Server I/O Request Aggregation for Storage Transaction Simplification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Storage area networks (SANs) require complex transaction mechanisms to manage I/O requests from multiple storage devices, leading to increased processing time and load.
Innovation Solution
A data processing method and apparatus that uses a request sequence number to mark data processing requests, generates I/O requests, merges them when exceeding a threshold, and sends an aggregation instruction to the storage system's controller, simplifying the transaction mechanism by processing I/O requests together.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a transaction mechanism is added to monitor and manage I/O requests of a same data processing request across multiple storage devices, then data consistency is ensured, but the time taken to process aggregation requests is extended and the load of the transaction mechanism increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by adding request sequence numbers to I/O requests before they are processed by the storage system. This pre-marking allows the storage system to automatically track and manage I/O requests belonging to the same data processing request without requiring a complex transaction mechanism, thereby reducing processing time while ensuring data consistency.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage system performs self-service by automatically monitoring and managing I/O requests using the request sequence numbers that are already present in the requests. The storage system can independently determine which I/O requests belong to the same data processing request and manage them accordingly, eliminating the need for an external transaction mechanism and reducing the overall processing time.
2Productivity
If I/O requests for different storage devices are dispersed to different aggregation instructions and processed separately, then each storage device can be accessed independently, but the transaction mechanism becomes more complex and the processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies merging by combining multiple I/O requests with the same request sequence number into a single aggregation instruction. Instead of dispersing I/O requests to different aggregation instructions for different storage devices, the system merges them and processes them together in one aggregated instruction, thereby reducing transaction mechanism complexity while maintaining independent access capability to each storage device.
Solution Approach 2:
The aggregation instruction structure is designed to be universal and multi-functional, capable of carrying multiple I/O requests for different storage devices within a single instruction. This universal structure eliminates the need for separate aggregation instructions for each storage device, simplifying the transaction mechanism while preserving the ability to access multiple storage devices independently.
3Loss of time
If multiple I/O requests are merged into an aggregation instruction, then the number of transactions is reduced and processing time is decreased, but the aggregation instruction becomes more complex and requires careful parsing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by organizing multiple I/O requests into an aggregation instruction with a predefined structure that includes the request sequence number and individual I/O request details. This pre-organization reduces the complexity of parsing during execution, as the storage system can systematically extract and process each I/O request based on the structured format, thereby reducing processing time without excessive parsing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A data processing method and apparatus, a server, and a controller, where the method includes receiving, by a server, a data processing request, where the data processing request includes a request sequence number, and the request sequence number marks the data processing request, generating at least one input/output (I/O) request according to the data processing request, adding the request sequence number to each of the at least one I/O request, merging the I/O requests having the request sequence number, and generating an aggregation instruction when a quantity of I/O requests having the request sequence number is greater than a preset threshold, and sending the aggregation instruction to a controller of a storage system. Hence, a time taken to perform monitoring and management using a transaction mechanism can be reduced, thereby simplifying the transaction mechanism.