Disk Array Storage Management via Access Statistics Filtering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Disk arrays face challenges in making optimal storage management decisions due to incomplete or incorrect data access statistics, particularly when data is accessed from local storage or during background maintenance operations, leading to suboptimal data placement within logical blocks.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for passing data access information to a disk array, where data access statistics are filtered to exclude operations from local storage and background maintenance processes, ensuring that only relevant access statistics are included in frequency analysis for informed storage management decisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If data access statistics from all sources are included in frequency analysis, then the disk array can monitor all data operations, but the storage management decisions become suboptimal due to irrelevant statistics from local storage and background operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and excludes irrelevant data access statistics from the frequency analysis process. Specifically, it filters out statistics from local storage cache operations and background maintenance operations (backup, virus scan, defragmentation) to ensure only relevant user access patterns are considered for storage management decisions, thereby resolving the contradiction between comprehensive monitoring and decision quality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a file system as an intermediary between the application and the disk array. The file system acts as a mediator that collects data access statistics from applications, filters out irrelevant operations, and passes only the relevant statistics to the disk array for frequency analysis, thus improving both measurement precision and reliability of storage management
2Productivity
If the disk array performs frequency analysis on all received data operations, then it can track all access patterns, but it cannot distinguish between user access patterns and background maintenance operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and separates user access patterns from background maintenance operations by filtering statistics at the file system level before passing them to the disk array. This extraction ensures that the disk array performs frequency analysis only on relevant user access patterns, maintaining both completeness of tracking and accuracy of detection
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary filtering of data access statistics at the file system level before they reach the disk array. By pre-processing and categorizing operations as user or background operations, the system prepares the data in advance, allowing the disk array to focus solely on analyzing user access patterns without being confused by maintenance operations
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for passing data access information to a disk array are provided. Data access statistics are received from a first source. Thereafter, a determination is made as to whether such data access statistics are to be included in a list of data access statistics. A frequency analysis is then performed by a disk array using the list of data access statistics. An assignment of data to storage blocks within the disk array is then made according to results of the frequency analysis.