Hypervisor Parallel Device Scanning to Reduce Storage Boot Time
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large data storage systems with numerous hard disks experience prolonged boot times due to the time-consuming process of discovering and initializing peripheral devices, leading to unavailability of data center applications and services, which can result in severe consequences like cost overruns and service level agreement violations.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a customized hypervisor that parallelizes the device scanning process and stores boot information to reduce the disk initialization time by managing physical devices and providing pre-initialized information to virtual machines, thereby accelerating the boot process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a data storage system with a large number of hard disks is used, then storage capacity is improved, but boot time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hypervisor performs preliminary scanning and initialization of physical storage devices during its own boot process, storing the boot information before the virtual machine needs it. This preliminary action eliminates the need for the virtual machine to perform time-consuming device discovery and initialization, thus reducing overall boot time while maintaining support for large numbers of hard disks
Solution Approach 2:
The hypervisor acts as an intermediary between the physical storage devices and the virtual machine. It scans and initializes the physical devices, then provides pre-initialized boot information to the virtual machine, mediating the interaction to avoid the virtual machine directly encountering the time-consuming device discovery process
2Reliability
If sequential scanning of physical storage devices is performed, then device initialization is thorough, but boot time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hypervisor performs the thorough device scanning and initialization as a preliminary action during its own boot process, storing the results for later use. This ensures complete device initialization while separating the time-consuming scanning process from the virtual machine's boot time
Solution Approach 2:
The hypervisor creates a copy of the boot information (device discovery results, initialization data) and provides it to the virtual machine. This copying approach allows the virtual machine to skip the time-consuming sequential scanning process while still accessing complete device information for thorough initialization
Data Source
AI summary
A first portion of a bootstrapping process is performed for a data storage system. The first portion of the bootstrapping process comprises a hypervisor scanning for and initializing a plurality of physical storage devices of the data storage system, and storing boot information obtained during the scanning and initializing steps. A second portion of a bootstrapping process is performed for the data storage system. The second portion of the bootstrapping process comprises providing at least a portion of the stored boot information to at least one virtual machine implementing an application program that utilizes the plurality of physical storage devices, and the virtual machine initializing one or more virtual resources using the stored boot information provided by the hypervisor. The scanning for the plurality of physical storage devices of the data storage system may be performed in a parallel manner.