Abstract: A method begins by a processing sending access requests to a threshold number of storage units of a dispersed storage network (DSN) and receiving, from each of at least some of the threshold number of storage units, an access response or an error response. When one error response is received from a storage unit of the at least some of the threshold number of storage units in response to one of the access requests, the method continues with the processing module ascertaining a likely cause for an error corresponding to the error response. The method continues with the processing module determining, based on the likely cause for the error, whether to resend the one of the access requests to the storage unit, issue a modified access request to the storage unit, or send the one of the access requests to another storage unit.

Abstract: A method begins by a dispersed storage (DS) processing module of a DS unit selecting a data slice for corruption analysis and requesting integrity information for the data slice from one or more other DS units of a dispersed storage network. When the one or more requested integrity information is received, the method continues with the DS processing module analyzing the one or more received integrity information and local integrity information of the data slice stored in the DS unit. When the analysis of the one or more received integrity information and the local integrity information of the data slice is unfavorable, the method continues with the DS processing module identifying the data slice as being corrupted.

Abstract: A method begins by a distributed storage (DS) managing unit receiving an encryption key to store. The method continues by determining an encryption method and encrypting the encryption key with the determined encryption method to produce an encrypted key. The method continues by encoding and slicing the encrypted key to produce a set of data slices; and storing the set of data slices in DSN memory. A method to retrieve the stored encryption key begins with receiving a retrieve encryption key request from a requester and continues with retrieving an encrypted key and then determining a decryption method. The method continues by decrypting the encrypted key with the determined decryption method to produce the encryption key and sending the encryption key to the requestor to decrypt one or more portions of the encrypted data.

Abstract: A method for updating content data for user devices begins where a processing module encodes updated content to produce sets of encoded updated content data slices. The method continues with the processing module storing the sets of encoded updated content data slices in storage units and updating an entry in a directory. The method continues with the processing module receiving, from a user device, a read request for the content data and accessing the updated entry. The method continues with the user device receiving a decode threshold number of encoded data slices for each set of encoded updated content data slices and encoded unaltered content data slices. The method continues with the user device decoding each decode threshold number of encoded data slices and the encoded unaltered content data slices to recover the updated content data.

Abstract: A method for securely publishing an access control list begins with a DS managing unit generating an authentic and time-stamped access control list from the access control list, wherein the access control list provides a list of authorized accesses to the DSN. The method continues with the DS managing unit sending the authentic and time-stamped access control list to a publisher unit. The method continues with the publishing unit sending the authentic and time-stamped access control list to a plurality of DS units.

Abstract: A method begins where a processing module segments data into data segments. On a data segment by data segment basis, the method continues with the processing module performing a decode threshold level of dispersed storage error encoding on a data segment to produce a set of decode threshold level encoded data slices and caching the set of decode threshold level encoded data slices. On a set by set basis, the method continues with the processing module performing a redundancy level of dispersed storage error encoding on the set of decode threshold level encoded data slices to produce a set of redundancy error coded data slices. The method continues with the processing module outputting at least one of at least some of a plurality of sets of decode threshold level encoded data slices and at least a corresponding some of a plurality of sets of redundancy error coded data slices.

Abstract: A method begins by a computing device determining that data is stored in dispersed storage network (DSN) memory and sending a data retrieval request to a DSN access token module regarding the data. The method continues with the DSN access token module generating a plurality of sets of data slice read requests and sending the plurality of sets of data slices read requests to the computing device. The method continues with, for a set of data slices read requests, the computing device sending the set of data slices read requests to the DSN memory, receiving data slices from the DSN memory, and sending the data slices to the DSN access token module. The method continues with the DSN access token module decoding the data slices to produce a decoded data segment and sending the decoded data segment to the computing device.

Abstract: A method for storing data begins with determining, by a computing device, where to store the data and continues with managing, by a dispersed storage network (DSN) access token module, a pairing between the DSN access token module and the computing device. The method continues with sending, by the computing device, at least a portion of the data to the DSN access token module and encoding, by the DSN access token module, the at least a portion of the data using a dispersed storage error encoding function to produce one or more sets of encoded data slices. The method continues with sending, by the DSN access token module, the one or more sets of encoded data slices and storage information to the computing device and sending, by the computing device, the one or more sets of encoded data slices to the DSN memory for storage therein.

Abstract: A method begins by a processing module receiving a data segment for dispersed storage. The method continues with the processing module encoding the data segment in accordance with an error coding dispersed storage function to produce a plurality of error coded data slices. The method continues with the processing module generating a slice name for an error coded data slice of the plurality of error coded data slices, wherein the slice name includes a dispersed storage routing information section and a data identification section. The method continues with the processing module performing a securing function on at least the data identification section to produce a secure data identification section. The method continues with the processing module replacing, within the slice name, the data identification section with the secure data identification section to produce a secure slice name.

Abstract: A method begins by a first processing module generating a dispersed storage network (DSN) authentication request frame that includes authenticating data and an authenticating code, wherein the authenticating code references a valid authenticating process. The method continues with the first processing module transmitting the DSN authentication request frame to a second processing module. The method continues with the second processing module determining whether the second processing module includes the valid authentication process referenced by the authentication code. When the second processing module includes the valid authentication process, processing, by the second processing module, the authenticating data in accordance with the valid authentication process to produce processed authenticating data.

Abstract: A method begins with a computing device dividing data into data partitions. For a data partition of the data partitions, the method continues with the computing device associating indexing information with the data partition. The method continues with the computing device segmenting the data partition into a plurality of data segments. The method continues with the computing device dispersed storage error encoding the plurality of data segments to produce a plurality of sets of encoded data slices. The method continues with the computing device grouping encoded data slices of the plurality of sets of encoded data slices to produce a set of groupings of encoded data slices.

Abstract: A method begins by a processing module receiving a certificate chain and determining whether at least one of one or more signed certificates of the chain has a valid signature. When the at least one of the one or more signed certificates has a valid signature, the method continues with the processing module identifying one or more certificate authorities (CA) to produce identified CAs, accessing registry information that includes one or more realm identifiers (IDs) and a plurality of trusted CA IDs, determining whether one or more of the identified CAs is a trusted CA, and when the one or more of the identified CAs is a trusted CA, indicating that the certificate chain is valid, identifying a realm ID based on a trusted CA ID, and generating certificate chain validation information to include the realm ID, trusted CAs, and the indication of the validity of the certificate chain.

Abstract: A method begins by a processing module receiving a data retrieval request to retrieve data stored as a plurality of sets of encoded data slices in a dispersed storage network memory. The method continues with the processing module determining an access sequence for retrieving the plurality of sets of encoded data slices in accordance with the access sequence, entering a loop to produce recovered decoded data that includes sending a slice retrieval message for a set of encoded data slices of the plurality of sets of encoded data slices, receiving at least a decode threshold number of encoded data slices of the set to produce received encoded data slices, dispersed storage error decoding the received encoded data slices to produce the recovered decoded data, and exiting the loop when a set of encoded data slices is not requested in accordance with a system maintained access sequence.

Abstract: A method begins by processing module in response to a read command, issuing at least a read threshold number of read requests regarding a set of encoded data slices and receiving at least the read threshold number of encoded data slices. The method continues where the processing module selects a unique combination of encoded data slices and decodes the unique combination to produce a recovered data segment. The method continues where the processing module verifies an integrity value for the recovered data segment and indicates whether the unique combination is valid. The method continues where the processing module selects other combinations producing more recovered data segments for further validity verification. The method continues where the processing module utilizes a verified recovered data segment as a response to the read command and identifies a compromised encoded data slice.

Abstract: In a dispersed storage network, data objects are dispersed storage error encoded into pluralities of sets of encoded data slices that are stored in a set of storage units. To recover a data object, a read threshold number of encoded data slices from each set of encoded data slices of a corresponding set of the plurality of sets of encoded data slices are required. Upon determining that an update is available for the set of storage units, a dispersed storage managing unit takes a first subset of storage units off line to perform the update. During the update, a remaining number of storage units of the set of storage units remain on line such that at least the read threshold number of encoded data slices are available for each set of the pluralities of sets of encoded data slices.

Abstract: A method begins by a processing module dispersed storage error encoding data to produce a plurality of sets of encoded data slices in accordance with dispersed storage error coding parameters. The method continues with the processing module determining a plurality of sets of slice names corresponding to the plurality of sets of encoded data slices. The method continues with the processing module determining integrity information for the plurality of sets of slice names and sending the plurality of sets of encoded data slices, the plurality of sets of slice names, and the integrity information to a dispersed storage network memory for storage therein.

Abstract: A method for execution by a DS storage unit begins with the DS storage unit receiving an encoded slice of a plurality of encoded slices, wherein the plurality of encoded slices was generated from a data segment using an error encoding function. The method continues with the DS storage unit determining whether the encoded slice is to be sub-sliced using a sub-slicing encoding function. The method continues with the DS storage unit generating a plurality of encoded sub-slices from the encoded slices using the encoded sub-slicing encoding function when the encoded slice is to be sub-sliced. The method continues with the DS storage unit outputting the plurality of encoded sub-slices to a plurality of DS storage units.

Abstract: A method begins by a processing module generating a payload section of a dispersed storage network (DSN) frame regarding a read request operation by generating one or more slice name fields of the payload section to include one or more slice names corresponding to one or more encoded data slices and generating a transaction number field of the payload section to include a transaction number corresponding to the read request operation. The method continues with the processing module generating a protocol header of the DSN frame by generating a payload length field of the protocol header to include a payload length that represents a length of the payload section and generating remaining fields of the protocol header.

Abstract: A dispersed storage (DS) unit for use within a dispersed storage network is capable of self-configuring using registry information provided to the DS unit. The registry information includes a slice name assignment indicating a range of slice names corresponding to a plurality of potential data slices of potential data objects to be stored in the DS unit. Based on the registry information, the DS unit allocates a portion of physical memory to store the potential data slices.

Abstract: A method begins by a router receiving data for storage and interpreting the data to determine whether the data is to be forwarded or error encoded. The method continues with the router obtaining a routing table when the data is to be error encoded. Next, the method continues with the router selecting a routing option from the plurality of routing options and determining error coding dispersal storage function parameters based on the routing option. Next, the method continues with the router encoding the data based on the error coding dispersal storage function parameters to produce a plurality of sets of encoded data slices. Next, the method continues with the router outputting at least some of the encoded data slices of a set of the plurality of sets of encoded data slices to an entry point of the routing option.