Patent ID: 9166893
Filing Date: 2015-10-20
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method of monitoring data set locations within a network service, comprising: receiving from a client device a data set at a network service element at which the data set is to be stored, the element including a hardware storage device to store the data set, the element operatively coupled to a communications link; generating at the element a location record based on the data set and a cryptographic key associated with the element in response, the location record uniquely identifying a presence of the data set at the element; and sending the location record from the element to a location registry maintained at a different hardware device than the element and to the client device, via the communications link, wherein the element is one of a plurality of network service elements that participate in an on-demand data storage service to store data received from a plurality of client devices including the client device, the elements storing the data in a distributed manner in which data is migrated among the elements and in an opaque manner in which the client devices are unaware of and do not control which of the elements store the data, wherein the location registry provides a location auditing capability by which the client devices, ascertain when and which of the elements have stored given data, using a plurality of location records including the location record that track the data as the data is stored at and migrated among the elements.