Constructing a scalable storage device, and scaled storage device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016306550-A1
Application number	US-201615096683-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 12, 2016
Priority date	Apr 15, 2015
Publication date	Oct 20, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method an apparatus and a computer program product for constructing a scalable storage device by constructing the scalable storage device by combining a plurality of modularized building blocks; wherein each modularized building block in the plurality of modularized building blocks comprises a magnetic disk enclosure; and at least one modularized building block in the plurality of modularized building blocks comprises a storage processor, the storage processor comprising an input output processing unit; forming a cluster using the input output processing unit in the at least one modularized building block; and processing, using the cluster, an input or output (I/O) request from a host and metadata service.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of constructing a scalable storage device, the method comprising:
constructing a scalable storage device by combining a plurality of modularized building blocks; wherein each modularized building block comprises a magnetic disk enclosure; and at least one modularized building block in the plurality of modularized building blocks comprises a storage processor, the storage processor comprising an input output processing unit; forming a cluster using the input output processing unit in the at least one modularized building block; and processing, using the cluster, at least one of an input or an output (I/O) request from a host and a metadata service.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein only a first modularized building block in the plurality of modularized building blocks comprises the storage processor; and wherein constructing the scalable storage device by combining a plurality of modularized building blocks comprises performing at least one of:
constructing the scalable storage device by coupling the first modularized building block to each of other modularized building blocks in the plurality of modularized building blocks; OR constructing the scalable storage device by interconnecting each modularized building block in the plurality of modularized building blocks.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of modularized building blocks comprise a first group of modularized building blocks and a second group of modularized building blocks, and only the first group of modularized building blocks comprises the storage processor; and wherein constructing the scalable storage device by combining a plurality of modularized building blocks comprises:
constructing the scalable storage device by coupling each modularized building block in the first group of modularized building blocks and by coupling each modularized building block in the first group of modularized building blocks with one or more modularized building blocks in the second group of modularized building blocks.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein forming a cluster using the input output processing unit in the at least one modularized building block further comprises:
selecting one input output processing unit in the cluster as a head of the cluster; wherein the head of the cluster serves the a metadata updating request; and each input output processing unit in the cluster capable of providing the metadata service and a data service.

5 . The method according to claim 4 , further comprises:
selecting another input output processing unit in the cluster as a new head of the cluster when the head of the cluster fails.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein processing, using the cluster, at least one of an input or an output (I/O) request from a host and a metadata service comprises performing at least one of:
on detecting commencing of operations by one input output processing unit, notifying other input output processing units of a local magnetic disk attached to the one input output processing unit through the metadata service; OR determining a storage location for data according to a consistent Hash algorithm, such that the data is evenly distributed across the plurality of modularized building blocks.

7 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein determining a storage location for data according to a consistent Hash algorithm comprises:
computing a Hash value based on a volume identifier and an offset value the I/O request; determining a list of hard disk drivers corresponding to the Hash value; querying a metadata service, to determine input output processing units directly attached to the hard disk drivers in the list, and obtain an input output load condition of each input output processing unit in the determined input output processing units; and selecting, based on a result of the querying, an input output processing unit for processing the I/O request from among the determined input output processing units directly attached to the hard disk drivers in the list.

8 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein a number of the hard disk drivers included in the list is more than 1, and the number defined by a terminal user.

9 . The method according to claim 7 , further comprises:
sending the I/O request to the selected input output processing unit for processing the I/O request.

10 . An apparatus of constructing a scalable storage device, comprising at least one processor; and at least one memory comprising computer program codes, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured, with the at least one processor, configured to:
construct a scalable storage device by combining a plurality of modularized building blocks; wherein each modularized building block comprises a magnetic disk enclosure; and at least one modularized building block in the plurality of modularized building blocks comprises a storage processor, the storage processor comprising an input output processing unit; form a cluster using the input output processing unit in the at least one modularized building block; and process, using the cluster, at least one of an input or an output (I/O) request from a host and a metadata service.

11 . The apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein only a first modularized building block in the plurality of modularized building blocks comprises the storage processor; and wherein constructing the scalable storage device by combining a plurality of modularized building blocks comprises performing at least one of:
constructing the scalable storage device by coupling the first modularized building block to each of other modularized building blocks in the plurality of modularized building blocks; OR constructing the scalable storage device by interconnecting each modularized building block in the plurality of modularized building blocks.

12 . The apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the plurality of modularized building blocks comprise a first group of modularized building blocks and a second group of modularized building blocks, and only the first group of modularized building blocks comprises the storage processor;
and wherein constructing the scalable storage device by combining a plurality of modularized building blocks comprises: constructing the scalable storage device by coupling each modularized building block in the first group of modularized building blocks and by coupling each modularized building block in the first group of modularized building blocks with one or more modularized building blocks in the second group of modularized building blocks.

13 . The apparatus according to claim 10 , further configured to:
select one input output processing unit in the cluster as a head of the cluster; and wherein the head of the cluster serves a metadata updating request; and each input output processing unit in the cluster capable of providing the metadata service and data service.

14 . The apparatus according to claim 10 , further configured to select another input output processing unit in the cluster as a new head of the cluster when the head of the cluster fails.

15 . The apparatus according claim 10 , further configured to perform at least one of:
on detecting commencing of operations by when one input output processing unit is started, notify notifying other input output processing units of a local magnetic disk attached to the one input output processing unit through the metadata service; OR determine a storage location for data according to a consistent Hash algorithm, such that the da

Assignees

• Emc Corp

Inventors

• Liu Hui
• Cao Yu
• Gao Vivian Wenwen
• Guo Xiaoyan
• Di Jieming

Classifications

• G06F3/0637

  Permissions · CPC title

• G06F3/067

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

• G06F3/0623

  in relation to content · CPC title

• G06F3/061 Primary

  Improving I/O performance · CPC title

• G06F13/4068

  Electrical coupling · CPC title