Hyper-converged Flash Array Controller Address Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current storage systems face challenges in efficiently managing data access and storage across multiple storage devices connected via a network, particularly in handling write, read, and invalidation operations, which can lead to inefficiencies and increased complexity due to the need for geographic location considerations and direct memory access methods.
Innovation Solution
A distributed storage system architecture that includes a host with a processor and memory, and a storage device with a controller and nonvolatile memory, where the controller determines addresses for write operations and manages data storage and retrieval, enabling transparent access and efficient data management across multiple storage systems through a network interface, such as PCIe or RDMA.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If data is stored across multiple storage devices connected via network, then storage capacity and accessibility are improved, but system complexity and access overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The storage system is divided into multiple independent storage devices, each with its own controller and nonvolatile memory. The host device segments data into multiple write commands and distributes them across different storage devices, enabling parallel storage operations while maintaining manageable system complexity through modular architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
A storage device in the network acts as an intermediary for remote write operations. When the host device sends a remote write command to a first storage device, that storage device serves as the intermediary to store data and manage addresses, reducing the complexity burden on the host device while enabling access to distributed storage capacity.
2Measurement precision
If host device directly manages all storage devices, then control precision is improved, but processing overhead and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the address management function from the host device and places it in the storage device controller. The controller determines the address in nonvolatile memory where write data should be stored, based on write commands and size information received from the host. This extraction reduces host processing complexity while maintaining precise access control through the controller's address management capabilities.
3Productivity
If remote direct memory access is implemented, then data transfer efficiency is improved, but network infrastructure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical storage access methods with remote direct memory access (RDMA) technology. This substitution enables the host device to access storage devices across the network with memory-level speed and efficiency, dramatically improving data transfer efficiency while the underlying RDMA protocol handles the network infrastructure complexity transparently.
Data Source
AI summary
A distributed system includes a plurality of storage systems and a network connecting the storage systems. Each storage system includes a host having a processor and a memory, and a storage device having a controller and a nonvolatile memory. When a first storage system receives, a second storage system, a write command, write data, and size information of the write data, the controller in the first storage system determines an address of the nonvolatile memory of the first storage system in which the write data are to be written, based on the write command and the size information, writes the write data in the nonvolatile memory associated with the address, and transmits the address to the second storage system, and the processor of the second storage system stores management data indicating correspondence between identification information of the write data and the address in the memory of the second storage system.