributed storage network. This intermediary handles authentication, data placement, and retrieval logic, simplifying the complexity for end users while maintaining high data reliability through distributed storage.
2Reliability
If multiple data copies are stored for redundancy, then data reliability is improved, but security risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different security qualities to different data slices stored in the distributed network. Each slice can have its own access controls and authentication requirements, allowing fine-grained security management. This enables redundancy through multiple copies while maintaining security by controlling access to each slice individually based on local quality requirements.
3Reliability
If geographically diverse storage units are used, then data security is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The managing unit in the distributed storage network serves multiple functions: authentication, data slicing coordination, slice distribution across geographic locations, and retrieval management. This multi-functional intermediary handles the complexity of geographic distribution, allowing the system to achieve enhanced security through diverse storage locations without exposing that complexity to end users.
Data Source
AI summary
A method begins by determining storage performance for a set of storage resources of the storage network, where data is error encoded into pluralities of sets of encoded data slices in accordance with error encoding parameters, and, for a set of encoded data slices, the error encoding parameters include a decode threshold number and a pillar width threshold number. The method continues by determining a storage provisioning implementation for the set of storage resources based on the storage performance and a storage performance range threshold. The method continues by facilitating the storage provisioning implementation to produce an updated set of storage resources. The method continues by maintaining storage of the set of encoded data slices in accordance with the storage provisioning implementation, where the decode threshold number of encoded data slices of the set of encoded data slices remains available during the facilitating the storage provisioning implementation.