Storage Tier Alignment via Access Feedback

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Solution Overview

Problem

Dynamic Tiering in storage systems leads to differing storage tier allocations between primary and secondary volumes during copy/migration, resulting in mismatched page allocation between the main site and remote site storage systems.

Innovation Solution

A computer system with a first storage system and a second storage system, where data is copied and reallocated based on access information to align the storage tier allocations of virtual volumes between the two systems, ensuring that the remote site storage system's page allocation approximates the main site's allocation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If Dynamic Tiering is applied to the storage system, then storage performance is optimized by reallocating pages based on access frequency, but the storage tiers of the primary volume and secondary volume will differ following a copy/migration

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage performanceVSAvoidtier allocation consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by having the primary storage system reallocate pages based on access frequency and then proactively transmitting reallocation information to the secondary storage system before the secondary system would naturally perform its own reallocation. This ensures the secondary system's tier allocation matches the primary system's optimized allocation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback by having the primary storage system monitor access patterns, determine optimal tier allocations, and continuously transmit reallocation information to the secondary storage system. This feedback loop ensures both systems maintain consistent tier allocations that optimize storage performance while preserving data consistency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Productivity

If copy/migration is performed between storage systems with Dynamic Tiering, then data is transferred between systems, but the storage tier allocations will differ between primary and secondary volumes

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata transfer efficiencyVSAvoidtier allocation structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

During copy/migration operations, the primary storage system continues to monitor access patterns and transmit reallocation information to the secondary system. This feedback mechanism ensures that even during data transfer, both systems maintain consistent tier allocations, preserving the stability of the storage structure while enabling efficient data migration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary reallocation optimizations on the primary system before and during migration, then applies the same reallocation pattern to the secondary system. This preliminary action ensures that the tier allocation structure remains stable and consistent across both systems throughout the migration process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Speed

If the remote site storage system performs independent Dynamic Tiering, then local access performance is optimized, but the page allocation differs greatly from the main site virtual volume allocation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelocal access performanceVSAvoidpage allocation matching

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The primary storage system acts as the authority by monitoring its own access patterns and transmitting reallocation decisions to the secondary system. This feedback mechanism ensures that the secondary system's page allocation matches the primary system's allocation, maintaining manufacturing precision while still allowing the secondary system to serve local access needs during disaster recovery scenarios.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The primary storage system performs preliminary reallocation optimizations based on its access patterns, then proactively applies the same reallocation pattern to the secondary system before the secondary system would independently optimize. This preliminary action ensures both systems have matching page allocations that optimize performance while maintaining consistency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS8949563B2Computer system and data management method

Publication Date: 2015.02.03 HITACHI VANTARA LTD

AI summary

A first storage system copies data of a virtual area of a first virtual volume to a virtual area of a second virtual volume of a second storage system, monitors accesses with respect to multiple virtual areas of the first virtual volume, updates access information related to the accesses of the multiple virtual areas, and, based on the access information, reallocates data inside an actual area of a first pool allocated to the virtual area of the first virtual volume. The first storage system sends the access information to the second storage system. The second storage system receives the access information, and, based on the access information, reallocates data inside the actual area allocated to a virtual area of the second virtual volume.