Storage Controller Virtual Space Balancing Overflow

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Solution Overview

Problem

Storage controllers using thin-provisioning and compression technologies often lead to inaccuracies in predicting real space usage, resulting in potential overflow conditions due to the mismatch between virtual and real capacities, which can disrupt data access when real space is underestimated.

Innovation Solution

A monitoring agent is employed to balance virtual and real space usage by adjusting a reserved portion of free capacity in the virtual space, creating a size-adjustable data object that consumes minimal real space while reflecting real capacity availability, thereby preventing capacity overflow and ensuring continuous data access.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If thin-provisioning is used to provide larger virtual capacity than real capacity, then storage efficiency and cost are improved, but accuracy of predicting real space usage deteriorates leading to potential overflow conditions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage efficiencyVSAvoidprediction accuracy of real space usage

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a reserved portion data object in advance that proactively occupies virtual space corresponding to available real capacity. This preliminary action prevents the storage application from allocating virtual space that would exceed real capacity, thereby avoiding overflow conditions before they occur while maintaining thin-provisioning efficiency

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system continuously monitors real capacity usage and adjusts the size of the reserved portion data object accordingly. When real capacity changes, the reserved portion is dynamically updated to reflect current availability, providing feedback control that maintains accurate virtual-real capacity alignment without requiring precise initial predictions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Ease of manufacture

If compression is used to support virtual capacity larger than real capacity, then storage efficiency is improved, but reliability of data access deteriorates when real space is underestimated

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage efficiencyVSAvoiddata access reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The reserved portion data object is created beforehand to reserve virtual space that corresponds to available real capacity. This prevents the storage application from writing data that would exceed compression capacity, ensuring data access reliability is maintained while preserving compression efficiency

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies preliminary anti-action by pre-occupying virtual space with the reserved portion data object to counteract potential overflow conditions. This prevents harmful write operations before they can occur, maintaining both compression efficiency and data access reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

3Adaptability or versatility

If virtual capacity is increased beyond real capacity to meet application needs, then adaptability is improved, but risk of capacity overflow increases disrupting data access

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevirtual capacity flexibilityVSAvoiddata access continuity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The virtual capacity is segmented into two distinct portions: the reserved portion occupied by the reserved portion data object that corresponds to real capacity limits, and the remaining virtual space available to the storage application. This segmentation allows adaptability within safe boundaries while preventing overflow that would disrupt data access

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The reserved portion data object acts as an intermediary between the storage application and the real capacity constraints. It mediates capacity allocation by occupying appropriate virtual space and preventing applications from exceeding real capacity limits, thereby maintaining data access continuity while preserving virtual capacity flexibility

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS9785348B2Balancing usage of real and virtual space to avoid out-of-space conditions in storage controllers

Publication Date: 2017.10.10 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION

AI summary

Embodiments of the invention relates to avoiding out-of-space conditions in storage controllers operating with efficiency capabilities between virtual space in a data container and real space in a storage container. Both the real space and the virtual space are monitored and their respective usage is compared to provide information about occupancy of the real space to the virtual space. Usage of the containers is balanced by employing a virtual file associated with a reserved portion of free capacity in the virtual space.