Virtual Disk Parser Extent State Reclamation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current storage virtualization technologies face challenges in efficiently managing and reclaiming space used by virtual disks, leading to increased storage requirements and inefficiencies in handling read and write operations.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a virtual disk parser that associates state information with virtual disk extents, allowing for the reclamation of unused space and optimizing subsequent operations by transitioning extents between different states, such as mapped, unmapped, and zero states, to efficiently handle read and write requests.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If virtual disk space is continuously allocated to accommodate growing storage needs, then storage capacity is improved, but storage efficiency deteriorates due to inability to reclaim unused space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a mechanism to discard (reclaim) space from virtual disk extents that are no longer in use and recover this space for future allocation. The virtual disk parser monitors the usage state of virtual disk extents and identifies those that have been deleted or are no longer needed, then reclaims their space back to the pool of available storage, thereby improving storage efficiency while maintaining adequate capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic state transitions for virtual disk extents, allowing them to move between different states (e.g., allocated, in-use, deleted, reclaimed) based on actual usage patterns. This dynamic management enables the storage system to adapt to changing storage needs, efficiently allocating space when required and reclaiming it when no longer needed, thus resolving the contradiction between maintaining capacity and improving efficiency.
2Quantity of substance
If virtual disk file size increases to accommodate more data, then storage capacity is improved, but file operation performance deteriorates due to increased frequency of file extensions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies discarding and recovering by identifying and reclaiming space from deleted virtual disk extents before the virtual disk file needs to be extended. By proactively recovering unused space and making it available for reallocation, the system reduces the frequency of file extension operations, thereby maintaining operation performance while still accommodating growing storage requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by proactively reclaiming space from deleted extents and preparing it for future use before it is actually needed. The virtual disk parser continuously monitors and reclaims space in advance, so when new data needs to be written, already-reclaimed space is available for immediate allocation, avoiding the performance penalty of file extension operations during write operations.
3Loss of energy
If space is reclaimed from deleted virtual disk extents, then storage efficiency is improved, but system complexity increases due to state tracking requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by implementing a virtual disk parser that automatically monitors, identifies, and reclaims space from deleted virtual disk extents without requiring complex external management systems. The parser integrates seamlessly with the existing virtualization infrastructure, using the same data structures and mechanisms already present in the system, thereby achieving space reclamation with minimal additional complexity.
4Measurement precision
If virtual disk parser implements state tracking for all extents, then storage management accuracy is improved, but processing overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by implementing selective state tracking that focuses computational resources on virtual disk extents that are actually in-use or recently accessed. Rather than uniformly tracking all extents with equal detail, the system applies different levels of monitoring and state management to different extents based on their usage patterns, thereby achieving accurate storage management while minimizing unnecessary processing overhead for inactive extents.
Data Source
AI summary
This document describes techniques for storing virtual disk payload data. In an exemplary configuration, each virtual disk extent can be associated with state information that indicates whether the virtual disk extent is described by a virtual disk file. Under certain conditions the space used to describe a virtual disk extent can be reclaimed and state information can be used to determine how read and/or write operations directed to the virtual disk extent are handled. In addition to the foregoing, other techniques are described in the claims, figures, and detailed description of this document.