Snapshot Mapping Structure Merging Objects
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current storage systems face inefficiencies in managing and deleting snapshots, leading to complex data tracking and storage overhead, especially when dealing with numerous snapshots and volume resizing operations, which affects performance and scalability.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a snapshot mapping structure with a dynamic bitmap and merge groups allows for efficient snapshot management by identifying candidates for deletion and merging data items within these groups, optimizing storage usage and performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional snapshot management methods are used, then snapshot creation and deletion operations become complex and time-consuming, but implementing efficient snapshot management requires complex data tracking structures and increased storage overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the snapshot mapping structure into multiple objects organized in a tree structure, where each object represents a portion of the storage volume or snapshots. This segmentation allows the system to manage snapshots efficiently by operating on individual objects rather than the entire volume, reducing the complexity of data tracking while maintaining high productivity in snapshot operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a hierarchical tree structure dimension to organize snapshot objects, transforming the traditional flat snapshot management approach. This dimensional change enables the system to track data dependencies efficiently through parent-child relationships in the tree, reducing overall system complexity while improving snapshot operation performance.
2Adaptability or versatility
If numerous snapshots are maintained, then data tracking complexity and storage overhead increase, but efficient snapshot management requires supporting a large number of snapshots
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements merging functionality that combines multiple snapshot objects into a single object when they share common data blocks. This merging process reduces storage overhead by eliminating redundant data copies while maintaining the ability to support numerous snapshots. The tree structure facilitates efficient identification of merge candidates through parent-child relationships.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables efficient discarding of snapshot data that is no longer needed by identifying and deleting obsolete objects in the tree structure. The system tracks which data blocks are referenced by which snapshots, allowing rapid identification of discardeable data. This approach reduces storage overhead while maintaining adaptability to support large numbers of snapshots.
3Adaptability or versatility
If volume resizing operations are performed, then data tracking becomes more complex and storage efficiency decreases, but flexible volume management requires supporting resizing operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic snapshot mapping structures that automatically adapt to volume resizing operations. When a volume is resized, the tree structure dynamically reorganizes objects to reflect the new volume boundaries, maintaining storage efficiency without requiring complex manual data tracking. The system automatically identifies and updates affected objects in the tree structure.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus comprises a processing device configured to receive a request to perform merging in a snapshot mapping structure comprising objects representing a given storage volume and its snapshots. The objects are organized in a tree structure representing data dependencies between the given storage volume and its snapshots. The processing device is also configured to analyze the snapshot mapping structure to identify ones of the objects that are candidates for deletion and to determine merge groups. A given one of the merge groups includes (i) at least a subset of the objects identified as candidates for deletion and (ii) a given object that is a child object of at least one of the subset of the objects identified as candidates for deletion. The processing device is further configured to perform merging in the snapshot mapping structure by merging data items in the given merge group to one of its objects.