Storage Disk Allocation via RAID Group Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current storage systems based on RAID face challenges in effectively allocating storage disks to reduce the risk of failure, especially when the number of disks is large, leading to increased complexity and computing overheads in reallocating disks.
Innovation Solution
A method is provided to determine multiple groups of storage disks with low unavailable capacity and create storage disk sets, optimizing the allocation process by selecting groups with the lowest unavailable capacity, thereby reducing computing overheads and ensuring quick data rebuilding while maintaining high reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the number of storage disks is increased to improve storage capacity, then the storage capacity is improved, but the possibility of system failure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the storage system into multiple independent RAID groups, where each group contains a limited number of storage disks (e.g., 5-10 disks). This segmentation isolates failure risks within individual groups, preventing cascading failures across the entire system while maintaining large total storage capacity through the aggregation of multiple groups.
2Reliability
If storage disks are reallocated to reduce failure risk, then the reliability is improved, but the computing overheads increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary allocation of storage disks into RAID groups with optimal sizes (5-10 disks per group) before operational use. This preliminary structuring establishes failure isolation boundaries in advance, eliminating the need for complex reallocation computations during operational failure management, thereby reducing computing overheads while maintaining reliability.
3Quantity of substance
If the number of storage disks in each RAID group is increased, then the storage capacity per group is improved, but the complexity of allocation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent establishes specific parameter ranges for RAID group sizes (5-10 disks per group) that optimize the balance between storage capacity and allocation complexity. This parameter constraint simplifies the allocation algorithm by limiting the search space, making the allocation process computationally tractable while still achieving substantial storage capacity through multiple groups.
4Reliability
If storage disks are allocated into multiple disk sets, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments storage disks into multiple independent RAID groups with clear boundaries, where each group can be managed and allocated independently. This segmentation reduces allocation complexity by breaking down the global allocation problem into smaller, manageable sub-problems, while simultaneously improving reliability through failure isolation across segments.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for allocating storage disks involve: determining, from storage disks to be allocated, groups of storage disks, where each of groups of storage disks includes storage disks corresponding to one disk array; selecting, from the groups of storage disks, a group of target storage disks, the group of target storage disks having an unavailable capacity lower than a first capacity threshold; and creating, based on the storage disks, a storage disk set including at least the group of target storage disks. Accordingly, the storage disk set with optimized available capacity may be found with fewer computing overheads.