Network Interface Card Bypasses CPU for SSD Data Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for accessing solid state disks in storage systems result in long data access latency and excessively high CPU usage due to the involvement of the storage device's CPU in the data access process.
Innovation Solution
The method allows the network interface card of the storage device to directly interact with the solid state disk without involving the CPU, reducing data access latency and CPU usage by enabling direct data access commands through protocols like RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE), InfiniBand, or iWARP.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the CPU of the storage device is involved in the data access process, then the data access can be completed with standard processing, but the data access latency becomes long and CPU usage becomes excessively high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the CPU from the data access path by enabling the network interface card to directly interact with the solid state disk. The CPU is taken out of the critical data access loop, leaving only the necessary network interface card and storage device components involved, thereby reducing processing latency and CPU usage.
Solution Approach 2:
The network interface card serves as an intermediary between the client and the solid state disk, enabling direct data access without CPU involvement. The NIC mediates the communication and command execution, allowing data to flow directly between the network and storage components while the CPU remains idle during these operations.
2Reliability
If the CPU of the storage device is involved in the data access process, then the data access can be completed with standard processing, but the CPU usage becomes excessively high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the CPU from the data access path by enabling the network interface card to directly interact with the solid state disk. The CPU is taken out of the critical data access loop, leaving only the necessary network interface card and storage device components involved, thereby reducing processing latency and CPU usage.
Solution Approach 2:
The network interface card and solid state disk perform data access operations autonomously without requiring CPU intervention. The NIC independently executes commands and manages data transfer, while the SSD handles its own read/write operations, creating a self-service data access pathway that eliminates CPU overhead.
Data Source
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AI summary
A solid state disk access method and a storage device are provided. The storage device includes a network interface card (22), a memory (23), and a solid state disk (24). In this method, the network interface card (22) receives to-be-written data and a write command, where the write command instructs to write the to-be-written data to the solid state disk (24). After receiving the to-be-written data and the write command, the network interface card (22) writes the to-be-written data to the memory (23), and writes the write command to a submission queue of the solid state disk (24). Then, the network interface card (22) notifies the solid state disk (24) that there is a to-be-executed command in the submission queue of the solid state disk (24), where the to-be-executed command is the write command. The solid state disk (24) obtains the to-be-written data from the memory (23) and writes the to-be-written data to a medium of the solid state disk (24) according to the write command. This method can greatly reduce a data access latency, and can also greatly reduce CPU usage of the storage device.