Storage System Block Classification for Uniform Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Storage devices with bad blocks exhibit varying access times, leading to non-uniform performance, which constrains the need for improved storage technology to ensure consistent performance across devices with and without bad blocks.
Innovation Solution
A storage system that classifies blocks into types and uses a host device to generate and transmit target state information to storage devices, ensuring they have a similar number of readable/writable, writable-only, and unreadable blocks, thereby optimizing garbage collection and maintaining uniform performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If storage devices with bad blocks are utilized, then storage device availability increases, but access time increases and performance uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The host device performs preliminary actions by determining target state information before storage operations. It calculates the desired number of first type blocks (readable/writable) for each storage device based on internal state information, and proactively transmits this target state information to storage devices. This preliminary planning ensures that storage devices with bad blocks are pre-configured with optimal block distributions, preventing access time delays during actual storage operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of block configuration by adjusting the number of first type blocks (readable/writable blocks) in each storage device. The host device determines target state information that specifies the optimal number of readable/writable blocks for each storage device based on its bad block characteristics. This parameter adjustment compensates for the presence of bad blocks, ensuring uniform access times across all storage devices regardless of their bad block counts.
2Adaptability or versatility
If storage devices with bad blocks are utilized, then storage device availability increases, but performance uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The host device changes the block configuration parameter by determining target state information that specifies the optimal number of readable/writable blocks for each storage device. It transmits this target state information to storage devices, causing them to adjust their block distributions. This parameter adjustment ensures that all storage devices maintain a consistent number of readable/writable blocks, achieving performance uniformity across the storage system even when devices have different numbers of bad blocks.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by having storage devices transmit internal state information (including the number of bad blocks) to the host device. The host device uses this feedback information to determine appropriate target state information for each storage device. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables the host to make informed decisions about block configuration, ensuring that storage devices with varying bad block characteristics are optimized for uniform performance.
3Loss of time
If block configurations are adjusted to ensure uniform performance, then access time uniformity improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The host device serves as an intermediary that centralizes the complexity of block configuration management. Instead of each storage device independently managing its block configuration (which would increase overall system complexity), the host device receives internal state information from all storage devices, determines optimal target state information, and transmits configuration instructions to each storage device. This intermediary approach simplifies the system architecture while achieving access time uniformity across all storage devices.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides methods and apparatuses for a storage system. In some embodiments, a storage system includes a plurality of storage devices and a host device. Each storage device of the plurality of storage devices includes a plurality of blocks classified into first type blocks, second type blocks, and third type blocks, and is configured to generate internal state information items indicating information on a first number of first type blocks, a second number of second type blocks, and a third number of third type blocks. The host device is configured to receive, from the plurality of storage devices, the internal state information items, generate target state information such that the plurality of storage devices include a same number or substantially same number of first type blocks, based on the internal state information items, and transmit, to the plurality of storage devices, the target state information.