Storage Management System Sector Boundary Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
The integration of 512-B-sector and 4-KB-sector storage media with hosts of different sector size support capabilities leads to performance degradation due to the need for Read-Modify-Write operations when the logical sector size managed by a host does not match the physical sector size of the storage medium.
Innovation Solution
A storage management system that includes a management unit, an acceptance unit, and a disk processing control unit, which manages a first storage medium with physical sectors of a first size and an alternative storage medium with physical sectors of a second size smaller than the first, allowing data to be written on the alternative medium when the write area's start or end address does not correspond to a physical sector boundary, and then transfers the data to the first storage medium after notification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If Read-Modify-Write operations are performed to handle sector size mismatches between hosts and storage media, then data compatibility is improved, but system performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-formatting storage media with the physical sector size required by the storage device rather than the logical sector size used by the host. This advance preparation eliminates the need for Read-Modify-Write operations during normal data access, as data can be written directly to the storage medium in its native sector format, thus resolving the performance penalty while maintaining compatibility through the translation layer.
2Quantity of substance
If physical sector size of storage medium is larger than logical sector size managed by host, then storage capacity efficiency is improved, but complexity of data management increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs an intermediary approach by introducing a format conversion layer between the host and the storage medium. This intermediary component handles the sector size translation, allowing the storage medium to operate at its optimal physical sector size for capacity efficiency while presenting a compatible logical sector size interface to the host, thus managing the complexity within the storage system rather than requiring changes to the host or data structures.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a storage management system that suppresses performance degradation due to Read-Modify-Write. The storage management system includes: a management unit managing a storage system including a first storage medium having a first physical sector size and an alternative storage medium having a second physical sector size smaller than the first physical sector size; an acceptance unit accepting a write request; and a disk processing control unit, when a write area identified by the write request is an area on the first storage medium and the start address or end address of the write area does not correspond to a boundary of a physical sector of the first storage medium, writing data identified by the write request on the alternative storage medium, notifying the host of completion of the write, and then transferring the data from the alternative storage medium to the first storage medium.