Distributed autonomic backup
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsDavid Frederick Bantz, David Carroll Challener, John Peter Karidis
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Abstract
The disclosed methods provide a reliable and secure method of automatically backing up a client's data on a personal computer by using excess storage capacity on a set of one or more predetermined computers, without the need for dedicated servers, server disks, removable storage media, or intervention by a user to assist with the storage devices. The methods of the present invention permit a user, be it an individual or a large company, to inexpensively and securely back up information without the need to acquire additional expensive hardware.
Claims20
A secure method for automatically backing up information resident on a user computer using excess capacity on a set of predetermined computers, comprising the steps of:
- identifying a dataset from said information to be stored,
- compressing each identified dataset at a predetermined compression rate into a compressed dataset,
- encrypting each compressed dataset to create an encrypted dataset using an encryption means,
- segmenting each encrypted dataset into a predetermined number of encrypted dataset segments, and
- distributing each encrypted dataset segment to at least said set of predetermined computers.
A secure method for automatically backing up data of a user computer using excess capacity on a set of predetermined computers and thereafter selectively recovering said automatically backed up data from a subset of said set of predetermined computers, comprising the steps of:
- (a) identifying at least one dataset of information resident on a user computer to be stored,
- (b) compressing each identified dataset at a predetermined compression rate into a compressed dataset,
- (c) encrypting each compressed dataset to create an encrypted dataset,
- (d) segmenting each encrypted dataset into a predetermined number of encrypted dataset segments, and appending to each encrypted dataset segment one or more encrypted encryption keys for recovering said data,
- (e) distributing each encrypted dataset segment to said set of predetermined computers,
- (f) storing by a storing means each unique identifier relating the location of each distributed encrypted dataset segment, respectively,
- (g) recovering each stored unique identifier,
- (h) retrieving at least a predetermined number of encrypted dataset segments previously distributed,
- (j) combining the predetermined number of encrypted dataset segments recovered in step (j), and
- (k) decrypting said at least one dataset of information.
A computer usable medium embodying computer readable program code for causing a computer to identify user selected files of a computer system as preselected data back up preferences in an autonomic manner, identifying said data back up preferences in a file of said program code for execution a predetermined time, executing said program at said predetermined time, creating at least one dataset of information to be stored, compressing each identified dataset at a predetermined compression rate into a compressed dataset, encrypting each compressed dataset to create an encrypted dataset, segmenting each encrypted dataset into a predetermined number of encrypted dataset segments, distributing each encrypted dataset segment to said set of predetermined computers, storing by a storing means each unique identifier relating the location of each distributed encrypted dataset segment, respectively, recovering each stored unique identifier, retrieving at least a predetermined number of encrypted dataset segments previously distributed, combining the predetermined number of encrypted dataset segments recovered in step, decrypting said at least one dataset of information, and presenting said information to a user.
An autonomic computing system comprising a user computer having a data storage medium, a computer-usable medium embodying computer-readable program code, and a set of computers in communication with said user computer at a predetermined time, wherein said program code, on execution, provides for:
- said user computer to identify user selected files of a computer system as preselected data back up preferences in an autonomic manner, identifying said data back up preferences in a file of said program code for execution a predetermined time, executing said program at said predetermined time, creating at least one dataset of information to be stored, compressing each identified dataset at a predetermined compression rate into a compressed dataset, encrypting each compressed dataset to create an encrypted dataset, segmenting each encrypted dataset into a predetermined number of encrypted dataset segments, distributing each encrypted dataset segment to said set of predetermined computers, storing by a storing means each unique identifier relating the location of each distributed encrypted dataset segment, respectively, recovering each stored unique identifier, retrieving at least a predetermined number of encrypted dataset segments previously distributed, combining the predetermined number of encrypted dataset segments recovered in step, decrypting said at least one dataset of information, and presenting said information to a user.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.