Dual-Priority Credit Allocation for Storage Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
In storage systems, urgent messages are often delayed due to a lack of credits, leading to communication failures and quality of service issues, as existing credit systems prioritize non-urgent messages over urgent ones, potentially causing 'credit-starvation' and system paralysis.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a dual-priority credit system where a portion of the credits is reserved specifically for urgent messages, ensuring their timely transmission by allocating separate pools for non-urgent and urgent messages, with dynamic adjustments based on performance and quality of service.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single credit pool is used for all messages, then the credit system is simple to manage, but urgent messages are delayed due to lack of credits causing communication failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single credit pool into two separate credit pools: one for urgent messages and one for non-urgent messages. This segmentation ensures that urgent messages have dedicated credits for transmission, preventing them from being blocked by non-urgent messages, while maintaining manageable complexity through clear separation of concerns
2Productivity
If credits are allocated to non-urgent messages first, then non-urgent messages are transmitted smoothly, but urgent messages suffer from credit-starvation and system paralysis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the credit allocation mechanism into two independent pools, allowing non-urgent messages to be served from one pool while urgent messages are guaranteed credits from another pool, eliminating the credit-starvation problem while maintaining overall system productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different credit allocation strategies to different message types: urgent messages receive guaranteed credit allocation with higher priority, while non-urgent messages use standard credit allocation, ensuring each message type receives appropriate treatment for its urgency level
3Reliability
If all credits are used for urgent messages, then urgent message transmission is guaranteed, but non-urgent messages are blocked causing loss of normal communication
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the total credits into two portions: a first portion allocated to urgent messages and a second portion allocated to non-urgent messages. This ensures urgent messages have guaranteed credit availability while non-urgent messages can still utilize their dedicated pool, maintaining overall communication throughput
Data Source
AI summary
A storage system and method for providing a dual-priority credit system are disclosed. In one embodiment, a storage system is provided comprising a memory and a controller. The controller is configured to receive, from a host, a plurality of credits for sending messages to the host; allocate a first portion of the plurality of credits for non-urgent messages; and allocate a second portion of the plurality of credits for urgent messages. Other embodiments are provided.