Tiered Storage DRAM Reduction via Header Track Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current tiered data storage systems require significant Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) for mapping logical block addresses, which limits the overall size of the storage volume and is costly due to the high expense of fast storage areas, necessitating a reduction in DRAM usage.
Innovation Solution
The method involves tiering data storage devices into hot and cold regions, mapping hot data to fast solid state drives and cold data to slow hard disk drives, using a one-to-one data swapping process, and minimizing DRAM usage by only mapping header tracks of the fast storage regions, thereby reducing DRAM requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If DRAM is used to map logical block addresses for frequently accessed data in tiered storage, then access speed and performance are improved, but memory consumption and system cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the storage system into hot storage regions (fast) and cold storage regions (slow), and further segments the mapping structure into header tracks that are selectively cached in DRAM. Only the header tracks containing logical block addresses for frequently accessed data are maintained in DRAM, while the rest of the mapping information resides on disk. This segmentation allows the system to maintain fast access for hot data while minimizing DRAM consumption.
2Speed
If fast solid state drives are used for hot storage regions, then data access performance is improved, but system cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by assigning different storage media to different regions of the storage system based on access patterns. Hot storage regions that require frequent access are allocated to fast solid state drives, while cold storage regions are placed on slower hard disk drives. This creates a heterogeneous storage system where each region has properties optimized for its specific access characteristics, thereby improving overall performance without requiring the entire system to use expensive fast storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic data migration between hot and cold storage regions based on access patterns. Data that transitions from frequent to infrequent access is automatically moved from fast solid state drives to slower hard disk drives, and vice versa. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to adapt to changing workloads and optimize the use of expensive fast storage capacity, ensuring it is always dedicated to data that requires high-speed access.
3Volume of stationary object
If the overall storage volume size is increased, then storage capacity is improved, but DRAM memory requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential mapping information (header tracks containing logical block addresses) from the complete storage system and places only this critical subset in DRAM. The full mapping structure for the entire storage volume remains on disk, but the frequently accessed header tracks are extracted and cached in memory. This allows the system to support large storage volumes while maintaining DRAM consumption at manageable levels, as only the necessary mapping data for active data is held in memory.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a method of storage tiering with minimal use of DRAM memory for header overhead that utilizes the beginning of the volume to store frequently accessed or hot data. A solid state storage device is placed at the beginning of a tiered volume and is used to store frequently accessed data. When data becomes less frequently accessed it is moved to a cold data storage area on a hard disk drive in the tiered volume. The data exchange is performed on a one-to-one basis reducing the amount and use of DRAM.