Object Identifier Translation for Direct Block I/O Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems that combine block I/O and object addressable storage face inefficiencies due to content units being transferred twice over networks, increasing latency and network traffic, especially when dealing with large content units.
Innovation Solution
A method where a first server issues object identifiers to a second server, which converts them into block I/O addresses for a block I/O storage system, allowing direct access and transfer of content units from the storage system to the host computer, bypassing the object addressable storage server.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If content units are transferred through the object addressable storage server, then the system maintains location independence and abstraction, but network latency and traffic increase due to double transfer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a translation service as an intermediary that converts object identifiers to block addresses. This mediator enables the host to access storage directly without routing through the object addressable storage server, thereby maintaining the abstraction benefits while eliminating the performance penalty of double transfer.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the storage access path into distinct components: the translation service that handles identifier conversion, and the direct host-to-storage path for data transfer. This segmentation allows the abstraction layer to remain intact for management purposes while enabling optimized direct access for performance-critical operations.
2Reliability
If content units are transferred through the object addressable storage server, then the system maintains unified access control, but network traffic increases especially for large content units
Solution Approach 1:
The translation service acts as a mediator that preserves access control policies by maintaining the mapping between object identifiers and block addresses. This allows the system to enforce unified access control through the translation layer while enabling direct, efficient data transfer between host and storage, reducing network traffic for large content units.
3Productivity
If block addresses are used directly, then network efficiency improves, but the system loses location independence and requires host awareness of physical locations
Solution Approach 1:
The translation service serves as an intermediary that translates between the abstract object identifier space and the concrete block address space. This allows hosts to use efficient direct access methods with block addresses while the translation layer preserves location independence by abstracting the physical storage locations from the host.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring hosts to work with abstract identifiers and have the server translate to physical locations, the system inverts the approach by enabling hosts to use direct block addresses while the translation service maintains the reverse mapping for preserving location independence and enabling object-based management.
Data Source
AI summary
One embodiment of the invention relates to the transfer of content between a host computer that issues OAS access requests and a block I/O storage system. Specifically, a host computer may issue an access request for a content unit that identifies the content unit is an object identifier. The request may be received by a second server, which may determine the block address(es) on the block I/O storage system at which the content unit is stored. A request may then be sent to the block I/O storage system to retrieve the content stored at the requested block address(es) and the block I/O storage system may return the content.