I/O Adapter Data Reduction via Bitmap Reconstruction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Server computers face inefficiencies in data transfer and storage due to frequent repetition of data patterns, such as blocks of zeros, which current technologies fail to optimize effectively without deleting relevant data.
Innovation Solution
An I/O adapter device detects and reduces data transfer size by removing blocks of repetitive patterns, using indicators like bitmaps to reconstruct the data, and implements thin provisioning to allocate storage space only as needed, optimizing network efficiency and storage utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If data blocks with repetitive patterns are deleted to reduce transfer size, then data transfer efficiency is improved, but data completeness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the non-repetitive data blocks from the original data stream for transmission, while excluding repetitive pattern blocks. This selective extraction reduces the amount of data that needs to be transferred over the network while preserving all essential information through the use of a bitmap indicator that tracks which blocks were excluded.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a bitmap as an intermediary data structure that records the positions of excluded repetitive data blocks. This bitmap acts as a mediator between the sender and receiver, enabling the receiver to reconstruct the complete original data by filling in the excluded blocks at the correct positions indicated by the bitmap, thus maintaining data completeness without transmitting the actual repetitive blocks.
2Reliability
If all data blocks are transferred to maintain data completeness, then data accuracy is improved, but network bandwidth consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and transmits only the essential non-repetitive data blocks, eliminating redundant transmissions of repetitive patterns. This extraction approach maintains data accuracy because the bitmap indicator ensures that all excluded blocks can be precisely reconstructed at the receiving end, while significantly reducing network bandwidth consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the transmission parameter from sending complete raw data blocks to sending a compact bitmap representation combined with non-repetitive blocks. This parameter change transforms the data transmission format, allowing the system to convey the same information content using fewer network resources while maintaining complete data fidelity through the bitmap's positional encoding.
3Quantity of substance
If data is compressed by removing repetitive patterns, then storage space utilization is improved, but data reconstruction complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts repetitive pattern blocks from the data stream and replaces them with references in a bitmap, reducing the actual stored data volume. The reconstruction process, while adding a step of interpreting the bitmap, remains relatively simple because it only requires copying data from the non-repetitive blocks to the positions indicated by the bitmap, rather than performing complex decompression algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a bitmap as a copy index that points to the locations of non-repetitive data blocks. During reconstruction, the receiver copies data from these indicated positions to rebuild the complete original data set. This copying mechanism is simpler than traditional compression decompression because it involves direct memory operations rather than complex computational algorithms, thus improving storage utilization without excessively increasing reconstruction complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Server computers often include one or more input/output (I/O) devices for communicating with a network or directly attached storage device. Data transferred between these devices may include blocks of data with a common often repeated and identifiable data pattern. Transfer and storage of data of this nature may be optimized by transferring primarily blocks of data that are not of the pre-determined data pattern. An indicator may be transferred and stored with transferred data that has been reduced in size in this manner.