Consolidated Boot Volume for Storage System Disk Thrashing
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Solution Overview
Problem
In storage consolidation architectures, peak boot times for multiple client computers can lead to increased hard disk access and negatively impact productivity due to disk thrashing during simultaneous booting.
Innovation Solution
Client-specific boot data is consolidated and copied into contiguous regions of a single, consolidated boot volume, with boot statistics analyzed to redirect read operations, reducing disk thrashing and enhancing boot performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple client computers boot simultaneously from a SAN storage system, then storage consolidation is achieved and resource allocation is optimized, but disk access contention increases and boot performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments boot data into two distinct categories: common boot data (shared by all clients) and client-specific boot data (unique to each client). This segmentation allows the system to handle different types of data differently during the boot process, reducing disk access contention by serving common data from a consolidated location and client-specific data from individual locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-identifying and pre-positioning client-specific boot data in optimized locations within the storage system before the actual boot process begins. Boot statistics are collected and analyzed in advance to determine which data blocks are frequently accessed during boot, allowing the system to prepare optimized access paths ahead of time.
2Reliability
If client-specific boot data is accessed from distributed locations during simultaneous booting, then data availability is maintained, but seek time increases and disk thrashing occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating different access strategies for different types of data. Common boot data is served from a consolidated location optimized for multi-client access, while client-specific boot data is positioned in locations optimized for individual client access. This localized optimization reduces seek time by ensuring that each type of data is accessed from the most appropriate location in the storage system.
3Productivity
If boot statistics are collected and analyzed to optimize data access, then boot performance is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The storage system performs self-service by automatically collecting boot statistics, analyzing access patterns, and optimizing data placement without requiring external intervention. The system monitors its own boot operations, identifies frequently accessed client-specific data blocks, and repositions them in optimized locations automatically, reducing the need for manual configuration while improving performance.
Data Source
AI summary
Technologies are described herein for accelerating the boot process of client computers by consolidating client-specific boot data in a data storage system. Boot statistics are collected for a number of client computers booting from virtual storage volumes provided by the data storage system. The boot statistics are analyzed to identify client-specific boot data stored on each of the virtual storage volumes, and the client-specific boot data is consolidated and copied into contiguous regions of a single, consolidated boot volume in the data storage system. Requests for read operations from the client computers for the client-specific boot data are then redirected to the consolidated boot volume, increasing boot performance for the client computers.