Storage Mirroring Response Time Reduction via Partial Write Completion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data mirroring techniques experience increased response times due to failures in storage devices, leading to delays in data writing and potential data loss, as they wait for responses from all devices to ensure data consistency.
Innovation Solution
The system acquires a secondary storage region, copies data to it, and transmits writing requests to redundant storage devices without relying on the initial storage region, allowing for immediate response to the application software even if one device fails, by monitoring response times and excluding unstable devices from mirroring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the system waits for responses from all redundant storage devices to confirm data writing, then data consistency is ensured, but response time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by requiring only a predetermined number of storage devices (e.g., one out of two or more) to successfully write data, rather than requiring all devices to confirm. This allows the system to respond to application software once the minimum redundancy requirement is met, reducing response time while maintaining data consistency through the remaining redundant devices.
2Reliability
If the system retries data writing to failed storage devices, then data consistency is maintained, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by detecting writing completion status before the retry-over time expires. When the status indicates successful writing to the predetermined number of devices, the system immediately determines data consistency is achieved and responds to application software, preventing unnecessary retry operations that would delay productivity while still ensuring data consistency through the redundant writing process.
Data Source
AI summary
Upon receiving, from application software, a first request for writing data stored in a first storage-region of the application software, an apparatus acquires a second storage-region, and copies the data to the second storage-region. The apparatus transmits, to one of drivers associated with each of redundant storage-devices on which mirroring is to be performed, a second request for writing the copied data to the each redundant storage-device, transmits, to the application software, a response indicating that writing of the data has been successfully performed in a case where a data-writing process for at least one of the redundant storage-devices is completed when a predetermined time has elapsed after the second request is transmitted to the drivers and before a retry-over time at which retry of the data-writing process is performed predetermined times, and excludes, from the redundant storage-devices, a storage-device for which the data-writing process is not completed.