Storage Node Integrated Circuit with Decoupled Network and Storage Engines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern data storage systems face challenges in reducing CPU utilization and power consumption due to increasing data throughput and storage cluster complexity, particularly in managing storage nodes efficiently.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a storage node with an integrated circuit featuring a network engine and a storage engine, where the network engine performs network tasks using first processing cores, and the storage engine performs storage tasks using second processing cores, allowing for pipelined scheduling and hardware-assisted acceleration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If storage nodes use general-purpose CPUs to manage both network and storage tasks, then system versatility is maintained, but CPU utilization and power consumption increase with growing data throughput
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the monolithic CPU into separate network engine and storage engine, each with dedicated processing cores. The network engine handles network I/O tasks while the storage engine handles storage operations, allowing parallel processing and preventing one task from blocking the other, thereby maintaining high data throughput while reducing overall power consumption through specialized optimization
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of processing by using dedicated hardware engines with optimized instruction sets and execution pipelines tailored for specific task types. The network engine uses parameters optimized for packet processing and protocol handling, while the storage engine uses parameters optimized for data transfer and storage operations, improving efficiency without increasing power consumption
2Productivity
If a single CPU handles both network and storage tasks, then device complexity is reduced, but processing efficiency and I/O performance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the network engine and storage engine into a single integrated circuit that shares common resources such as memory interfaces, bus connections, and control logic. This consolidation maintains relatively simple device architecture while achieving improved I/O processing efficiency through dedicated processing paths and parallel operation of the two engines
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated circuit is designed with universal components that serve multiple functions: the shared memory interface can serve both network and storage operations, the bus system can transmit both network packets and storage data, and the control logic can manage both engine types, thereby maintaining device simplicity while enabling specialized high-performance processing
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides storage nodes, integrated circuits, and methods for storage node management. A method for storage node management includes performing one or more network tasks by one or more first processing cores in a network engine of an integrated circuit; and performing one or more storage tasks by one or more second processing cores in a storage engine of the integrated circuit.