Hybrid NAS RAM Caching for Concurrent X-Ray Data Access
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current network attached storage (NAS) devices struggle to simultaneously store high-resolution image data at high speeds and provide sustained high-speed read access to multiple screener workstations, due to file system overhead and read/write seek times of hard disk systems.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid NAS system utilizing Random Access Memory (RAM) to cache screening data, allowing for concurrent storage and access, with typical access times of approximately 15 μs, replacing the RAID array and enabling random access, and streaming data to standard NAS for long-term storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If standard NAS devices use hard disk arrays for data storage, then data can be stored for long term, but the read/write seek time of about 15 ms prevents sustained high-speed simultaneous storage and access
Solution Approach 1:
The storage system is segmented into two distinct parts: a RAM-based storage array for high-speed temporary storage and access, and a hard disk-based NAS for long-term archival storage. This segmentation allows each component to optimize for its specific function, with RAM providing microsecond-level access for concurrent operations and hard disks providing capacity for long-term retention.
Solution Approach 2:
The RAM storage array acts as an intermediary between the RTT system and the hard disk NAS. It buffers incoming high-speed data streams and serves concurrent read requests from multiple workstations, mediating between the high-speed source and the slower archival storage without allowing seek times to bottleneck the overall system performance.
2Quantity of substance
If hard drive arrays are used for simultaneous storage and access, then data capacity is available, but file system overhead and seek time reduce effective throughput during concurrent operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments storage functions by placing frequently accessed high-speed data in RAM and archiving less frequently accessed data on hard disks. This allows the RAM array to handle concurrent read/write operations at full throughput while the hard disk array provides supplemental capacity for long-term retention without interfering with active operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the access time parameter from milliseconds (hard disk seek time) to microseconds (RAM access time) for the portion of data that requires simultaneous high-speed access. This parameter change in the critical path of data operations eliminates the throughput reduction caused by seek times during concurrent operations.
3Speed
If RAM is used for temporary storage, then microsecond-level access speed is achieved, but data cannot be retained for long term without additional storage
Solution Approach 1:
The storage architecture is segmented into temporary RAM storage for high-speed access and permanent hard disk storage for long-term retention. Data flows from the RTT system into the RAM array for immediate access, then gets archived to the hard disk NAS for long-term storage, with each segment optimized for its specific time horizon and performance requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary high-speed storage in RAM before archiving to long-term storage. This preliminary action in fast memory ensures that data is immediately available for concurrent access while the archiving process occurs in the background, maintaining both speed and long-term retention capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
The present specification discloses a storage system for enabling the substantially concurrent storage and access of data that has three dimensional images processed to identify a presence of a threat item. The system includes a source of data, a temporary storage memory for receiving and temporarily storing the data, a long term storage, and multiple workstations adapted to display three dimensional images. The temporary storage memory is adapted to support multiple file input/output operations executing substantially concurrently, including the receiving of data, transmitting of data to workstations, and transmitting of data to long term storage.