Storage Controller Workload Scheduling for VM Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional storage interfaces, such as SATA and NVMe, struggle to provide adequate isolation and fairness between virtual machines in virtualization environments, limiting their ability to support efficient task scheduling and resource allocation in modern storage devices.
Innovation Solution
A storage device with a controller that schedules tasks based on workload contribution, using independent erase block groups and request queues to manage data storage efficiency and resource allocation across multiple virtual machines, ensuring fair resource distribution and performance isolation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional NVMe interface is used, then basic data storage functionality is provided, but isolation and fairness between virtual machines cannot be sufficiently ensured
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the storage device into multiple independent virtual functions (VFs), each capable of being assigned to different virtual machines. This segmentation allows each VM to have dedicated storage resources while maintaining isolation through the virtualization layer, resolving the contradiction between providing virtual function support and ensuring isolation/fairness.
2Productivity
If traditional task scheduling is used, then simple task execution is achieved, but efficient resource allocation across multiple virtual machines is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces workload contribution as a dynamic parameter to determine task scheduling priority. Instead of fixed scheduling rules, the system adjusts priority based on real-time workload metrics, enabling efficient resource allocation across virtual machines while maintaining a relatively simple scheduling framework through parameter-based adaptation.
3Speed
If conventional interface is used, then basic connectivity is provided, but performance optimization for modern storage devices is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a unified interface framework that combines the advantages of both SATA and NVMe protocols while adding virtualization capabilities. This multi-functional interface can operate in different modes (physical function mode and virtual function mode), providing both basic connectivity and optimized performance for modern storage devices simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
A storage device includes a non-volatile memory including a plurality of blocks; and a storage controller connected to the non-volatile memory and configured to schedule a requested task of one virtual machine of a plurality of virtual machines based on a workload contribution of the one virtual machine, the workload contribution indicating a ratio between a workload generated by the one virtual machine and a plurality of workloads generated by the plurality of virtual machines.