Translation Table Snapshot Marker for Storage Reliability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing storage systems face challenges in reconstructing translation table states after shutdowns, particularly under constrained memory conditions, and are vulnerable to data loss due to the asynchronous persistence of translation table maps.
Innovation Solution
A unified paging method is implemented, where a snapshot marker system and checkpoint mechanism are used to persist and reconstruct translation table entries efficiently, ensuring minimal input/output operations and data integrity by treating translation table entries like user data, with incremental snapshotting and periodic checkpointing to manage memory and persistence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a paged translation system is implemented to constrain memory consumption, then memory usage is reduced, but the system becomes vulnerable to data loss after unplanned shutdown and requires complex reconstruction mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by implementing a snapshot marker system that records the state of translation table entries before they are paged out to storage. This allows the system to reconstruct the translation table after shutdown by retrieving only the necessary entries marked by sequence numbers, rather than requiring full persistence or complex reconstruction mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the translation table into multiple dump groups, each with its own sequence number marker. This segmentation allows incremental persistence where only specific segments need to be reconstructed after shutdown, reducing both memory consumption and reconstruction complexity while maintaining data integrity.
2Productivity
If translation table entries are persisted asynchronously to minimize I/O operations, then I/O efficiency is improved, but data loss vulnerability increases after unplanned shutdown
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback through sequence number markers that track the persistence state of each dump group. The system continuously monitors and records which entries have been persisted and which remain in memory, enabling reliable reconstruction after shutdown while maintaining asynchronous I/O efficiency during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces sequence number markers as intermediaries between the translation table entries and the persistence mechanism. These markers enable the system to track and reconstruct specific entries after shutdown without requiring synchronous persistence, thus maintaining I/O efficiency while improving data protection.
3Reliability
If the entire translation table is persisted to storage, then data integrity is ensured, but memory consumption increases and I/O operations become excessive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary translation table entries for persistence by using sequence number markers to identify which dump groups need to be saved. This selective extraction ensures data integrity for critical entries while minimizing memory consumption and I/O operations compared to persisting the entire translation table.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by persisting only specific portions of the translation table (those marked by sequence numbers) rather than the entire table. This partial persistence approach ensures data integrity for essential entries while reducing memory consumption and I/O overhead.
4Stability of the object's composition
If translation table reconstruction is performed after shutdown, then data continuity is restored, but system startup time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-marking translation table entries with sequence number markers before shutdown. During startup, the system only needs to retrieve and reconstruct entries associated with the latest sequence numbers, significantly reducing reconstruction time compared to rebuilding the entire translation table while maintaining data continuity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the reconstruction process into discrete dump groups identified by sequence numbers. This allows the system to reconstruct only the necessary segments after shutdown rather than the entire translation table, reducing startup time while ensuring data continuity for all critical entries.
Data Source
AI summary
A data storage apparatus that includes a storage device and a processor coupled to the storage device. The processor is configured to receive in a memory, a first logical block entry for a first dump group and a second logical block entry for a second dump group; store in a reverse translation table, the first logical block entry for the first dump group and the second logical block entry for the second dump group; determine a first sequence number associated with the stored first logical block entry and the stored second logical block entry in the reverse translation table, wherein the first sequence number is a snapshot marker that determines a timestamp associated with the first logical block and the second logical block; and persist the first logical block entry for the first dump group in the storage device.