Logical Replication Extent ID Mapping for Storage Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data replication systems face challenges in preserving storage efficiency during data replication, particularly due to difficulties in managing data extent size asymmetry and maintaining deduplication and compression across replicas, which can lead to inflated replica sizes and increased transfer times.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a mechanism for naming replicated data allows for the preservation of storage efficiency by decoupling data extent transmission from file structures, enabling efficient replication across systems with different extent sizes and maintaining deduplication and compression, while accommodating different file systems and storage operating systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional logical replication sends data anonymously from source to destination, then data can be transferred between systems, but storage efficiency cannot be preserved and replica sizes inflate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (extent ID mapping system) that mediates between source and destination storage systems. This intermediary allows referenced data to be identified and shared across systems with different extent sizes, preventing replica inflation while maintaining storage efficiency through deduplication and compression.
Solution Approach 2:
The extent ID mapping mechanism provides universal functionality that works across different storage systems with varying extent sizes. The system can handle both exact extent size matches and asymmetrical cases, making the replication process adaptable to various configurations while preserving storage efficiency attributes.
2Productivity
If data extents are transmitted with file structures coupled together, then file integrity is maintained, but replication efficiency decreases and transfer times increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the replication process into independent components: data extent transmission is separated from file structure updates. Extents can be transmitted independently and identified by ID, allowing parallel processing and reducing overall transfer time while maintaining file integrity through the mapping mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by establishing extent ID mappings before complete file replication is necessary. This allows the system to prepare data structures and identify shared extents in advance, reducing the time required for actual data transfer and enabling more efficient replication operations.
3Quantity of substance
If storage efficiency techniques like compression and deduplication are applied at source, then storage space is optimized, but maintaining these attributes across replicas with different extent sizes becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of extent identification from fixed-size physical addresses to flexible ID-based references. This parameter change allows the system to maintain storage efficiency attributes across systems with different extent sizes, as the ID mapping mechanism can accommodate various extent sizes without losing deduplication or compression benefits.
4Reliability
If exact copying is performed during mirroring, then data integrity is ensured, but replica size inflation occurs when storage efficiency attributes are not preserved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a sophisticated copying mechanism that copies extent references and mappings rather than blindly copying all data. By using extent ID mapping, the system creates accurate replicas that maintain data integrity while avoiding unnecessary data duplication, thus preventing replica size inflation.
Data Source
AI summary
A technique to name data is disclosed to allow preservation of storage efficiency over a link between a source and a destination in a replication relationship as well as in storage at the destination. The technique allows the source to send named data to the destination once and refer to it by name multiple times in the future, without having to resend the data. The technique also allows the transmission of data extents to be decoupled from the logical containers that refer to the data extents. Additionally, the technique allows a replication system to accommodate different extent sizes between replication source and destination while preserving storage efficiency.