Distributed Cache Chain Storage for SSD Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional RAID 1 configurations for solid-state drives require multiple equivalent SSDs to achieve reliability, increasing costs and complexity, while also providing redundant performance for both hot and cold data storage needs.
Innovation Solution
A storage method and device that utilizes a lower-tier HDD or SMR drive as a checkpoint drive in combination with high-performance SSDs, where data is sequentially backed up to the HDD and cached on an SSD, reducing the number of SSDs required and maintaining high performance levels by using a distributed cache chain and versioning for data restoration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional RAID 1 configuration uses multiple equivalent SSDs for data redundancy, then data reliability is improved, but storage cost and system complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the functional roles of different storage devices. SSDs are assigned to specific tiers (hot data cache, warm data storage) while HDDs handle cold data checkpointing. This functional differentiation allows the system to achieve RAID 1 reliability for critical data without requiring all devices to be equivalent high-performance SSDs, thereby reducing overall system complexity and cost while maintaining data restoration capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a composite storage architecture combining SSD and HDD technologies. SSDs provide fast random access for hot and warm data, while HDDs provide high-capacity sequential storage for cold data checkpoints. This composite approach leverages the strengths of each technology type to achieve reliable data restoration with fewer SSDs, resolving the contradiction between reliability and device complexity.
2Reliability
If multiple equivalent SSDs are used in RAID 1 configuration, then data redundancy is improved, but storage cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the performance parameters assigned to different storage devices. Instead of requiring all devices to meet the same high-performance SSD criteria, the system assigns different performance expectations: SSDs for fast access (hot/warm data) and HDDs for capacity-oriented storage (cold checkpoints). This parameter differentiation reduces the total number of high-performance SSDs needed while maintaining data redundancy through strategic placement of checkpoints on HDDs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the storage system into distinct tiers based on data access patterns and performance requirements. Hot data resides on SSDs for fast access, warm data on SSDs with checkpoint capability, and cold data checkpoints on HDDs. This segmentation allows the system to achieve redundancy with fewer SSDs by placing checkpoint copies on lower-cost HDDs rather than requiring duplicate high-performance SSDs.
3Quantity of substance
If sequential backup to HDD is implemented, then storage cost is reduced, but random IOPS performance may be degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by matching storage device characteristics to specific access patterns. SSDs are positioned where random IOPS are critical (hot data cache and warm data storage), while HDDs are positioned where sequential access suffices (cold data checkpointing). This localized optimization ensures that random IOPS performance is maintained for critical operations while using cheaper HDDs for sequential backup tasks, reducing SSD requirements without degrading overall system productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a distributed cache chain of SSDs as intermediaries between the HDD checkpoint drive and the system. This cache chain absorbs random IOPS requirements, allowing HDDs to perform sequential backups while SSDs handle random access requests. The intermediary cache layer decouples the performance characteristics of HDDs from the random IOPS requirements, enabling cost reduction without productivity degradation.
Data Source
AI summary
A storage method and device for a solid-state drive is provided in embodiments of the present disclosure. The method includes: configuring a checkpoint drive and a cache drive; backing up data blocks from a data drive into the checkpoint drive; and in response to the data drives being corrupted, writing into a further data drive part of the data blocks backed up into the checkpoint drive and part of data blocks in the cache drive. The number of required SSD drives can be significantly reduced with the method and device without losing the data restoration capability. In addition, the degrading performance can also be maintained at a relatively high level.