Disk Slice Migration Across Storage Array Groups

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Solution Overview

Problem

In storage systems, when the number of disks exceeds the maximum allowed in a disk group, the system inefficiently manages disk slices across multiple groups, leading to distributed disk slices and potential data loss, as traditional methods only check and relocate one slice at a time.

Innovation Solution

A method that determines multiple source disk slices from a storage array and identifies corresponding destination disk slices within the same disk group, allowing for simultaneous data migration to ensure all disk slices are located within the same group, thereby improving storage management efficiency and reliability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If disk slices are allocated across multiple disk groups when disks are added, then the storage system can accommodate more disks, but disk slices become distributed across different disk groups leading to management inefficiency and potential data loss

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedisk expansion capabilityVSAvoiddata integrity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary detection to identify disk slices that are distributed across different disk groups before migration occurs. By detecting these distributed slices in advance and planning their relocation, the system ensures that all slices belonging to the same storage array will be consolidated into a single disk group, preventing data integrity issues while accommodating disk expansion

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements a feedback mechanism where it continuously monitors the locations of disk slices across disk groups. When disk expansion occurs and slices become distributed, the system detects this state, triggers the migration process, and verifies the consolidation result, ensuring that reliability is maintained through continuous monitoring and correction

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Ease of operation

If traditional methods check and relocate disk slices one at a time, then the system can manage disk slices individually, but the storage management efficiency is low and the process takes excessive time

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedisk slice managementVSAvoidmigration efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system merges multiple individual disk slice migration operations into a single batch operation. By identifying all distributed disk slices belonging to the same storage array and migrating them simultaneously within one iteration, the system dramatically improves migration efficiency while maintaining the same level of operational control and data integrity as individual migrations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS11709595B2Moving data among disk slices located in different disk groups of at least one storage array

Publication Date: 2023.07.25 EMC IP HLDG CO LLC

AI summary

A technique for storage management involves: determining multiple source disk slices from a storage array that provides redundant storage, a current disk group where each of the multiple source disk slices is located being different from a target disk group where the source disk slice is specified to be located; determining multiple destination disk slices from the target disk group based on the multiple source disk slices, the multiple destination disk slices being used to replace the multiple source disk slices; and causing data to be moved to the multiple destination disk slices from the multiple source disk slices. Accordingly, such a technique may improve the reliability of a storage system.