System and method for accelerated I/O access using storage array driver in Off-the-shelf server

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11762556-B2
Application number	US-202117411506-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 25, 2021
Priority date	Oct 31, 2017
Publication date	Sep 19, 2023
Grant date	Sep 19, 2023

Abstract

A method, computer program product, and computer system for receiving, by a computing device, an I/O request. It may be identified whether the I/O request is eligible for handling via a first path without also requiring handling via a second path. If the I/O request is eligible, the I/O request may be processed via the first path on a host I/O stack without processing the I/O request via the second path on a storage array I/O stack. If the I/O request is ineligible, the I/O request may be processed via the first path on the host.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving, by a computing device, an I/O request;
identifying a first path for processing I/O requests, wherein the first path includes processing by a general purpose processor;
identifying a second path for processing I/O requests, wherein the second path includes processing by a special purpose storage processor;
determining that the I/O request is ineligible for handling via a first path without also requiring handling via a second path;
in response to determining that the I/O request is ineligible, processing the I/O request via the first path on a host I/O stack and via the second path on a storage array I/O stack, wherein an ineligible I/O request includes a control command and satisfies a predetermined condition, wherein satisfying the predetermined condition includes a Server Device Handling layer in the host I/O stack determining, in coordination with the storage array I/O stack, that the control command should be passed to the storage array I/O stack via the second path;
wherein any I/O requests that are determined to be eligible are processed via the first path on the host I/O stack without processing the eligible I/O request via the second path on the storage array I/O stack.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein an eligible I/O request includes one of a data read request and a data write request.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising processing the I/O request via the first path on the host I/O stack and via the second path on the storage array I/O stack when processing of the I/O request via the host I/O stack on the first path without processing the I/O request via the second path on the storage array I/O stack fails.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising returning a completion status to an application layer of the host I/O stack when processing of the I/O request via the host I/O stack on the first path without processing the I/O request via the second path on the storage array I/O stack successfully completes.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the internal fabric request resulting from the metadata query includes requesting at least one of a location status and a cache status of metadata within the storage array I/O stack.

6. A computer program product residing on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon which, when executed across one or more processors, causes at least a portion of the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
receiving an I/O request;
identifying a first path for processing I/O requests, wherein the first path includes processing by a general purpose processor;
identifying a second path for processing I/O requests, wherein the second path includes processing by a special purpose storage processor;
identifying whether the I/O request is eligible for handling via a first path without also requiring handling via a second path;
if the I/O request is eligible, processing the I/O request via the first path on a host I/O stack without processing the I/O request via the second path on a storage array V/O stack; and
if the I/O request is ineligible, processing the I/O request via the first path on the host I/O stack and via the second path on the storage array I/O stack, wherein an ineligible I/O request includes a control command and satisfies a predetermined condition, wherein satisfying the predetermined condition includes a Server Device Handling layer in the host I/O stack determining, in coordination with the storage array I/O stack, that the control command should be passed to the storage array I/O stack via the second path.

7. The computer program product of claim 6 wherein an eligible I/O request includes one of a data read request and a data write request.

8. The computer program product of claim 6 wherein the operations further comprise processing the I/O request via the first path on the host I/O stack and via the second path on the storage array I/O stack when processing of the I/O request via the host I/O stack on the first path without processing the I/O request via the second path on the storage array I/O stack fails.

9. The computer program product of claim 6 wherein the operations further comprise returning a completion status to an application layer of the host I/O stack when processing of the I/O request via the host I/O stack on the first path without processing the I/O request via the second path on the storage array I/O stack successfully completes.

10. The computer program product of claim 6 wherein the internal fabric request resulting from the metadata query includes requesting at least one of a location status and a cache status of metadata within the storage array I/O stack.

11. A computing system including one or more processors and one or more memories configured to perform operations comprising:
receiving an V/O request;
identifying a first path for processing I/O requests, wherein the first path includes processing by a general purpose processor;
identifying a second path for processing I/O requests, wherein the second path includes processing by a special purpose storage processor;
identifying whether the I/O request is eligible for handling via a first path without also requiring handling via a second path;
if the I/O request is eligible, processing the I/O request via the first path on a host I/O stack without processing the I/O request via the second path on a storage array I/O stack; and
if the I/O request is ineligible, processing the I/O request via the first path on the host I/O stack and via the second path on the storage array I/O stack, wherein an ineligible I/O request includes a control command and satisfies a predetermined condition, wherein satisfying the predetermined condition includes a Server Device Handling layer in the host I/O stack determining, in coordination with the storage array I/O stack, that the control command should be passed to the storage array I/O stack via the second path.

12. The computing system of claim 11 wherein an eligible I/O request includes one of a data read request and a data write request.

13. The computing system of claim 11 wherein the operations further comprise processing the I/O request via the first path on the host I/O stack and via the second path on the storage array I/O stack when processing of the I/O request via the host I/O stack on the first path without processing the I/O request via the second path on the storage array I/O stack fails, and returning a completion status to an application layer of the host I/O stack when processing of the I/O request via the host I/O stack on the first path without processing the I/O request via the second path on the storage array I/O stack successfully completes.

14. The computing system of claim 11 wherein the internal fabric request resulting from the metadata query includes requesting at least one of a location status and a cache status of metadata within the storage array I/O stack.

Assignees

• Emc Ip Holding Co Llc

Inventors

• Sahin Adnan
• Scharland Michael
• Decrescenzo Robert
• Mcclure Steven T
• Guyer James Marriott
• Duquette Jason J

Classifications

• G06F3/061 Primary

  Improving I/O performance · CPC title

• G06F3/0608 Primary

  Saving storage space on storage systems · CPC title

• G06F3/0635

  by changing the path, e.g. traffic rerouting, path reconfiguration · CPC title

• G06F3/067

  Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS] · CPC title

• G06F3/0689

  Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD · CPC title