REDIRECTION OF I/O REQUESTS TO DISPERSED STORAGE

1 . A computing device comprising:

a computing core including a distributed storage processing module;

a network interface coupled to the computing core, and configured to communicate with a distributed storage network (DSN) memory;

the computing core configured to:

generate an access request associated with a storage device, the access request identifying particular information;

redirect the access request from the storage device to the distributed storage processing module;

dispersed storage error process the particular information using the distributed storage processing module; and

the network interface configured to transmit a result of the dispersed storage error process in accordance with the access request.

2 . The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the access request includes a write request, and in response to the write request, the computing core is further configured to:

dispersed error encode the particular information to generate encoded data slices; and

transmit the encoded data slices to the DSN memory.

3 . The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the access request includes a read request, and in response to the read request, the computing core is further configured to:

obtain encoded data slices from the DSN memory; and

dispersed error decode the encoded data slices to obtain the particular information.

4 . The computing device of claim 1 , wherein:

generating the access request includes executing a data application employing a data level protocol; and

the access request identifying particular data.

5 . The computing device of claim 1 , wherein:

generating the access request includes executing a file application employing a file level protocol; and

the access request identifying particular a particular file.

6 . The computing device of claim 1 , wherein:

generating the access request includes executing a block application employing a block level protocol; and

the access request identifying particular a block of information.

7 . The computing device of claim 1 , wherein redirecting the access request includes:

executing a device driver configured to redirect the access request from a specified storage drive to a vault included in a dispersed storage network.

8 . A method comprising:

generating, at a computing device including a processor and associated memory, an access request associated with a storage device, the access request identifying particular information;

redirecting the access request from the storage device to a distributed storage processing module, the distributed storage processing module included in the computing device;

the distributed storage processing module configured to dispersed storage error process the particular information; and

communicate a result of the dispersed storage error process in accordance with access request.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the access request includes a write request, and dispersed storage error processing includes:

in response to the write request:

dispersed error encoding the particular information to generate encoded data slices; and

transmitting the encoded data slices to a distributed storage network memory.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the access request includes a read request, and dispersed storage error processing includes:

in response to a read request:

obtaining encoded data slices from a distributed storage network memory; and

dispersed error decoding the encoded data slices to obtain the particular information.

11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein:

generating the access request includes executing a data application employing a data level protocol; and

the access request identifying particular data.

12 . The method of claim 8 , wherein:

generating the access request includes executing a file application employing a file level protocol; and

the access request identifying particular a particular file.

13 . The method of claim 8 , wherein:

generating the access request includes executing a block application employing a block level protocol; and

the access request identifying particular a block of information.

14 . The method of claim 8 , wherein redirecting the access request includes:

executing a device driver configured to redirect the access request from a specified storage drive to a vault on a dispersed storage network.

15 . A computing device comprising:

a computing core including a distributed storage processing module;

a network interface coupled to the computing core, and configured to communicate with a distributed storage network (DSN) memory;

the computing core configured to:

execute an application, the application configured to generate a write request associated with a storage device, the write request identifying particular information to be stored in the storage device;

redirect the write request from the storage device to the distributed storage processing module;

dispersed error encode the particular information to generate encoded data slices using the distributed storage processing module; and

the network interface configured to transmit transmitting the encoded data slices to the DSN memory.

16 . The computing device of claim 15 , wherein:

the application is further configured to generate a read request associated with the storage device, the read request identifying particular information to be read from the storage device;

the computing core is further configured to redirect the read request from the storage device to the distributed storage processing module;

in response to a read request:

the network interface is further configured to obtain encoded data slices from the DSN memory; and

the computing core is further configured to dispersed error decode the encoded data slices using the distributed storage processing module.

17 . The computing device of claim 15 , wherein:

the application employs a data level protocol; and

the computing core is further configured to transfer data from the application to the distributed storage processing module via an object layer.

18 . The computing device of claim 15 , wherein:

the application employs a file level protocol; and

the computing core is further configured to transfer a particular file from the application to the distributed storage processing module via an object layer.

19 . The computing device of claim 15 , wherein:

the application employs a block level protocol; and

the computing core is further configured to transfer a block of information from the application to the distributed storage processing module via a block layer.

20 . The computing device of claim 15 , wherein:

the computing core is configured to redirect the write request from the storage device to a particular vault included in the DSN.