Dispersed Storage Network Data Encoding for Security and Continuity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current data storage solutions, such as RAID systems, face challenges in providing effective and efficient data continuity, minimizing the impact of multiple memory element failures, and ensuring security, especially as the number of discs increases, leading to higher probabilities of failure and unauthorized access due to replicated data across multiple sites.
Innovation Solution
A dispersed storage network (DSN) approach that breaks data into error-coded slices, which are then distributed across multiple storage units, allowing for error correction and secure storage using forward error correction algorithms and sub-slicing, ensuring data integrity and security through unique slice names and universal addressing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data is replicated across multiple storage sites to ensure continuity, then data availability is improved, but security deteriorates due to increased risk of unauthorized access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments data into multiple slices that are distributed across different storage units. Each slice alone is insufficient to reconstruct the original data, providing both redundancy for continuity and security against unauthorized access. This is achieved by dividing data into segments and creating multiple slices from each segment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements nested encoding where data is first segmented, then each segment is sliced into multiple pieces. Additionally, error correction codes are embedded within the slices, creating multiple layers of protection. This nested structure allows for both data continuity and security by requiring multiple nested layers to be compromised simultaneously.
2Reliability
If the number of storage discs is increased to improve data continuity, then reliability is improved, but the probability of failures and security risks worsen
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of replicating entire data copies across multiple discs, the patent segments data into smaller units and distributes slices across storage units. This reduces the complexity management overhead and failure probability compared to full replication, while maintaining data continuity through distributed redundancy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of data distribution from full replication to sliced distribution with error correction. By transforming the storage approach from copying entire datasets to distributing mathematical slices with embedded error correction capabilities, the system achieves continuity with reduced complexity and failure risk.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If data is encrypted and sliced across multiple storage units, then security is improved, but data reconstruction complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies error correction encoding and slicing to data before storage, preparing the data structure in advance. This preliminary action embeds the necessary information for reconstruction within each slice, simplifying the recovery process. The decoding logic is pre-configured based on the encoding scheme used during data preparation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses error correction codes as an intermediary mechanism that facilitates secure storage and simplified reconstruction. These codes act as a mediator between the security requirements and reconstruction needs, enabling secure distributed storage while maintaining efficient recovery through predefined decoding algorithms.
Data Source
AI summary
A method begins by dividing a data segment into data segment portions. The method continues by encoding the data segment portions to produce a plurality of sets of encoded data segment portions. A data segment portion is encoded by, first, selecting an encoding equation and an encoding constant(s). The encoding continues by setting a first variable to the data segment portion. The encoding continues by setting a second variable to one of a set of pillar numbers. The encoding continues by executing the encoding equation using the encoding constant, the first variable, and the second variable to produce one of the plurality of sets of encoded data segment portions. The method continues by arranging the plurality of sets of encoded data segment portions into a plurality of encoded data slices. The method continues by sending the plurality of encoded data slices to distributed storage units of a distributed storage network.