Offload Copy Metadata Management for Storage Latency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current data storage systems face inefficiencies in performing offload copy operations within the system, leading to increased resource consumption and latency, especially when using deduplication techniques or physical data copying, which can impact performance and response times.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a method that uses a log file to record offload copy operations and interval trees to manage source and destination intervals, allowing for efficient data management by logging records, updating metadata, and reclaiming resources, thereby reducing latency and resource utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If physical data copying or deduplication techniques are used for offload copy operations, then data is copied from source to destination, but resource consumption and latency increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses metadata copying instead of physical data copying. When an offload copy operation is initiated, the system creates a copy reference entry in the metadata that points to the source data location, rather than physically copying the actual data blocks. This allows the destination to reference the source data directly, eliminating the time-consuming data transfer while maintaining data consistency through metadata management.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the data copying function from the offload copy operation by using deduplication-aware metadata management. Instead of performing actual data copying or deduplication processing during the offload operation, the system extracts only the necessary metadata information (copy references, deduplication indices) to enable the copy operation to complete rapidly while the actual data remains in place until needed.
2Reliability
If physical data copying or deduplication techniques are used for offload copy operations, then data is copied from source to destination, but resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses metadata copying instead of physical data copying. When an offload copy operation is initiated, the system creates a copy reference entry in the metadata that points to the source data location, rather than physically copying the actual data blocks. This allows the destination to reference the source data directly, eliminating the time-consuming data transfer while maintaining data consistency through metadata management.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of the copy operation from physical data movement to metadata manipulation. By altering the fundamental approach from copying bytes to copying references, the system dramatically reduces resource consumption including CPU cycles, memory bandwidth, and energy usage, while still achieving the desired data consistency through proper metadata tracking and deduplication index management.
3Quantity of substance
If deduplication techniques are used for offload copy operations, then data storage efficiency is improved, but processing complexity and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing deduplication indices and copy reference entries during normal write operations. When an offload copy operation is requested, the system leverages these pre-computed deduplication indices to quickly determine if the source data already exists at the destination, eliminating the need for time-consuming deduplication processing during the copy operation itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses metadata copying instead of physical data copying. When an offload copy operation is initiated, the system creates a copy reference entry in the metadata that points to the source data location, rather than physically copying the actual data blocks. This allows the destination to reference the source data directly, eliminating the time-consuming data transfer while maintaining data consistency through metadata management.
4Productivity
If traditional offload copy operations are performed, then data is copied within the storage system, but device complexity and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the metadata management system universal by using the same metadata structures and management mechanisms for both normal write operations and offload copy operations. The copy reference entries and deduplication indices are managed through the existing metadata infrastructure, eliminating the need for separate complex processing paths and reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high operation throughput.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for processing operations may include: receiving, at a data storage system from a host, an operation requesting to perform an offload copy operation internally within the data storage system, wherein the operation indicates that the offload copy operation copies data from a source interval to a destination interval; inserting a record in a log file logging the offload copy operation; inserting a source node representing the source interval in a source interval tree, wherein each node in the source interval tree represents a source interval of an offload copy operation having a corresponding record in the log file; inserting a destination node representing the destination interval in a destination interval tree, wherein each node in the destination interval tree represents a destination interval of an offload copy operation having a corresponding record in the log file; and returning an acknowledgement to the host regarding the offload copy operation.