Internal Storage In Cloud Disk To Support Encrypted Hard Drive And Other Stateful Features
AssigneeGoogle Inc.
InventorsJoseph Richey, Michael Halcrow, Sergey Karamov
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Abstract
A cloud implementation of a persisted storage device, such as a disk, is provided. The implementation supports a variety of features and protocols, in full analogy with a physical storage device such as a disk drive. The present disclosure provides for implementing standard eDrive protocols in the cloud by designing internal disk storage, referred to as a “system area,” in a virtual disk instance that the virtual disk can potentially utilize for a multitude of disk features. This internal storage can be used to implement eDrive protocols, which use the system area to maintain the necessary internal virtual disk state.
Claims26
A method for supporting encrypted hard drives in memory, the method comprising:
- instantiating, with a virtual machine, a virtual disk instance that supports encrypted hard drive protocols;
- and
- creating an internal disk storage area in the virtual disk, the internal disk storage area being exposed to a controller of the virtual disk, wherein the internal disk storage area is used to implement the encrypted hard drive protocols, and the encrypted hard drive protocols use the internal disk storage area to maintain an internal disk state;
- wherein the internal disk storage area is implemented as a dedicated block backend, wherein the dedicated block backend includes a first backend and a second backend;
- and
- generating encryption keys such that the encryption is inaccessible to a host associated with the virtual disk, wherein the encryption keys are stored in the encrypted hard drives, and
- wherein a first encryption key is used to encrypt the virtual disk and a second encryption key is used to unlock the virtual disk.
A virtual disk instantiated by a virtual machine, comprising:
- a storage device associated with the virtual disk;
- and
- wherein the virtual disk comprises:
- a virtual disk backend including the virtual disk and an internal disk storage area;
- a system area backend providing an interface to the internal disk storage area and an interface to the virtual disk, and
- a secure block backend stacked above the system area backend, the secure block backend providing encrypted hard drive protocol support, the secure block backend using the internal disk storage area to maintain an internal disk state;
- wherein the internal disk storage area is implemented as a dedicated block backend, wherein the dedicated block backend includes one or more in-memory band states comprising a first backend and a second backend;
- and
- wherein the internal disk storage area has encryption keys generated such that the encryption is inaccessible to a host associated with the virtual disk, wherein the encryption keys are stored in encrypted hard drives, and wherein a first encryption key is used to encrypt the virtual disk and a second encryption key is used to unlock the virtual disk.
A system for supporting encrypted hard drives in memory, the system comprising:
- a host device capable of supporting one or more virtual machines within a network computing architecture, the one or more virtual machines adapted to:
- instantiate, on a storage device, a virtual disk instance that supports encrypted hard drive protocols;
- create an internal disk storage area in the virtual disk, the internal disk storage area being exposed to a controller of the virtual disk, wherein the internal disk storage area is used to implement the encrypted hard drive protocols, and the encrypted hard drive protocols use the internal disk storage area to maintain an internal disk state, and the internal disk storage area is implemented as a dedicated block backend, wherein the dedicated block backend includes a first backend and a second backend;
- and
- generate encryption keys such that the encryption is inaccessible to a host associated with the virtual disk, wherein the encryption keys are stored in the encrypted hard drives, and
- wherein a first encryption key is used to encrypt the virtual disk and a second encryption key is used to unlock the virtual disk.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.