METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR USING PRE-EXISTING CONNECTIONS IN A DISPERSED STORAGE NETWORK
A method begins with a processing module identifying set of distributed storage (DS) units to process an access request. The method continues with the processing module determining that there is a pre-existing connection between the processing module and the set of DS units and when there is a pre-existing connection determining whether to use the pre-existing connection based on factors associated with the pre-existing connection. The method continues with the processing module transmitting a user identification (ID) and one or more user authentication credentials to the DS unit and processing the access request without creating a new connection.
1 . A method for execution by one or more processing modules of one or more computing devices of a dispersed storage network (DSN), the method comprises:
receiving an access request;
identifying a set of distributed storage (DS) units of a plurality of sets of DS units to process the access request;
determining whether the one or more processing modules and the set of distributed storage (DS) units have a pre-existing connection, wherein a pre-existing connection corresponds to the one or more processing modules and the set of distributed storage (DS) units having successfully exchanged authentication credentials prior to receiving the access request;
based on a favorable determination that the one or more processing modules and the set of distributed storage (DS) units have a pre-existing connection, determining whether to use the pre-existing connection, wherein the determining whether to use the pre-existing connection is based on factors associated with the pre-existing connection; and
based on a favorable determination to use the pre-existing connection, transmitting a user identification (ID) and one or more user authentication credentials to the DS unit, wherein the user ID and the one or more user authentication credentials are associated with the access request; and
processing the access request;
based on an unfavorable determination that one or more processing modules and the set of distributed storage (DS) units have the pre-existing connection, determining security requirements corresponding to the access request;
based on the security requirements corresponding to the access request, establishing a new connection with the DS unit; and
processing the access request.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the access request is directed to least one of storing encoded data slices (EDSs), retrieving EDSs, deleting EDSs and listing EDSs.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the access request includes at least one of a user ID, authentication credentials associated with a user, a security indicator and a priority indicator.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of distributed storage (DS) units includes all the DS units storing encoded data slices (EDSs) of a data segment.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the identifying a set of distributed storage (DS) units of a plurality of sets of DS units to process the access request is based on at least one of comparing attributes of the access request to entries in a physical location table, a predetermination, a command, a list, a user identification (ID), a type of access request, authentication credentials, one or more security indicators, one or more performance indicators and a priority indicator.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining whether the one or more processing modules and the set of distributed storage (DS) units have a pre-existing connection is based on at least one of referring to a list of pre-existing connections, a predetermination, a command, as list, a user identification (ID), a type of access request and a query.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the successfully exchanged authentication credentials include at least one of one or more cipher algorithms and keys.
8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
adding the new connection to a list, wherein the list is accessible by the one or more processing modules of the one or more computing devices of a DSN.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the processing the access request includes sending an access request response to a user device associated with the access request, wherein the access request response confirms access to a DSN memory over the pre-existing connection.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the access of the DSN memory over the pre-existing connection is for at least one of storing user data, retrieving user data, deleting user data and sending user data to the user device.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the factors associated with the pre-existing connection include at least one of a comparison of the pre-existing connection to a lookup table of pre-existing connections, a measurement of utilization for the pre-existing connection, an estimate of capacity for the pre-existing connection, an estimate of a load on the pre-existing connection for a user associated with the access request, a predetermination, a command, a list, a user identification (ID), a type of access request, an indication of expected security, an indication of expected performance, an indication of priority and a query.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the determining whether to use the pre-existing connection is further based on a comparison of the estimate of capacity for the connection to the sum of estimate of a load on the connection for a user associated with the access request and the measurement of utilization for the pre-existing connection.
13 . The method of claim 1 further comprises:
determining whether the one or more processing modules and the set of distributed storage (DS) units have another pre-existing connection;
based on a favorable determination that the one or more processing modules and the set of distributed storage (DS) units have another pre-existing connection, determining whether to use the pre-existing connection or the another pre-existing connection based on at least one of a comparison of the pre-existing connection and the another pre-existing connection in a lookup table of pre-existing connections, a measurement of utilization for the pre-existing connection and the another pre-existing connection, an estimate of capacity for the pre-existing connection and the another pre-existing connection, an estimate of a load on the pre-existing connection and the another pre-existing connection for a user associated with the access request, a predetermination, a command, a list, a user identification (ID), a type of access request, an indication of expected security, an indication of expected performance, an indication of priority and a query.
14 . A dispersed storage (DS) processing unit for use in a dispersed storage network (DSN) comprises:
a first module, when operable within a computing device, that causes the computing device to:
receive an access request;
a second module, when operable within the computing device, that causes the computing device to:
identify a set of DS units of a plurality of sets of DS units to process the access request;
determine whether the DS) processing unit and the set of distributed storage (DS) units have a pre-existing connection, wherein a pre-existing connection corresponds to the one or more processing modules and the set of distributed storage (DS) units having successfully exchanged authentication credentials prior to receiving the access request;
based on a favorable determination that the one or more processing modules and the set of distributed storage (DS) units have a pre-existing connection, determine whether to use the pre-existing connection, wherein the determining whether to use the pre-existing connection is based on factors associated with the pre-existing connection;
a third module, when operable within a computing device, that causes the computing device to:
based on a favorable determination to use the pre-existing connection, transmit a user identification (ID) and one or more user authentication credentials to the DS unit, wherein the user ID and the one or more user authentication credentials are associated with the access request; and
process the access request.
15 . The DS processing unit of claim 14 , wherein the access request is directed to at least one of storing encoded data slices (EDSs), retrieving EDSs, deleting EDSs and listing EDSs.
16 . The DS processing unit of claim 14 , wherein the access request includes at least one of a user ID, authentication credentials associated with a user, a security indicator and a priority indicator.
17 . The DS processing unit of claim 14 , further comprising:
a fourth module, when operable within the computing device, that causes the computing device to:
based on an unfavorable determination that one or more processing modules and the set of distributed storage (DS) units have the pre-existing connection, determine security requirements corresponding to the access request;
based on the security requirements corresponding to the access request, establish a new connection with the DS unit; and <process the access request.
18 . The DS processing unit of claim 17 , further comprising:
a fourth module, when operable within the computing device, that causes the computing device to:
adding the new connection to a list, wherein the list is accessible by the one or more processing modules of the one or more computing devices of a DSN.
19 . The DS processing unit of claim 14 , wherein the successfully exchanged authentication credentials include at least one of one or more cipher algorithms and keys.
20 . The DS processing unit of claim 14 , further comprising:
the third module, when operable within a computing device, further causes the computing device to:
process the access request by sending an access request response to a user device associated with the access request, wherein the access request response confirms access to a DSN memory over the pre-existing connection.