RAID Rebuild via Failed Address List Transmission
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Solution Overview
Problem
RAID rebuild operations are inefficient due to the high number of read requests required when handling failed logical block addresses (LBAs), leading to prolonged rebuild times.
Innovation Solution
Transmitting a failed address list along with normal data during a rebuild request in a RAID system, allowing the host to reduce the number of read requests and expedite the rebuild process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the host performs read requests for each failed LBA individually, then the host can identify and handle failed portions, but the number of read requests increases significantly and rebuild time is prolonged
Solution Approach 1:
The failed drive proactively transmits the failed address list to the host before the host needs to issue individual read requests for each failed LBA. This preliminary provision of failure information allows the host to plan and batch its read requests more efficiently, reducing the total number of requests and rebuild time while maintaining complete identification of failed portions for data integrity
2Productivity
If the failed drive transmits failed address list information, then the host can reduce the number of read requests, but the data transmission protocol becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the failed address list information with the existing data transmission protocol used during rebuild operations. Instead of creating a separate complex communication mechanism, the failure information is integrated into the data structures and communication flows already established for RAID rebuild, thereby improving rebuild speed without significantly increasing protocol complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A data storage system configured to perform a data rebuild operation via a reduced number of read requests includes a host and a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) device including a plurality of data storage devices. When the host receives data of a first region and data of a second region of a read-requested region of each of the data storage devices in response to a rebuild request, the host receives failed address list information of the second region. The first region is a normal region, and the second region is a faulty region. The host rebuilds the data of the second region based on the failed address list information.