Compression Signaling for Data Replication in Storage Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional data replication methods consume excessive bandwidth and computational resources, making it difficult to achieve desired recovery point objectives in information processing systems.
Innovation Solution
Implementing compression signaling in data replication processes by transmitting data pages in uncompressed form with compressibility information, allowing the target storage system to determine appropriate compression methods, thereby reducing unnecessary computational efforts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If compression is applied to all replicated data pages, then bandwidth consumption is reduced, but computational resources are excessively consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameter of compression application from universal to selective based on compressibility assessment. The source storage system evaluates each data page's compressibility and transmits compressibility information with the data, allowing the target system to adjust its compression parameters or skip compression entirely for incompressible pages, thus reducing computational overhead while maintaining bandwidth efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The source storage system performs preliminary compression assessment on data pages before replication. By evaluating compressibility in advance and transmitting this information to the target system, the patent avoids unnecessary compression operations at the target end, reducing computational resources while ensuring bandwidth optimization is applied only where beneficial.
2Quantity of substance
If compression is attempted on all data pages, then data size is reduced, but replication efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the compression parameter based on data page characteristics. By transmitting compressibility information from the source system, the target system can change its compression parameter from 'always compress' to 'compress only when beneficial,' thereby reducing data size where applicable while maintaining high replication efficiency through selective processing.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of applying compression to all data pages (excessive action), the system applies compression only to pages that benefit from it (partial action). The compressibility information enables the target system to perform partial compression operations, avoiding wasted computational effort on incompressible pages while still achieving data size reduction where possible, thus improving overall replication efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus in one embodiment comprises a first storage system having a plurality of storage devices. The first storage system is configured to participate in a replication process with a second storage system. The first storage system is further configured to identify a given data page to be replicated to the second storage system as part of the replication process, to obtain information characterizing compressibility of the given data page based at least in part on a compression process applied to the given data page in the first storage system, and to transmit the given data page in uncompressed form to the second storage system with the information characterizing compressibility of the given data page. The information characterizing compressibility of the given data page is utilizable by the second storage system to determine one or more characteristics of a compression process to be applied to the given data page in the second storage system.