RAID Controller Data Validity Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current RAID management methods fail to effectively manage data validity information, leading to data recovery failures when disk failures occur, and do not optimize performance across different types of disks such as SSDs and HDDs.
Innovation Solution
A RAID management method where a RAID controller records and updates data validity information for each strip unit, allowing it to execute data processing instructions based on this information, thereby improving performance by avoiding data loss and optimizing operations across SSDs and HDDs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If each disk separately manages validity of user data in a storage medium, then the disk can independently control its data, but when a failure occurs on any disk, validity information of user data is lost and data recovery fails
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the management of data validity information from individual disks into a unified management system. The RAID controller consolidates validity information from multiple disks into a single validity information table, ensuring that even if one disk fails, the controller retains the ability to track and recover data across the entire RAID group.
Solution Approach 2:
The RAID controller acts as an intermediary that centralizes the management of data validity information. Instead of each disk independently managing its own validity information, the controller mediates all validity information storage and retrieval operations, preventing information loss when individual disks fail.
2Reliability
If the RAID controller stores and manages data validity information for all strip units, then unified management is achieved and data recovery is improved, but the complexity of the RAID controller increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the validity information management by creating a structured validity information table that divides validity tracking into discrete strip unit entries. Each strip unit has its own validity indicator, allowing the controller to manage validity information in an organized, modular fashion rather than as a monolithic structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The RAID controller preliminarily establishes and maintains a validity information table that tracks the status of all strip units before any data operations occur. This pre-established structure enables the controller to quickly determine data validity and proceed with recovery operations without needing to analyze disk states in real-time during failures.
3Measurement precision
If the RAID controller determines data validity information for each strip unit before executing data processing instructions, then data processing accuracy is improved, but the processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The RAID controller preliminarily determines and stores the validity information of each strip unit in advance in the validity information table. When data processing instructions are received, the controller simply queries this pre-established table rather than performing complex validity analysis during the processing operation, significantly reducing execution time while maintaining accurate validity determination.
Data Source
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AI summary
A redundant array of independent disks RAID management method and a redundant array of independent disks controller are provided. The method includes: The RAID controller records and stores data validity information of each strip unit, pre-determines a status of a target strip unit based on the data validity information of the strip unit when obtaining a data processing instruction, and then determines whether a disk in which the target strip unit is located is used to execute the data processing instruction. In this way, performance of a RAID group is improved, and loss of data validity information caused by any disk failure in the RAID group is avoided.