Method for managing storage devices, electronic device and computer-readable medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020341649-A1
Application number	US-202016831340-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 26, 2020
Priority date	Apr 24, 2019
Publication date	Oct 29, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

Techniques provide for managing storage devices. Such techniques involve: combining storage devices in a redundant array of independent disks into a group of storage devices in an order of physical capacities of the storage devices; determining a first number of sets of storage devices based on a number of storage devices in the group and a threshold number of storage devices to be divided into each of the sets; and dividing, based on a configuration of the redundant array of independent disks, the group of storage devices into the first number of sets of storage devices, to optimize an effective capacity of the redundant array of independent disks.

First claim

1 . A method of managing storage devices, comprising:
combining storage devices in a redundant array of independent disks into a group of storage devices in an order of physical capacities of the storage devices; determining a first number of sets of storage devices based on a number of storage devices in the group and a threshold number of storage devices to be divided into each of the sets; and dividing, based on a configuration of the redundant array of independent disks, the group of storage devices into the first number of sets of storage devices, to optimize an effective capacity of the redundant array of independent disks.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein dividing the group of storage devices into the sets comprises:
dividing the group of storage devices into the sets by: causing a number of storage devices with a maximum physical capacity in each of the sets to be above a sum of a width of the redundant array of independent disks and a number of reserved storage devices in each of the sets; or causing a number of storage devices with the maximum physical capacity in a first set of the sets to be below the sum, and causing respective numbers of storage devices with the maximum physical capacity in other sets of the sets than the first set to be above the sum, wherein the first set of storage devices comprises storage devices with the maximum physical capacity among the group of storage devices.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein dividing the group of storage devices into the sets comprises:
generating a first allocation matrix based on the group of storage devices, a number of rows in the first allocation matrix being equal to a second number of types of the physical capacities of the storage devices, a number of columns in the first allocation matrix being equal to the first number of sets, elements in the first allocation matrix representing numbers of storage devices with the respective types of physical capacities in the respective sets of the sets, an order of the rows in the first matrix corresponding to the order of the physical capacities.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein generating the first allocation matrix comprises:
generating a second allocation matrix based on the group of storage devices, a number of rows in the second allocation matrix being equal to the second number, a number of columns in the second allocation matrix being equal to one, differences between elements in successive rows in the second allocation matrix being equal to the numbers of storage devices with the respective types of physical capacities; generating a third allocation matrix by splitting each of the elements in the second allocation matrix into the first number of elements; and generating the first allocation matrix based on the third allocation matrix, each of the elements in the first allocation matrix being equal to a difference between the elements in the respective successive rows in the third allocation matrix.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein each element of the first number of elements is above the sum of the width of the redundant array of independent disks and the number of reserved storage devices.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein combining the storage devices in the redundant array of independent disks into the group of storage devices in the order of physical capacities of the storage devices comprises:
combining the storage devices in the redundant array of independent disks into the group of storage devices in a descending order of the physical capacities.

7 . An electronic device, comprising:
at least one processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing computer programs, the computer programs, when executed by the processor, causing the electronic device to perform acts comprising:
combining storage devices in a redundant array of independent disks into a group of storage devices in an order of physical capacities of the storage devices;
determining a first number of sets of storage devices based on a number of storage devices in the group and a threshold number of storage devices to be divided into each of the sets; and
dividing, based on a configuration of the redundant array of independent disks, the group of storage devices into the first number of sets of storage devices, to optimize an effective capacity of the redundant array of independent disks.

8 . The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein dividing the group of storage devices into the sets comprises:
dividing the group of storage devices into the sets by: causing a number of storage devices with a maximum physical capacity in each of the sets to be above a sum of a width of the redundant array of independent disks and a number of reserved storage devices in each of the sets; or causing a number of storage devices with the maximum physical capacity in a first set of the sets to be below the sum, and causing respective numbers of storage devices with the maximum physical capacity in other sets of the sets than the first set to be above the sum, wherein the first set of storage devices comprises storage devices with the maximum physical capacity among the group of storage devices.

9 . The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein dividing the group of storage devices into the sets comprises:
generating a first allocation matrix based on the group of storage devices, a number of rows in the first allocation matrix being equal to a second number of types of the physical capacities of the storage devices, a number of columns in the first allocation matrix being equal to the first number of sets, elements in the first allocation matrix representing numbers of storage devices with the respective types of physical capacities in the respective sets of the sets, an order of the rows in the first matrix corresponding to the order of the physical capacities.

10 . The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein generating the first allocation matrix comprises:
generating a second allocation matrix based on the group of storage devices, a number of rows in the second allocation matrix being equal to the second number, a number of columns in the second allocation matrix being equal to one, differences between elements in successive rows in the second allocation matrix being equal to the numbers of storage devices with the respective types of physical capacities; generating a third allocation matrix by splitting each of the elements in the second allocation matrix into the first number of elements; and generating the first allocation matrix based on the third allocation matrix, each of the elements in the first allocation matrix being equal to a difference between the elements in the respective successive rows in the third allocation matrix.

11 . The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein each element of the first number of elements is above the sum of the width of the redundant array of independent disks and the number of reserved storage devices.

12 . The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein combining the storage devices in the redundant array of independent disks into the group of storage devices in the order of physical capacities of the storage devices comprises:
combining the storage devices in the redundant array of independent disks into the group of storage devices in a descending order of the physical capacities.

13 . A computer program product having a non-transitory computer readable medium which stores a set of instructions to manage storage devices; the set of instructions, when carried out by computerized circuitry, causing the computerized circuitry to perform a method of:
combining storage devices in a redundant array

Assignees

• Emc Ip Holding Co Llc

Inventors

• Shang Rongrong
• Han Geng
• Zhang Xiaobo
• Jia Ruiyong
• Li Xiongcheng

Classifications

• G06F3/0689 Primary

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

• G06F3/0614 Primary

  Improving the reliability of storage systems · CPC title

• G06F3/0629

  Configuration or reconfiguration of storage systems · CPC title

• G06F3/065

  Replication mechanisms · CPC title

• G06F3/0604

  Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management · CPC title