Random linear coding approach to distributed data storage

A computer-implemented method in which a computer system performs operations for retrieving a file comprising:

• collecting code vectors from at least one peer;
• viewing collected code vectors as a matrix, wherein said viewing collected code vectors as a matrix comprises viewing said collected code vectors as a kr x m matrix of Fq wherein k is the number of pieces stored at a peer, r is the number of peers and Fq is a matrix having vectors of size s in a field of size q;
• determining whether a dimension of the matrix is equal to a predefined number, and when the dimension of the matrix does not equal the predefined number then repeating said collecting, said viewing and said determining;
• and
• when the dimension of the matrix equals the predefined number, then recovering said file using the collection of code vectors in the matrix.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable code thereon for providing a random linear coding approach to distributed data storage, the medium including instructions in which a computer system performs operations comprising:

• instructions for breaking a file into a plurality of pieces;
• instructions for determining a number of peers to use to store pieces of the file;
• instructions for determining a random combination of particular pieces of said plurality of pieces to store at a peer of the number of peers in the network;
• instructions for calculating an associated code vector for said random combination of particular pieces;
• and
• instructions for storing a respective random combination of pieces and the associated code vector at each peer of said number of peers wherein said determining a random combination of particular pieces of said plurality of pieces to store at a peer is done in accordance with the formula:
• f
• i
• =
• ∑
• j
• =
• 1
• m
• ⁢
• β
• i
• ⁢
• c
• i
• wherein f is an element within a peer, m is the number of pieces the file is broken into, β is an element of a finite field of vectors, and c is a particular piece of the file.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable code thereon for retrieving a file previously stored using a random linear coding approach to distributed data storage, the medium including instructions in which a computer system performs operations comprising:

• instructions for collecting code vectors from at least one peer;
• instructions for viewing collected code vectors as a matrix, wherein said viewing collected code vectors as a matrix comprises viewing said collected code vectors as a kr x m matrix of Fq wherein k is the number of pieces stored at a peer, r is the number of peers and Fq is a matrix having vectors of size s in a field of size q;
• instructions for determining whether a dimension of the matrix is equal to a predefined number, and instructions for when the dimension of the matrix does not equal the predefined number then repeating said collecting, said viewing and said determining;
• and
• instructions for when the dimension of the matrix equals the predefined number, then recovering said file using the collection of code vectors in the matrix.