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[[File:{{#setmainimage:freezer.png}}|alt=logo image|center|frameless]]'''''[https://frostydata.com/0Kdata/ Data freezer]''''' is a BOINC based '''''[[wikipedia:Volunteer computing|volunteer computing]]''''' project that needed your help to build a data warehouse on consumer hardware.
{{Infobox software
| name                = Data freezer
| logo                = freezer.png
| logo caption        = Data freezer project logo
| screenshot          =
| caption              =
| developer            = Serge Stu
| released            = {{Start date and age|2024|6|11}}
| discontinued        = Yes
| programming language = [[C++]]
| operating system    = Cross-platform


The project is completed now and the wedbsite archive is available here: https://web.archive.org/web/20240915225040/https://frostydata.com/0Kdata/
| website              = [https://web.archive.org/web/20240915225040/https://frostydata.com/0Kdata/ Archived website]
| license              = Proprietary
}}
 
'''''[https://frostydata.com/0Kdata/ Data freezer]''''' was a BOINC-based [[wikipedia:Volunteer computing|volunteer computing]] project focused on experimental distributed data storage and data deduplication using consumer hardware. The project proposed building a decentralized storage warehouse using spare capacity on devices such as old SSDs, smartphones, and MicroSD cards.<ref name="about">{{cite web |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240915225040/https://frostydata.com/0Kdata/about.php |title=About Data freezer |website=Data freezer |access-date=2026-05-19}}</ref>
 
The project operated during 2024 and later became inactive. Archived versions of the website remain available through the [[Wikipedia:Wayback Machine|Wayback Machine]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240915225040/https://frostydata.com/0Kdata/ |title=Archived Data freezer homepage |website=Wayback Machine |access-date=2026-05-19}}</ref>
 
== History ==
Data freezer appeared as an experimental BOINC project during 2024. The project was hosted on the domain ''frostydata.com'' and used the standard BOINC server infrastructure developed by the [[Wikipedia:University of California, Berkeley|University of California, Berkeley]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://boinc.berkeley.edu/ |title=BOINC official website |publisher=University of California, Berkeley |access-date=2026-05-19}}</ref>
 
Unlike traditional BOINC scientific projects that focus on simulations or mathematical analysis, Data freezer attempted to use volunteer computing resources for distributed data storage and integrity verification.<ref name="about" />
 
The project described itself as an attempt to create a future commercial distributed storage and deduplication platform powered by volunteer hardware.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240915225040/https://frostydata.com/0Kdata/forum_thread.php?id=4 |title=Project methods discussion |website=Data freezer forums |access-date=2026-05-19}}</ref>


== Why Data freezer? ==
== Why Data freezer? ==
To find a technical group of enthusiasts who will understand the meaning and be inspired!
According to the project website, the goal was:
 
{{Quote|
"To find a technical group of enthusiasts who will understand the meaning and be inspired!"
|source=Data freezer project description<ref name="about" />
}}


== Goal ==
== Goal ==
The main goal of the project is to build a data warehouse on consumer hardware, which is not usually used for this. (old SSDs, old smartphones, MicroSD cards, etc). If successful, you can either make a profit or donate the power to charity.[https://frostydata.com/0Kdata/about.php]
The main objective of the project was to build a large-scale distributed data warehouse using consumer hardware that would otherwise remain unused.<ref name="about" />
 
The project specifically mentioned the following types of hardware:
 
* Old SSD drives
* Smartphones
* MicroSD cards
* Consumer storage devices


Data freezer is intended to be a commercial venture in the future.
The project developers proposed that, if successful, participants could either earn revenue from the system or donate storage resources to charitable causes.<ref name="about" />
[[File:BOINC logo.png|thumb|250x250px|[[BOINC]] logo]]


== Methods ==
== Methods ==
Data storage on distributed SSDs;
Data freezer proposed several technical mechanisms for distributed storage and deduplication:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240915225040/https://frostydata.com/0Kdata/forum_thread.php?id=4 |title=Methods and technical description |website=Data freezer forums |access-date=2026-05-19}}</ref>
 
* Storage of data blocks on distributed SSD devices
* Continuous verification of data integrity
* Calculation of cryptographic hashes on random data blocks
* Deduplication using calculated hashes
* Creation of large-scale key-value storage systems
 
The project described an architecture where cryptographic hashes served as keys and data blocks served as values in a distributed storage database.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240915225040/https://frostydata.com/0Kdata/forum_thread.php?id=4 |title=Deduplication system description |website=Data freezer forums |access-date=2026-05-19}}</ref>


Continuous verification of data integrity, calculation of crypto hashes of stored data random blocks;
=== Redundancy and recovery ===
The project proposed using multiple replicas of stored data to improve reliability. The website claimed that even if copies were lost, reconstruction techniques could potentially restore information using stored metadata and hashes.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240915225040/https://frostydata.com/0Kdata/forum_thread.php?id=4 |title=Reliability discussion |website=Data freezer forums |access-date=2026-05-19}}</ref>


Using calculated crypto hashes for data deduplication;
Some of the concepts described by the project were experimental and theoretical in nature, particularly discussions regarding reconstruction of original data from cryptographic information under limited circumstances.


The first set of data is useful for collecting a large volume of “key”: “value” pairs, where the key is a cryptohash, the value is a data block.
== BOINC integration ==
Data freezer used the BOINC middleware platform for distributing workloads to volunteer computers.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://boinc.berkeley.edu/trac/wiki/ProjectMain |title=BOINC Project documentation |publisher=University of California, Berkeley |access-date=2026-05-19}}</ref>


Then we can create our own service based on this project. Or provide a commercial deduplication service.[https://frostydata.com/0Kdata/forum_thread.php?id=4]
[[Wikipedia:BOINC|BOINC]] is an open-source volunteer computing framework originally developed at the University of California, Berkeley and used by many scientific computing projects worldwide.<ref>{{cite journal
|last1=Anderson
|first1=David P.
|title=BOINC: A System for Public-Resource Computing and Storage
|journal=Proceedings of the 5th IEEE/ACM International Workshop on Grid Computing
|year=2004
|doi=10.1109/GRID.2004.14
}}</ref>


== Scientific and technical relevance ==
[[File:2023 Napęd SSD Lexar NM620 1TB (2).jpg|thumb|The project aimed to use unused consumer SSD storage devices]]
Although Data freezer was not a traditional scientific simulation project, it explored several concepts related to distributed systems research:


Is it unreliable? The number of replicas solves the problem. Even if all copies are lost, there is a solution! Reliable servers store data that is many orders of magnitude smaller. From which we can restore the original data!
* Distributed storage systems
* Data deduplication
* Cryptographic verification
* Consumer hardware reuse
* Decentralized infrastructure


Let's Imagine an algorithm that can restore the original data from a cryptohash without collisions. This is impossible? Usually not possible... But in some cases for some data it is still possible. And we’ll use this opportunity!
The project also reflected broader interest within the BOINC ecosystem in expanding volunteer computing beyond numerical scientific calculations.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://boinc.berkeley.edu/pubs.php |title=BOINC publications and papers |publisher=University of California, Berkeley |access-date=2026-05-19}}</ref>
 
== Project closure ==
By late 2024, the project website became inactive. Archived snapshots remain available through the Wayback Machine.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240915225040/https://frostydata.com/0Kdata/ |title=Archived Data freezer website |website=Wayback Machine |access-date=2026-05-19}}</ref>
 
No official announcement regarding long-term continuation or commercial deployment was published in the archived materials.
[[File:NOIRLab HQ Server Racks (6V6A0395-CC).jpg|thumb|250x250px|Data freezer attempted to create a distributed storage infrastructure using volunteer hardware]]


== Project team / Sponsors ==
== Project team / Sponsors ==
* Serge Stu
== See also ==
* [[Wikipedia:BOINC|BOINC]]
* [[Wikipedia:Volunteer computing|Volunteer computing]]
* [[Wikipedia:Distributed storage|Distributed storage]]
* [[Wikipedia:Data deduplication|Data deduplication]]
== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20240915225040/https://frostydata.com/0Kdata/ Archived official website]
* [https://boinc.berkeley.edu/ BOINC official website]
* [https://boinc.berkeley.edu/pubs.php BOINC scientific publications]


*Serge Stu
== References ==
{{Reflist}}

Latest revision as of 13:33, 29 May 2026











Data freezer
Development
DeveloperSerge Stu
Initial releaseJune 11, 2024  (2 years ago)
DiscontinuedYes
Software
Written inC++
Operating systemCross-platform
Metadata
WebsiteArchived website
LicenseProprietary

Data freezer was a BOINC-based volunteer computing project focused on experimental distributed data storage and data deduplication using consumer hardware. The project proposed building a decentralized storage warehouse using spare capacity on devices such as old SSDs, smartphones, and MicroSD cards.[1]

The project operated during 2024 and later became inactive. Archived versions of the website remain available through the Wayback Machine.[2]

History

Data freezer appeared as an experimental BOINC project during 2024. The project was hosted on the domain frostydata.com and used the standard BOINC server infrastructure developed by the University of California, Berkeley.[3]

Unlike traditional BOINC scientific projects that focus on simulations or mathematical analysis, Data freezer attempted to use volunteer computing resources for distributed data storage and integrity verification.[1]

The project described itself as an attempt to create a future commercial distributed storage and deduplication platform powered by volunteer hardware.[4]

Why Data freezer?

According to the project website, the goal was:


"To find a technical group of enthusiasts who will understand the meaning and be inspired!"

— Data freezer project description[1]


Goal

The main objective of the project was to build a large-scale distributed data warehouse using consumer hardware that would otherwise remain unused.[1]

The project specifically mentioned the following types of hardware:

  • Old SSD drives
  • Smartphones
  • MicroSD cards
  • Consumer storage devices

The project developers proposed that, if successful, participants could either earn revenue from the system or donate storage resources to charitable causes.[1]

BOINC logo

Methods

Data freezer proposed several technical mechanisms for distributed storage and deduplication:[5]

  • Storage of data blocks on distributed SSD devices
  • Continuous verification of data integrity
  • Calculation of cryptographic hashes on random data blocks
  • Deduplication using calculated hashes
  • Creation of large-scale key-value storage systems

The project described an architecture where cryptographic hashes served as keys and data blocks served as values in a distributed storage database.[6]

Redundancy and recovery

The project proposed using multiple replicas of stored data to improve reliability. The website claimed that even if copies were lost, reconstruction techniques could potentially restore information using stored metadata and hashes.[7]

Some of the concepts described by the project were experimental and theoretical in nature, particularly discussions regarding reconstruction of original data from cryptographic information under limited circumstances.

BOINC integration

Data freezer used the BOINC middleware platform for distributing workloads to volunteer computers.[8]

BOINC is an open-source volunteer computing framework originally developed at the University of California, Berkeley and used by many scientific computing projects worldwide.[9]

Scientific and technical relevance

The project aimed to use unused consumer SSD storage devices

Although Data freezer was not a traditional scientific simulation project, it explored several concepts related to distributed systems research:

  • Distributed storage systems
  • Data deduplication
  • Cryptographic verification
  • Consumer hardware reuse
  • Decentralized infrastructure

The project also reflected broader interest within the BOINC ecosystem in expanding volunteer computing beyond numerical scientific calculations.[10]

Project closure

By late 2024, the project website became inactive. Archived snapshots remain available through the Wayback Machine.[11]

No official announcement regarding long-term continuation or commercial deployment was published in the archived materials.

Data freezer attempted to create a distributed storage infrastructure using volunteer hardware

Project team / Sponsors

  • Serge Stu

See also

External links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 About Data freezer. Data freezer. Retrieved 2026-05-19}.
  2. ↑ Archived Data freezer homepage. Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2026-05-19}.
  3. ↑ BOINC official website. University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 2026-05-19}.
  4. ↑ Project methods discussion. Data freezer forums. Retrieved 2026-05-19}.
  5. ↑ Methods and technical description. Data freezer forums. Retrieved 2026-05-19}.
  6. ↑ Deduplication system description. Data freezer forums. Retrieved 2026-05-19}.
  7. ↑ Reliability discussion. Data freezer forums. Retrieved 2026-05-19}.
  8. ↑ BOINC Project documentation. University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 2026-05-19}.
  9. ↑ (2004}).BOINC: A System for Public-Resource Computing and Storage. Proceedings of the 5th IEEE/ACM International Workshop on Grid Computing. DOI: 10.1109/GRID.2004.14.
  10. ↑ BOINC publications and papers. University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 2026-05-19}.
  11. ↑ Archived Data freezer website. Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2026-05-19}.
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