Storage Array Wear Leveling for Simultaneous Disk EOL Risk
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing storage technologies fail to effectively prevent storage performance degradation due to simultaneous end-of-life (EOL) of multiple disks in a storage array, and they inaccurately consider the impact of varying degrees of wear on disks.
Innovation Solution
A dynamic wear leveling mechanism that identifies high-risk disks based on wear thresholds, adjusts weights for disk wear using impact attenuation factors, and performs wear leveling to distribute data more accurately among disks, considering varying wear stages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If data is distributed uniformly across all disks in a storage array, then storage space utilization is improved, but disks with different wear levels may experience simultaneous end-of-life (EOL)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating data distribution strategies based on individual disk wear levels. Disks are categorized into different wear stages (early, middle, late), and data is distributed with different weights to each disk according to its specific wear condition. This ensures that disks with higher wear levels receive less new data, preventing them from reaching EOL simultaneously with other disks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by continuously monitoring disk wear levels and dynamically adjusting the data distribution weights. The weight assignment is not static but changes over time based on the evolving wear state of each disk. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to adapt to changing disk conditions and prevent simultaneous EOL while maintaining high storage utilization.
2Device complexity
If wear leveling is performed without considering varying degrees of wear, then data distribution is simplified, but the impact of wear on storage performance is inaccurately assessed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by introducing wear level as a critical parameter in the data distribution decision process. Disks are classified into different wear stages (early wear, middle wear, late wear), and the data distribution weight parameter is adjusted according to these stages. This allows the system to accurately reflect the impact of varying wear degrees on storage performance while maintaining manageable complexity through standardized weight assignments for each wear stage.
3Productivity
If data is concentrated on fewer disks, then write performance is improved, but the remaining disks experience accelerated aging and premature EOL
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by continuously monitoring the wear levels of all disks and using this information to adjust data distribution strategies. The system receives feedback on disk health status and responds by modifying the weight assignments for data allocation. This feedback mechanism ensures that write performance is optimized while simultaneously preventing any single disk from being overloaded, thereby extending the overall service life of the storage array.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for wear leveling involve identifying a detected disk as a target disk in response to detecting the disk with a degree of wear greater than a first threshold in a plurality of disks of a storage array. Such techniques further involve determining, in response to the number of the target disks being greater than or equal to a second threshold, an updated weight for disk wear based on the degree of wear of the target disk and an impact attenuation factor associated with the degree of wear. Such techniques further involve performing, based on the updated weight for the disk wear, wear leveling for an input/output (IO) request on the plurality of disks in the storage array. In this way, it can effectively avoid deterioration of the storage performance caused by end of life (EOL) of too many disks at the same time point or cycle.