Dual-Controller Storage Restart Without I/O Queue Interruption
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Solution Overview
Problem
In storage devices with multiple controllers, an OS restart process can disrupt input/output processes and data duplication, leading to temporary difficulties in continuing operations when one controller is stopped for updates or failures.
Innovation Solution
A storage device with dual controllers connected by an inter-controller link, utilizing a storage control program that allocates virtual addresses to non-OS management areas, takes over input/output processes, executes OS restarts without hardware initialization, and resumes operations post-restart, ensuring continuous data duplication and input/output processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If one controller executes an OS restart process at arbitrary timing, then the OS can be updated or restarted, but the input/output process is interrupted and data duplication is affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the controller functions into separate OS management area and non-OS management area. The non-OS management area stores control queues and other critical data that must be preserved during OS restart, while the OS management area can be restarted independently. This segmentation allows the OS to be updated without interrupting the input/output process continuity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a non-OS management area as an intermediary structure that bridges the OS and hardware control functions. This intermediary stores essential control information (control queues) that mediates between the restarting OS and the continuous input/output operations, ensuring that data duplication and process continuity are maintained during OS updates.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the controller stops for OS restart, then the OS can be updated, but data received from host device is not duplicated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-allocating and preserving control queues in the non-OS management area before the OS restart begins. This ensures that when the OS restarts, the control queues are already in place and ready to continue data duplication operations without interruption, maintaining data redundancy.
Solution Approach 2:
The non-OS management area acts as an intermediary that preserves control queue information during OS restart. This intermediary ensures that data duplication operations continue uninterrupted by maintaining control information independently of the restarting OS, thereby preserving data redundancy.
3Productivity
If input/output request is reconnected to other controller during restart, then operation continues, but host device needs to retransmit request
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by preserving control queues in the non-OS management area before restart, so that when the controller resumes, the input/output requests are already queued and ready. This eliminates the need for host device retransmission and maintains operation continuity without time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The control queues in the non-OS management area serve as an intermediary that maintains input/output request state during OS restart. This intermediary ensures that requests are preserved and can be continued without retransmission, maintaining both productivity and minimizing time loss.
Data Source
AI summary
The storage control program executes a restart process of restarting an updated operating system without initializing a first predetermined area on hardware used by the operating system, reallocates a virtual address to the first predetermined area after the restart process is finished, and resumes an input/output process by the first processor.