Storage System Power Reduction via Read Redirection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large business entities face high financial penalties for exceeding power utilization caps in data storage systems, where power consumption is dominated by active disk drives and I/O activity, making it impractical to turn off drives or reduce I/O demand to conserve energy.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method to redirect read requests from a primary storage system to a remote storage system based on power management policies, reducing I/O operations on the primary system and thereby lowering power consumption while maintaining performance and disaster recovery capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by stationary object
If drives are turned off to reduce power consumption, then power consumption decreases, but access time increases and performance requirements are not met
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments read operations into two types: local reads (for frequently accessed or critical data) and remote reads (for less critical data). By segmenting read operations, the system can redirect only specific reads to the remote storage system, reducing power consumption for those operations while maintaining fast local access for critical data, thus resolving the contradiction between power savings and access time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a remote copy storage system that maintains a copy of data at a remote location. When a read request is redirected, the system reads from the remote copy instead of the local drive. This copying approach allows the system to reduce power consumption by avoiding local drive access while still providing data access through the remote copy, eliminating the need to turn off drives entirely.
2Use of energy by stationary object
If I/O demand is reduced to lower power consumption, then power consumption decreases, but business needs cannot be met
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different quality treatment to different read operations by redirecting only specific reads (those that can tolerate longer access times) to the remote storage system while maintaining local service for critical operations. This local quality differentiation allows the system to reduce power consumption for non-critical reads while maintaining full I/O demand fulfillment for critical data, resolving the contradiction between power savings and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically determines which read requests to redirect based on real-time conditions such as power consumption thresholds, data criticality, and access patterns. This dynamic approach allows the system to optimize power consumption by redirecting reads when appropriate while ensuring that I/O demand is met through selective local service, balancing power savings with productivity requirements.
3Use of energy by stationary object
If read requests are redirected to remote storage system, then power consumption decreases, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The remote storage system serves multiple functions: it provides disaster recovery capability, enables power consumption reduction through read redirection, and maintains data availability. By making the remote system multi-functional, the patent justifies the added system complexity through the delivery of multiple valuable services from a single additional component, resolving the contradiction between power savings and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a redirect mechanism as an intermediary component that sits between the host and the storage systems. This intermediary handles the logic of determining which reads to redirect and which to serve locally, abstracting the complexity from the user perspective. The redirect mechanism acts as a mediator that simplifies the interaction while managing the underlying complexity of coordinating between local and remote storage systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A storage system in a remote copy configuration includes a redirect mechanism. The redirect mechanism determines whether to redirect read operations to a remote storage system, which is part of the remote copy configuration, based on a power management policy and a redirect policy. The redirect mechanism takes into account response time data, input/output demand, power utilization data, and input/output classes and priorities to determine whether to redirect read access requests to the remote storage system. Redirection of read operations to the remote storage system results in reduced power consumption at the local system.