JP2005209086A - Information management system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To safely manage stored information in response to an illicit access or physical theft without increasing a user's labor or management cost. <P>SOLUTION: This information management system comprises an information management server 1 connected to a plurality of information storage hosts 2 through a network 3, in which a division means 12 owned by the information management server 1 divides information to fragments at the time of storing the information, and the information storage hosts 2 store the fragments received from the information server 1 in storage means 33. When information is read by the division means 12, a delivery means 13, a collection means 14, and a connecting means 16 owned by the information management server 1, the stored fragments are collected from the respective information storage host 2 every preset fixed time and redistributed, whereby the fragment storage hosts are periodically changed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an information management system including a plurality of hosts connected via a network.

In recent years, with the development of computer and network technologies, it is common to store information on a computer and to browse or change the information via a network. Information that identifies individuals, companies, and important and highly confidential information related to individuals is often accumulated on computers. It has become a problem that unauthorized persons illegally access, browse and use information.
With regard to the exchange of information via a network, appropriate access management techniques such as communication encryption and access authentication methods are used. There are many techniques for preventing unauthorized use such as encrypting stored information so that the contents cannot be seen even if the data is accessed.
However, even if encryption is performed, the encryption key is illegally used, and even if the security of the network is ensured, the computer in which the data is stored is accessed directly, or the computer and the storage device itself are physically The stored data may be illegally retrieved due to theft.
Another problem is the loss of information due to computer and network failures and intentional attacks. For example, if a storage device in which information is recorded due to an attack, accident, or failure is partially or completely damaged, or if the information is erased, it becomes difficult to retrieve the information. In order to cope with the damage and erasure of information, it is necessary to take a countermeasure in advance such as regularly backing up or making a redundant hard disk configuration, and the information management cost increases.
As a technique for addressing these problems and enhancing the safety of information stored in a computer, there is a technique of dividing and storing information. For example, the technique described in Patent Document 1 encodes information into n pieces of distributed information, saves it in a storage medium, and restores it to the original information when it is retrieved. Information can be managed by preventing attacks and fraud.
The technique described in Patent Document 2 divides encrypted information into a plurality of fragments and stores them in random physical locations on the storage medium, and at the same time further encrypts the used algorithm and the table of physical storage locations. Even if the storage device is analyzed, decryption can be prevented.
JP 2002-135247 A JP 2003-143131 A

The technology described above cannot be used to decipher the divided information if it is leaked, and is effective in detecting unauthorized tampering, but the disk itself is stolen. If this happens, or if the information on the disk is illegally erased or a failure occurs, the information cannot be restored.
In light of the above problems, the first object of the present invention is to safely manage stored information in response to unauthorized access and physical theft without increasing user effort and management costs. And A second object is to prevent information from being lost even if a computer or network failure or damage occurs at the same time.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 is an information management system in which an information management server and a plurality of information storage hosts are connected via a network. The information management server divides information into fragments when information is stored. Dividing means for storing, storage means for storing fragments received from the information management server in the information storage host, and saving from each information storage host at predetermined time intervals when information is read by the information management server And re-distributing means for collecting and re-distributing the fragments, and changing means for periodically changing the fragment storage host.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the information management system according to the first aspect, the information management server includes a distribution unit, and the distribution unit includes an information management system that transmits one fragment to a plurality of information storage hosts. Main features.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the information management system according to the first aspect, the information management server includes an encryption unit, encrypts the information to be stored, divides the information into fragments, and stores the information in the information storage host. Is the main feature.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the information management system according to the first aspect, the information management server has an encryption unit, and after dividing the stored information into fragments, each fragment is encrypted and stored in the information storage host. An information management system is the main feature.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the information management system according to the first aspect, the information management server has a file reconstructing unit, and the file reconstructing unit reconstructs the file every time the storage destination host is changed, and the dividing unit The main feature is an information management system that re-divides fragments and transmits them to each information storage host to store the fragments.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the information management system according to the fifth aspect, the information management server has a fragment information table, and the file reconstruction unit collects fragments stored from the information storage host based on the information in this table. The main feature is an information management system that reconstructs files.
The invention according to claim 7 is the information management system according to claim 5, wherein the file restructuring means transmits an information collection request to all the information storage hosts and stores the fragments that have received the information collection request. Transmits an information holding response, and the file restructuring unit collects fragments stored from the information storage host based on this response, and has an information management system that reconstructs a file as a main feature.
The invention according to claim 8 is the information management system according to claim 1, wherein each information storage host that stores a fragment does not collect a fragment even when the information management server exceeds the time to change the storage host. An information management system that transmits an information holding message to the information management server is a main feature.
The invention according to claim 9 is characterized in that, in the information management system according to claim 1, the dividing means includes an information management system that includes the meta information of the entire information in the information main body and fragments it.

  According to the present invention, an information management server and a plurality of information storage hosts are connected via a network, and when the information is stored, the dividing means of the information management server divides the information into fragments, and the information storage host stores the fragments received from the information management server The information management system that stores information in the information management server, the reading means possessed by the information management server collects fragments stored from each information storage host at predetermined time intervals, redistributes them, and periodically Since the storage host is changed, the intended purpose can be achieved.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an information management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. This information management system includes one information management server 1 and a plurality of information storage hosts 2, each of which is connected by a network 3. The network 3 is also connected to clients outside the system.
The information management server 1 includes the following units, receives information from the client, and manages it.
The input unit 11 receives information from a client that uses the system. The dividing unit 12 divides the received information into fragments. The distribution unit 13 distributes the fragments at random and transmits them to each information storage host 2. The collection unit 14 collects fragments sent from the information storage host 2.
The inspection unit 15 inspects the fragment contents. The combining means 16 combines the fragments to restore the original information. The output means 17 transmits information to the client that requested the information. The encryption / decryption means 18 encrypts and decrypts information. The table management unit 19 manages fragment information distributed to the information storage host 2 and stores the transmission destination information storage host 2 for each fragment in the fragment information table 24.
For example, when the information management server 1 does not have the fragment information table 24, the inquiry unit 20 requests the connected information storage host 2 when receiving an information request from a client using a system connected to the network 3. The information is inquired as to whether or not the information has a fragment, and information for inquiring whether or not the fragment is held is transmitted to the information storage host 2. The information request unit 21 requests the information storage host 2 storing the fragment to transmit the fragment contents. The receiving unit 22 receives a response from the information storage host 2. The period measuring unit 23 measures an elapsed time after the information is stored in the information storage host 2.
The information storage host 2 includes the following means, stores the fragment information transmitted from the information management server 1, retrieves it in response to a request, and transmits it to the information management server 2.
The accepting unit 31 receives the fragment information sent from the information management server 1. The storage unit 32 stores the received fragment in the storage unit 33. The storage means 33 stores fragment information and is composed of a magnetic disk or the like.
The reading unit 34 reads the fragment recorded in the storage unit 33. The transmission unit 35 transmits the fragment to the information management server 1. The response unit 36 transmits a response indicating whether or not the fragment is held in response to the inquiry from the inquiry unit 20 of the information management server 1. The period measuring unit 37 measures an elapsed time after the information is stored in the information storage host 2.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram when the information management system of the present invention is used in a company. The information handled is confidential information in the company or personal information of the customer. The information management server 1 becomes a server machine, and the information storage host 2 may be a data storage dedicated machine 2-1 or may be a function of a normal client machine 2-2. In the case of the client machine 2-2, a part of the storage area of the machine is used for the present system, and the area cannot be directly accessed by the user of the client machine 2-2.
FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram illustrating a case where the information management system of the present invention is applied to a home network. In this system, personal information and the like are stored and used by household devices and systems such as household electrical appliances (referred to as home appliances) having an HDD or the like. In the home network, the information management server 1 is carried by the home server 1-1, and the information storage host 2 is a home appliance or network device having a storage device connected by the network (refrigerator 2-3, microwave oven 2-4, washing machine 2). -5, HDD recorder 2-6, etc.).
When each home appliance uses the stored information, the information is taken out via the home server 1-1. By saving personal information such as phone book, address book, address, phone number, credit card number, etc., you can save time and effort for input, and even if some devices break down or are replaced Information can be retained and information management can be performed with high safety.

The operation at the time of information accumulation and information acquisition will be described below.
(1) Operation during Information Storage FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation during information storage.
(Step 1) When an information storage request is received from a client using a system connected via the network 3, the information stored in the input means 11 is received.
(Step 2) The dividing means 12 divides the information into fragments of an arbitrary size and number. Each fragment includes an information ID and a fragment ID. In the division, the number of fragments and the size of one fragment are determined in accordance with the number of connected information storage hosts 2 and preset fragment division conditions (size condition, number condition).
The setting items for fragment division and distribution conditions are as shown in FIG. As for the conditions of the number of fragments and the fragment capacity, only one of the number of fragments and the fragment capacity is set or a priority condition is determined in advance. At this time, the information shown in FIG. 5 may be included in a part of the fragment.
(Step 3) The encryption / decryption means 18 encrypts the divided fragments. The encryption / decryption means may have a plurality of encryption algorithms, and the encryption algorithm may be changed for each fragment. This step 3 may be performed before information division.
(Step 4) The distribution means 13 transmits the divided fragments to an arbitrary information storage host 2. At this time, the same fragment is transmitted to a plurality of information storage hosts 2 in accordance with preset duplication conditions. The number of fragments transmitted to one information storage host 2 is an arbitrary number from 0, and the upper limit of the number may be set.
An example of the division and distribution of information is as shown in FIG. In FIG. 6, the information is divided into eight fragments and distributed to nine information storage hosts 2. Each fragment is distributed to three information storage hosts 2.
(Step 5) When the information management server 1 has the table management means 19, the table management means 19 stores the transmission destination information storage host 2 in the fragment information table 24 for each transmitted fragment. When the transmission is performed as shown in FIG. 6, the fragment information table 24 is as shown in FIG. 7. In this table, the transmission destination information storage hosts 2 for fragment 1 are A, B, and E.
(Step 6) The accepting means 31 of the information storage host 2 receives the fragment transmitted from the information management server 1.
(Step 7) The storage means 32 stores the received fragment in the storage means 33.
(Step 8) The storage means 33 stores the fragment in an arbitrary location and simultaneously records the position and information of the stored fragment.
The fragment position information recorded in the information storage host A is as shown in FIG.

(2) Operation at the time of information acquisition FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an operation at the time of information acquisition. The operation for retrieving information stored in the information management system is as follows.
(Step 10) It is determined whether or not the information management server 1 has the fragment information table 24 for extracting information.
(Step 10-1) When the information management server 1 does not have the fragment information table 24, when the information management server 1 receives an information request from a client using a system connected by the network 3, the information management server 1 is connected by the inquiry means 20. A request is sent to all the information storage hosts 2 to inquire whether or not the requested information fragment exists.
(Step 10-2) When the information storage host 2 having received the inquiry request has a fragment of the inquiry information in the storage means 33, it returns the fragment information by the reply means 36.
(Step 11) If there is a fragment information table, the table management means 19 reads the table relating to the requested information and passes the information storage host information of the fragment storage destination to the information request means 21.
(Step 12) The information request unit 21 of the information management server 1 transmits an information request to the information storage host 2 storing the fragment.
(Step 13) The information storage host 2 reads the fragment information from the storage means 33 by the reading means 34.
(Step 14) The read information is transmitted to the information management server 1 by the transmission means 35.
(Step 15) In the information management server 1, the collection means 14 collects the fragments sent from each information storage host 2.
(Step 16) When a plurality of the same fragments are returned, the inspection means 15 inspects whether the contents are falsified or missing.
(Step 17) The inspected fragments are combined by the combining means 16 to return to the original information.
(Step 18) The encryption / decryption means 18 decrypts the encrypted information. If it is encrypted after being divided into fragments, it is decrypted before combining. After decryption, information related to fragment division is extracted from the fragment and stored as necessary (effective when information on the information management server is damaged).
(Step 19) The output means 17 transmits information to the client who has requested the information.

(3) Operation during Information Redistribution FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation during information redistribution. The operation when the information fragment storage destination is changed at regular intervals will be described. That is, in the information management server 1, the time is passed by the period measuring means 23 and the original information is restored by the inspection, combining, and output means 15, 16, and 17. Redistribution is performed on the information storage host 2 (collectively referred to as redistribution means). In this case, the storage destination in the information management host 2 is changed for redistribution, that is, the storage unit is changed by the changing means for redistribution.
(Step 20) The period measuring means 23 of the information management server 1 measures the elapsed time from the time of saving the information or the previous information redistribution, and when the redistribution time has elapsed, the period is measured by the inquiry means 20 or the information requesting means 21. Notice.
The operations after (Step 21) are the same as Steps 10 to 15 of the information acquisition operation shown in FIG. 8, and the fragment information is collected from the information storage host 2.
(Step 22) When fragment subdivision is performed, steps 16 to 18 in FIG. 8 are performed to restore the original information.
(Step 23) When the original information is restored, fragment division is performed again in the same manner as Steps 2 to 3 in FIG.
(Step 24) After fragment division or when fragment re-division is not performed, distribution to the information storage host 2 is performed again by the operations of steps 4 to 8 in FIG.

(4) Information Notification Operation from Information Storage Host FIG. 10 is a flowchart of information notification operation from the information storage host. An operation for transmitting a message from the information storage host 2 when the information management server 1 does not collect fragments at regular intervals will be described. The information storage host 2 has a period measuring means 37 and measures the elapsed time from the previous fragment storage for each information.
(Step 30) When the elapsed time exceeds a predetermined time set in advance, the period measuring means 37 notifies the reading means 34 that the time has been exceeded.
(Step 31) The reading means 34 searches the storage means 33 for the notified information and takes out information relating to the stored fragment.
(Step 32) The transmission means 35 transmits the extracted information to the information management server 1.
(Step 33) When the receiving means 22 of the information management server 1 receives information from a certain information storage host 2, it collects fragment information from each information storage host 2 in the same manner as the operation procedure of FIG. Redistribute.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, even if information of a part of the information storage host 2 is illegally accessed by dividing the information randomly and periodically storing the information in a different information storage host 2, the information Can be prevented from leaking outside.
In addition, by storing the fragments obtained by dividing information in a plurality of information storage hosts 2, even if information of some information storage hosts 2 cannot be acquired due to failure or theft of the information storage host 2, Information can be restored. Further, by comparing the fragment contents of the plurality of information storage hosts 2, it is possible to detect falsification of information.
In addition, by dividing and encrypting information, it is possible to prevent information content from leaking even if part of fragment information is accessed illegally. If encryption is performed before splitting, decryption is impossible only with the fragment after splitting, and if encryption is performed after splitting, the encryption algorithm can be changed for each fragment, thus further reducing the risk of information leakage. Can be lowered.
Further, by periodically changing the information dividing method, it is possible to prevent the entire information from being grasped even if some information is temporarily illegally accessed.
In addition, since the information management server 1 has the fragment information table 24 where information is stored, the information can be easily restored to the original information when using the information.
In response to a request from the information management server 1, the information storage host 2 that stores the information sends a response to the information management server 1 about the fragment that the information storage host 2 has, thereby the information management server 1. Since it is not necessary to know the physical position of the fragment, it is possible to prevent information from leaking even when there is an unauthorized access to the information management server 1.
In addition, when the information storage host 2 storing the information transmits an information holding message to the information management server 1, the configuration of the information storage host 2 and the information management server 1 changes, or the information management server 1 The location of the information can be identified and restored even if the storage host information is lost.
In addition, by including the metadata of the entire information in the fragment, even if the information management server 1 loses data related to the original information, it is possible to restore the information only by collecting the fragment.

1 is a block diagram of an information management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram at the time of utilizing the information management system of this invention in a company. It is a block diagram at the time of utilizing the information management system of this invention in a home network. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement at the time of information storage. It is a figure which shows the setting item of fragment division and distribution conditions. It is a figure which shows the example of the division | segmentation of information, and distribution. It is a figure which shows a fragment information table. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement at the time of information acquisition. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement at the time of information redistribution. It is a flowchart of the information notification operation | movement from an information storage host.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Information management server, 2 Information storage host, 3 Network, 12 Dividing means (Information reading means component), 13 Distribution means (Information reading means component), 14 Collection means (Information reading means component), 16 Join means ( Information reading means component, file reconstruction means), 33 storage means

Claims (9)

  In an information management system in which an information management server and a plurality of information storage hosts are connected via a network, the information management server has a dividing means for dividing information into fragments when information is stored, and the information storage host receives information from the information management server. Storage means for storing the fragments and redistribution means for collecting the fragments stored from each information storage host and redistributing them again at predetermined time intervals when the information is read by the information management server And an information management system that periodically changes the fragment storage host.   2. The information management system according to claim 1, wherein the information management server has a distribution unit, and the distribution unit transmits one fragment to a plurality of information storage hosts.   2. The information management system according to claim 1, wherein the information management server includes encryption means, encrypts the information to be stored, divides the information into fragments, and stores the fragments in an information storage host.   2. The information management system according to claim 1, wherein the information management server has encryption means, and after dividing the information to be stored into fragments, each fragment is encrypted and stored in the information storage host. .   The information management system according to claim 1, wherein the information management server includes a file restructuring unit, the file restructuring unit reconfigures the file every time the storage destination host is changed, and the dividing unit re-divides the fragment, An information management system which transmits fragments to each information storage host and stores fragments.   6. The information management system according to claim 5, wherein the information management server has a fragment information table, and the file reconstructing means collects fragments stored from the information storage host based on the information in this table and reconstructs the file. A featured information management system.   6. The information management system according to claim 5, wherein the file restructuring unit transmits an information collection request to all the information storage hosts, and the information storage host storing the fragments that have received the information collection request transmits an information holding response; An information management system characterized in that the file reconstruction means collects fragments stored from the information storage host based on this response and reconstructs the file.   2. The information management system according to claim 1, wherein each information storage host storing fragments retains information with respect to the information management server when the information management server does not collect fragments even after the time to change the storage host is exceeded. An information management system characterized by transmitting a message.   2. The information management system according to claim 1, wherein the dividing means includes the meta information of the entire information in the information body and fragments the information.

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