Dispersed Storage Network Data Slice Sub-Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional computer storage systems face challenges with data integrity and security due to the failure of memory devices, particularly those using physical movement technologies, which can lead to data loss and increased maintenance needs, and RAID systems suffer from security and efficiency issues as data is replicated across multiple discs.
Innovation Solution
A distributed storage system that employs error-coded data slices stored across multiple physically diverse locations, using a dispersed storage network with a processing unit to manage and retrieve data, ensuring data integrity and security through redundancy and error correction mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data is stored in a single memory device, then storage simplicity is maintained, but data reliability and security deteriorate due to device failure risks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides data into multiple slices and distributes them across different storage locations. Each slice is stored separately in different memory devices or locations, so that the failure of a single device does not result in complete data loss. This segmentation approach directly resolves the contradiction by improving reliability through distribution while managing complexity through systematic organization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates multiple copies of data slices and stores them in different locations. By replicating data across multiple storage units, the system ensures that even if one copy is lost or corrupted, other copies remain available for recovery. This copying mechanism improves reliability while the systematic management of copies keeps complexity可控.
2Reliability
If RAID systems replicate data across multiple discs, then data redundancy is improved, but security and efficiency deteriorate due to replication overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of data representation by using erasure coding to transform data into multiple slices with different properties. Instead of simple replication where each copy is identical, the system creates mathematically related slices where any k out of n slices can reconstruct the original data. This parameter change improves redundancy efficiency by reducing the overhead compared to traditional RAID replication.
3Quantity of substance
If memory devices using physical movement are used, then storage capacity is increased, but data integrity deteriorates due to mechanical failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements error correction codes and redundancy mechanisms in advance to cushion against potential mechanical failures. By encoding data with extra redundancy information before storage, the system can detect and correct errors that occur during storage or retrieval, preventing data integrity loss even when physical movement causes mechanical issues.
Data Source
AI summary
A method begins by storage units of a dispersed storage network (DSN) receiving a set of encoded data slices for storage. The method continues with a first storage unit determining whether to store a first encoded data slice as a first set of encoded data sub-slices. The method continues with the first storage unit encoding the first encoded data slice in accordance with a first dispersed storage error encoding function to produce the first set of encoded data sub-slices. The method continues by a second storage unit of the storage units determining whether to store a second encoded data slice as a second set of encoded data sub-slices. The method continues with the second storage unit encoding the second encoded data slice in accordance with a second dispersed storage error encoding function to produce the second set of encoded data sub-slices.