Secure deletion operations in a wide area network

A system of performing a secure delete operation in a wide area network (WAN) comprising:

• a computer processor;
• a cache site;
• a home site;
• and
• a network server providing communication between the cache site and the home site, the network server:
• during a disconnection event of the cache site and the home site, identifying and receiving a request to perform a secure deletion of a file at the cache site;
• determining whether the file has a copy stored at the home site;
• detecting a location of the copy at the home site prior to a disconnection event of the cache site from the home site;
• securely deleting the file from the cache site during the disconnection event by performing defined write patterns for each block of the file;
• in response to the secure deletion of the file not being complete during the disconnection event, indicating on a table a remote inode number assigned to the copy associated with the file at the home site, a name under which the copy is saved, and a list of data chunk tuples specifying selected data of the copy to undergo secure deletion;
• and
• identifying the file for secure deletion by identifying the selected data in the file for secure deletion on the cache site;
• wherein:
• the step of detecting the location includes detecting a location of the selected data in the file at the home site prior to the disconnection event, and
• the list of data chunk tuples includes a start offset and an end offset for each data chunk tuple.

A computer program product for performing a secure delete operation in a wide area network (WAN) including a cache site and a home site, the computer program product having non-transitory computer-readable program code portions stored therein adapted for:

• during a disconnection event of the cache site and the home site, identifying and receiving a request to perform a secure deletion of a file at the cache site;
• determining whether the file has a copy stored at the home site;
• detecting a location of the copy at the home site prior to a disconnection event of the cache site from the home site;
• securely deleting the file from the cache site during the disconnection event by performing defined write patterns for each block of the file;
• in response to the secure deletion of the file not being complete during the disconnection event, indicating on a table a remote inode number assigned to the copy associated with the file at the home site, a name under which the copy is saved, and a list of data chunk tuples specifying selected data of the copy to undergo secure deletion;
• and
• identifying the file for secure deletion by identifying the selected data in the file for secure deletion on the cache site;
• wherein:
• the step of detecting the location includes detecting a location of the selected data in the file at the home site prior to the disconnection event, and
• the list of data chunk tuples includes a start offset and an end offset for each data chunk tuple.