Distributed Storage Read Layout Across Maintenance Domains

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Solution Overview

Problem

Distributed storage systems face challenges in maintaining data accessibility during maintenance or system failures, leading to impaired user operations due to data unavailability in data centers.

Innovation Solution

A distributed storage system architecture that employs single-sided operations with RDMA-capable network interface controllers, combined with Reed-Solomon and layered/nested coding techniques, to ensure data redundancy and enable reconstruction of lost or damaged data chunks across multiple maintenance domains.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If data is stored in a distributed storage system with maintenance domains, then system reliability is improved, but data accessibility during maintenance deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem reliabilityVSAvoiddata accessibility
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The storage system is segmented into multiple maintenance domains, each independently manageable. Data chunks are distributed across these domains, allowing maintenance operations to be performed on individual domains without affecting the entire system. This segmentation enables the system to maintain reliability while preserving data accessibility through parallel operations on active domains.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically changes the operational state parameters of maintenance domains, transitioning them between active and inactive states based on maintenance requirements. By adjusting which domains are active versus inactive, the system can perform maintenance on specific domains while maintaining data accessibility through other active domains, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability improvement and data accessibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If data chunks are distributed across multiple maintenance domains, then system availability is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem availabilityVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system divides the storage infrastructure into discrete maintenance domains with clear boundaries and responsibilities. Each domain manages its own data chunks independently, which simplifies the overall system architecture by creating modular, manageable units. This segmentation reduces complexity while maintaining availability through the distributed nature of the domains.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary organization of data chunks into specific maintenance domains before maintenance operations begin. This pre-arranged distribution structure is established in advance, creating a clear mapping between data and domains that simplifies maintenance planning and execution. The preliminary action reduces operational complexity during actual maintenance events while preserving system availability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3839767B1Efficient data reads from distributed storage systems
Publication Date: 2026.01.07 GOOGLE LLC
  • EP3839767B1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP3839767B1 patent drawingFigure 1B
  • EP3839767B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

A method (800) of distributing data (312) in a distributed storage system (100) includes receiving a file (310) into non-transitory memory (204) and dividing the received file into chunks (330). The chunks are data-chunks (330nD) and non-data chunks (330nC). The method also includes grouping one or more of the data chunks and one or more of the non-data chunks in a group (G). One or more chunks of the group is/are capable of being reconstructed from other chunks of the group. The method includes distributing the chunks of the group to storage devices (114) of the distributed storage system based on a distributed storage system hierarchy (400). The hierarchy includes maintenance domains (402) having active and inactive states, each storage device associated with a maintenance domain, the chunks of a group are distributed across multiple maintenance domains to maintain the ability to reconstruct chunks of the group.