Log Structure Array Storage System Managing Fragmented Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Log structured file systems face performance degradation as hard disk drives (HDDs) become full, leading to increased seek operations for available storage space, which adversely impacts performance due to the need for large extents of free space for efficient operation.
Innovation Solution
A multi-tiered storage system with a primary storage entity for fast I/O performance and a secondary storage entity for slower I/O performance, utilizing a secondary storage controller to identify suitable physical locations on the secondary storage entity, retrieve protected data from the primary storage, pad the data stream, and write it as a single successive sequence, optimizing storage and reducing fragmentation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a log structured file system writes all modifications sequentially to disk, then storage efficiency is improved, but performance deteriorates as the hard disk drive becomes full due to increased seek operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the storage system into two separate storage entities: a primary storage entity for maintaining the log structured file system with sequential write operations, and a secondary storage entity for accommodating fragmented protected data. This segmentation allows the primary storage to maintain high write performance while the secondary storage handles the fragmentation problem, resolving the contradiction between storage capacity utilization and write performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a secondary storage controller as an intermediary component that manages data between the primary storage entity and secondary storage entity. This intermediary handles the complex operations of identifying fragmented protected data, retrieving it from primary storage, and padding the data stream to fill gaps, thereby enabling the primary storage to maintain sequential write performance while effectively utilizing secondary storage capacity.
2Productivity
If large extents of free space are maintained for efficient log structured file system operation, then write performance is improved, but storage capacity utilization deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the storage system into primary and secondary storage entities, the patent allows the primary storage to maintain large free extents for optimal log structured file system performance, while the secondary storage captures and utilizes otherwise wasted space from fragmented protected data, thus resolving the contradiction between maintaining free space for performance and utilizing storage capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of storage capacity utilization by introducing a secondary storage entity that specifically targets and utilizes fragmented protected data spaces. This parameter change allows the system to achieve high capacity utilization in the secondary storage without affecting the performance-critical free space parameters in the primary storage.
3Speed
If seek operations are reduced for optimal log structured file system performance, then write speed is improved, but storage flexibility deteriorates as free space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the storage functionality so that the primary storage entity maintains high write speed through sequential operations, while the secondary storage entity provides adaptability by dynamically accommodating fragmented protected data from various sources. This segmentation resolves the contradiction between write speed and storage space adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic behavior through the secondary storage controller, which adaptively identifies fragmented protected data, determines appropriate padding strategies, and manages data placement in real-time. This dynamic approach allows the system to maintain high write speeds in primary storage while achieving flexible space utilization in secondary storage.
Data Source
AI summary
A storage system, comprising: (a) a primary storage entity utilized for persistently storing an entire data-set; (b) a secondary storage entity; and (c) a secondary storage controller (“SSC”) responsive to a destage stream pending to be written to the second storage entity for identifying a succession of physical locations on the secondary storage entity formed by non-protected locations in an extent that is sufficient to accommodate the destage stream and one or more intervening protected locations between two or more of the non-protected locations; wherein said SSC is adapted to retrieve from said primary storage entity protected data associated with the intervening protected location(s), pad the stream of data with the protected data and write the padded stream of data to said secondary storage entity as a single successive write sequence over said succession of physical locations.