Storage Array Data Migration During Acknowledgment Periods
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current approaches fail to maximize bandwidth utilization during acknowledgment periods in communications between storage arrays due to pausing transmissions for small confirmation messages, leading to underutilization of communication links.
Innovation Solution
Dynamically open copy jobs during acknowledgment periods, leveraging underutilized bandwidth by transmitting IO messages based on network characteristics and available capacity analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If transmissions are paused during acknowledgment periods to handle small confirmation messages, then message accuracy is improved, but bandwidth utilization deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies continuity of useful action by eliminating idle acknowledgment periods and continuously transmitting data blocks between storage arrays. Instead of pausing transmissions to handle acknowledgments, the system maintains continuous data flow, thereby maximizing bandwidth utilization while ensuring message accuracy through proper protocol handling.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-managing acknowledgment handling during data transmission. The system prepares and processes acknowledgments in advance or concurrently with data transmission, rather than pausing to handle them afterward, thus maintaining continuous bandwidth utilization while ensuring accurate message delivery.
2Productivity
If bandwidth is maximized by continuous transmission, then productivity is improved, but message reliability worsens due to potential data loss during acknowledgment periods
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies feedback by implementing a reliable acknowledgment mechanism that operates concurrently with continuous data transmission. The system receives and processes acknowledgments from the second storage array while maintaining data flow, using feedback signals to ensure message reliability without sacrificing bandwidth utilization. This allows the system to achieve both high productivity and message reliability simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
One or more aspects of the present disclosure relate to maximizing data migration bandwidth. In embodiments, one or more network characteristics corresponding to network communications between a first storage array and a second storage array is determined. Further, one or more network metrics of at least one acknowledgment communication from the second storage array to the first storage array can be analyzed. Additionally, one or more input/output (IO) messages are transmitted from the first storage array to the local storage array during an acknowledgment period corresponding to receipt of the at least one acknowledgment communication from the second storage array by the first storage array based on the one or more network metrics.