Storage Realm Isolation for Multi-Tenant Flash Access Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing storage systems face inefficiencies in managing and optimizing flash storage devices, leading to increased latency and reduced reliability due to unnecessary write operations and lack of centralized control over storage processes.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a direct-mapped flash storage system where higher-level processes, such as the operating system, manage storage operations directly without relying on lower-level storage controllers, and utilizing non-volatile RAM as a buffer to improve write latency and reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If storage controllers manage storage operations, then storage management is automated, but write latency increases and reliability decreases due to unnecessary write operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the storage management functions from the storage controller and relocates them to the host processor. The host processor directly manages flash storage devices by handling read/write commands, wear leveling, and garbage collection, eliminating the storage controller as an intermediary layer that caused reliability issues and unnecessary write operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a buffer memory as an intermediary between the host processor and flash storage devices. This buffer temporarily holds data before it is written to flash, reducing unnecessary write operations and improving reliability by allowing the system to coordinate writes more efficiently and implement proper wear leveling strategies.
2Extent of automation
If storage controllers manage storage operations, then storage management is centralized, but write latency increases due to additional processing layers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the storage controller from the data path and extracts its management functions to the host processor. This eliminates an additional processing layer in the write path, reducing latency by allowing the host to directly issue commands to the flash storage devices without intermediary processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a buffer memory that performs preliminary data holding and preparation before flash write operations. This allows the host processor to prepare and stage data in the buffer, then execute writes in optimized batches, reducing overall write latency by avoiding repeated small write operations.
3Productivity
If higher-level processes manage storage directly, then write operations are optimized, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent leverages the host processor's existing capabilities to perform storage management functions. The host processor, which already handles complex computational tasks, is extended to manage flash storage operations including wear leveling and garbage collection, utilizing its existing processing power and memory management capabilities rather than requiring specialized storage controller hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer memory serves as a simplified intermediary that abstracts the complexity of flash storage management. It provides a straightforward interface between the host processor and flash devices, handling data staging and write coordination without requiring complex control logic, thus improving productivity while managing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Configurable realms to support multi-tenancy for storage resources, including: creating, in a storage array, a plurality of realms, wherein each realm comprises a logical isolation of a corresponding one or more storage resources within the storage array; and restricting access to each of the plurality of realms using one or more configurable realm-specific access controls.