Abstract: A method for execution by a computing device of a storage network begins by receiving a write request for a data object, determining a plurality of data regions for the data object, determining storage identification information for each data region of the plurality of data regions and generating a storage table for the data object that includes information sufficient to identify each data region of the plurality of data regions. For a first data region of the plurality of data regions the method continues by dividing the first data region into a plurality of data segments, and dispersed error encoding the plurality of data segments to produce a plurality of sets of encoded data slices.

Abstract: A storage network operates by: receiving a encoded data slice for storage by the storage network, wherein the encoded data slice is associated with a vault; generating a encryption key corresponding to the encoded data slice based on a vault identifier associated with the vault; utilizing the encryption key to generate a encrypted data slice and that corresponds to, and is based on, the encoded data slice; storing the encrypted data slice in a storage unit of the storage network; receiving a request to retrieve the encoded data slice; retrieving the encrypted data slice corresponding to the encoded data slice from the storage unit of the storage network; generating a decryption key corresponding to the encoded data slice based on the vault identifier, wherein the decryption key is different from the encryption key; and regenerating the encoded data slice using the decryption key.

Abstract: Creating a modifiable cloned image of a dataset, including: generating, based on a dataset stored within a source data repository, a tracking copy of replica data on a target data repository; generating, after receiving an indication to begin accepting modifications to the tracking copy of the replica data, a cloned image of the dataset that is modifiable without modifying the tracking copy of the replica data; and responsive to a storage operation directed to the target data repository, modifying the cloned image of the dataset without modifying the tracking copy of the replica data.

Abstract: A method for proactively rebuilding user data in a plurality of storage nodes of a storage cluster in a single chassis is provided. The method includes distributing user data and metadata throughout the plurality of storage nodes such that the plurality of storage nodes can read the user data, using erasure coding, despite loss of two of the plurality of storage nodes. The method includes determining to rebuild the user data for one of the plurality of storage nodes in the absences of an error condition. The method includes rebuilding the user data for the one of the plurality of storage nodes. A plurality of storage nodes within a single chassis that can proactively rebuild the user data stored within the storage nodes is also provided.

Abstract: Clients that fail to access a resource may compute backoff times for waiting before retrying to access the resource. The clients may reference a sequence of time windows where the time windows may have increasing numbers of time slots. The clients may select respective time slots in a first time window. If the clients again fail to access the resource, then the time slots selected by the clients may at least partly determine which time slots the clients select in a next (second) time window. The time slot selections in the second time window may be at least partly randomly selected. A client may randomly select a time slot in the second time window from among a proper subset of time slots in the second time window. The proper subset may be based on which time slot the client selected in the first time window.

Abstract: Providing data management as-a-service, including: presenting one or more available data services to a user; receiving a selection of one or more selected data services; and applying, in dependence upon the one or more selected data services, one or more data services policies to a dataset associated with the user.

Abstract: A method for execution by a storage network processor starts by monitoring a plurality of storage network storage nodes to determine whether a storage node requires maintenance. The method continues by determining one or more maintenance tasks for the storage node and updating a status of the storage node to indicate that the storage node is in a maintenance mode. The method then continues by facilitating execution of the one or more maintenance tasks, capturing any resulting maintenance task results and determining whether a maintenance task of the one or more maintenance tasks has generated an exception. Finally, in response to a determination that a maintenance task has generated an exception, the method continues by transmitting a message indicating the exception to a storage network entity.

Abstract: A storage network operates by: obtaining audit records, wherein each of the audit records indicates: a timestamp for a corresponding message, at least one event type code selected from a plurality of event type codes for a corresponding audit event of the corresponding message, and an identifier for a corresponding system entity associated with at least one event corresponding to the at least one event code; aggregating a number of audit records over a period of time; generating an audit file to include the number of audit records and integrity information; and facilitating storage of the audit file by utilizing a name of the audit file.

Abstract: A method of managing host mappings for replication endpoints, the method including: identifying a target storage system replicating a source dataset of a source storage system, wherein a first host is mapped to the source dataset on the source storage system; providing, to the target storage system and in dependence upon a mapping of the first host to the source dataset, configuration information for connecting to a second host; and implementing, in response to a triggering event, a mapping of the second host to a replica dataset on the target storage system.

Abstract: A computing device includes an interface for communicating with a storage network and is configured to determine a performance level for each set of storage units of a plurality of sets storage units in the storage network, where the performance level includes a number of errors detected during a period of time T. The computing device is further configured to update performance information for the plurality of sets storage units to produce updated performance information for the plurality of sets storage units and determine which sets of storage units of the plurality of sets storage units meet a minimum performance level. The computing device is configured to receive a set of read requests for a set of encoded data slices stored on the plurality of sets storage units and transmit a threshold number of read requests of the set of read requests to a set of storage units that meet the minimum performance level.

Abstract: A storage system has zones in solid-state storage memory, with power loss protection. The system identifies portions of data for processes that utilize power loss protection. The system determines to activate or deactivate power loss protection for the portions of data for the processes. The system tracks activation and deactivation of power loss protection in zones in the solid-state storage memory, in accordance with the portions of data having power loss protection activated or deactivated.

Abstract: A method for execution by a processing system of a storage network includes: generating encoded data slices based on a dispersed error encoding of at least one data object; receiving an access policy associated with the at least one data object; determining a timestamp corresponding to a current time; and storing the encoded data slices, an indicator of the time stamp and an indicator of the access policy in a storage unit of the storage network.

Abstract: A method begins with a processing module of a distributed storage network (DSN), receiving a request to access a data object stored in the DSN and identifying a first data descriptor associated with the data object, identifying a second data descriptor associated with the data object, identifying a first data index key and a first index structure for the first data descriptor and identifying a second data index key and a second index structure for the second data descriptor. The method continues with the processing module accessing the first index structure for the first data descriptor , based on the first and second data index keys, to retrieve a first and second set of data identifiers, respectively and based on one or more data identifiers being common to the first set of data identifiers and the second set of data identifiers, creating a superset of data identifiers.

Abstract: A system, method, and product for flexible RAID layouts in a storage system, including: determining a reliability of an individual storage device of a plurality of storage devices, the individual storage device containing a plurality of portions of a Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) stripe in a storage system, wherein the RAID stripe includes user data and inter-device parity data; detecting a change in the reliability of the individual storage device that contains the portion corresponding to the RAID stripe; and changing an amount of intra-device protection corresponding to the RAID stripe by decreasing, in the RAID stripe, an amount of space used to store the inter-device protection data.

Abstract: Volume migration among a set of storage systems synchronously replicating a dataset for a volume, where volume migration includes: initiating a transfer of the volume in dependence upon determining that a performance metric for accessing the volume stored on a first storage system would improve if transferred to a second storage system; and during the transfer of the volume: determining status information for the transfer; intercepting an I/O operation directed to the volume; and directing, in dependence upon the status information, the I/O operation to either the first storage system or the second storage system.

Abstract: An indication is received from a storage device that an attempt to read a portion of data from a block of the storage device has failed. A command is transmitted to the storage device to perform a scan on data stored at the block comprising the portion of data to acquire failure information associated with a plurality of subsets of the data stored at the block. The failure information associated with the plurality of subsets of the data stored at the block is received from the storage device.

Abstract: A method includes writing sets of encoded data slices to storage units of a storage network in accordance with error encoding parameters, where for a set of encoded data slices, the error encoding parameters include an error coding number and a decode threshold number, the error coding number indicates a number of encoded data slices that results when a data segment is encoded using an error encoding function and the decode threshold number indicates a minimum number needed to recover the data segment. The method further includes monitoring processing of the writing the sets of encoded data slices to produce write processing performance information. When the write processing performance information compares unfavorably to a desired write performance range, the method further includes adjusting at least one of the error coding number and the decode threshold number to produce adjusted error encoding parameters for writing subsequent encoded data slices.

Abstract: A system including embedded storage devices is described. A method of system operation includes determining, by a processing device of a storage system controller operatively coupled via a network to embedded storage devices, that data is to be stored in a first storage portion of a first storage device of the embedded storage devices. The method also includes buffering the data in a second storage portion of a second embedded storage device of the embedded storage devices.

Abstract: An example method for dynamic determination of locks for prioritized deployment in a distributed storage system comprises providing, by a storage management system, N locks to a cluster of a distributed storage system, the cluster including a plurality of nodes and the N locks allowing N nodes of the plurality of nodes to each initiate a startup phase during a first time window, wherein N is a number greater than zero; tracking, by the storage management system, application programming interface (API) calls made by the N nodes to a platform of the cluster during the first time window; and providing, by the storage management system based on the tracking, M locks to the cluster, the M locks allowing M nodes of the plurality of nodes to each initiate a startup phase during a second time window subsequent to the first time window, wherein M is a number greater than zero.

Abstract: A storage system is provided. The storage system includes a first storage cluster, the first storage cluster having a first plurality of storage nodes coupled together and a second storage cluster, the second storage cluster having a second plurality of storage nodes coupled together. The system includes an interconnect coupling the first storage cluster and the second storage cluster and a first pathway coupling the interconnect to each storage cluster. The system includes a second pathway, the second pathway coupling at least one fabric module within a chassis to each blade within the chassis.