RAID Protection Pool Data Reconstruction via Physical Extent Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current RAID systems with protection pools face challenges in efficiently reconstructing data across multiple physical disks, especially when disks fail or need to be scaled, due to complex disk management and limited flexibility in data storage architecture.
Innovation Solution
The method involves creating a protection pool architecture that allows for dynamic allocation and migration of physical extents across multiple disks, using a shared pool strategy to ensure data resilience and scalability, by separating arrays from direct disk management and utilizing virtual disks with lists of physical extents for flexible data storage and reconstruction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data is stored across multiple physical disks in a RAID system, then data resilience and scalability are improved, but data reconstruction complexity and time increase when disks fail
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments data into physical extents that can be independently managed and reconstructed. Each physical extent is a discrete unit that can be allocated to different arrays across multiple disks, allowing parallel reconstruction operations and reducing overall reconstruction time while maintaining data resilience across the RAID system
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces virtual disks as an intermediary layer between physical disks and arrays. Virtual disks contain lists of physical extents and serve as a management abstraction that simplifies data reconstruction by providing a unified interface for allocating and migrating physical extents across multiple physical disks without requiring complex direct disk-to-disk coordination
2Device complexity
If direct disk management is used in traditional RAID systems, then device simplicity is maintained, but adaptability and flexibility in data storage architecture are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces virtual disks as an intermediary layer between physical disks and arrays. Virtual disks contain lists of physical extents and serve as a management abstraction that simplifies data reconstruction by providing a unified interface for allocating and migrating physical extents across multiple physical disks without requiring complex direct disk-to-disk coordination
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic allocation of physical extents to virtual disks and arrays. Physical extents can be dynamically migrated between virtual disks and reallocated to different arrays based on system needs, enabling flexible adaptation to changing storage requirements while maintaining simplified management through the virtual disk abstraction layer
3Adaptability or versatility
If protection pool architecture with virtual disks is implemented, then adaptability and data migration flexibility are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments data into physical extents that can be independently managed and reconstructed. Each physical extent is a discrete unit that can be allocated to different arrays across multiple disks, allowing parallel reconstruction operations and reducing overall reconstruction time while maintaining data resilience across the RAID system
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal virtual disk structure that can serve multiple arrays and function as a shared protection pool resource. Virtual disks can be dynamically allocated to different arrays and can participate in multiple reconstruction operations, providing multi-functional flexibility without requiring separate management structures for each array
Data Source
AI summary
A method of performing a reconstruction of data in a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) system with a protection pool of storage units includes receiving a request to perform a reconstruction of a first set of physical extents stored on a first physical disk of a set of physical disks. Each physical extent of the first set of physical extents is associated with an array of a second set of physical extents. The second set of physical extents is distributed across the set of physical disks. The method further includes allocating a third set of physical extents on one or more physical disks of the set of physical disks other than the first physical disk, and distributing data from each of the first set of physical extents of the first physical disk to a corresponding physical extent of the third set of physical extents.