Policy based storage of object fragments in a multi-tiered storage system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8935474-B1
Application number	US-201213630408-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 28, 2012
Priority date	Sep 28, 2012
Publication date	Jan 13, 2015
Grant date	Jan 13, 2015

Abstract

Some embodiments are directed to an object addressable storage (OAS) system that stores a plurality of objects, a method for use in an OAS system and at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with instruction that, when performed by a computer perform a method for use in an OAS system. Each object may include a plurality of fragments. A tiered storage environment comprising a plurality of storage tiers may be used. A policy for performing a storage operation a fragment of a stored object using the OAS system may be generated. Generating the policy may include receiving a user input. The input may include a first parameter specifying metadata criteria for metadata of the fragment. The input may also include a second parameter specifying a capability of a target storage tier. Information specifying an association between these two parameters is stored in a data structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of operation of an object addressable storage system that stores a plurality of objects and provides an object addressable interface via which at least some of the plurality of objects are accessible, wherein objects accessible via the object addressable interface are accessible via a respective object identifier, wherein the objects have metadata associated therewith, and wherein the object addressable storage system is implemented in a tiered storage environment comprising a plurality of storage tiers, the method comprising:
generating a policy for performing a storage operation on at least one fragment of a stored object using the object addressable storage system, wherein generating the policy comprises:
receiving user input comprising:
a first parameter specifying metadata criteria for metadata associated with the at least one fragment;
a second parameter specifying at least one capability of a target storage tier of the plurality of storage tiers; and

storing in a data structure in computer-readable storage medium information specifying an association between a storage tier having the at least one capability and at least one object fragment associated with metadata meeting the metadata criteria.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
creating the data structure by creating a policy file comprising a rule defining the specified association; and
performing a storage operation on the at least one fragment on the object addressable storage system in a storage device selected based on the rule.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
receiving the first parameter and the second parameter comprises receiving the first parameter and the second parameter via a graphical user interface (GUI) that provides a user menu indicating storage tiers and respective capabilities of the storage tiers of the object addressable storage system; and
the method further comprises automatically identifying storage tiers and associated capabilities in the object addressable storage system.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the first parameter specifying the metadata criteria comprises receiving a name-value pair for an attribute associated with the at least one fragment.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a third parameter specifying a second metadata criteria of metadata associated with the stored object; and
storing in the data structure a rule that associates a storage tier with object fragments associated with metadata meeting the second metadata criteria.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein:
the data structure comprises a policy file organized to define a hierarchy of rules, each of the rules associating metadata criteria with a storage tier.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein:
for a rule of the hierarchy of rules, metadata criteria is associated with a storage tier by specifying a storage device within the storage tier to perform a storage operation for at least one fragment of an object when metadata associated with the at least one object satisfies a predicate of the rule.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the metadata criteria is specified for a named attribute by specifying value criteria for the named attribute;
the method further comprises performing a storage operation on a plurality of objects, each object comprising first metadata associated with the object and second metadata associated with a fragment of the object, performing the storage operation comprising:
selecting, based on the generated policy, a storage tier in which to perform the storage operation on an object of the plurality of objects when the first metadata of the object comprises the named attribute that has a value meeting the value criteria, and
selecting, based on the generated policy, a storage tier in which to perform the storage operation on a fragment of an object of the plurality of objects when the first metadata of the object does not comprise the named attribute that has a value meeting the value criteria and second metadata of the object comprises the named attribute that has a value meeting the value criteria.

9. At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, perform a method of configuring an object addressable storage system that stores a plurality of objects and provides an object addressable interface via which at least some of the plurality of objects are accessible, wherein objects accessible via the object addressable interface are accessible via a respective object identifier, wherein the objects have metadata associated therewith, and wherein the object addressable storage system is implemented in a tiered storage environment comprising a plurality of storage tiers, the method comprising:
generating a policy for performing a storage operation on at least one fragment of a stored object using the object addressable storage system, wherein generating the policy comprises:
receiving user input comprising:
a first parameter specifying metadata criteria for metadata associated with the at least one fragment;
a second parameter specifying at least one capability of a target storage tier of the plurality of storage tiers; and

storing in a data structure information specifying an association between a storage tier having the at least one capability and at least one object fragment associated with metadata meeting the metadata criteria.

10. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein:
receiving the first parameter and the second parameter comprises receiving the first parameter and the second parameter via a graphical user interface (GUI) that provides a user menu indicating storage tiers and respective capabilities of the object addressable storage system; and
the method further comprises automatically identifying storage tiers and associated capabilities in the object addressable storage system.

11. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein receiving the first parameter specifying the metadata criteria comprises receiving a name-value pair for an attribute associated with the at least one fragment.

12. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein:
the data structure comprises a policy file organized to define a hierarchy of rules, each of the rules associating metadata criteria with a storage tier.

13. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein:
for at least one rule of the hierarchy of rules, metadata criteria is associated with a storage tier by specifying a storage device within the storage tier.

14. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein:
the data structure comprises a policy file.

15. A system, comprising:
a computer-readable storage device; and
a computing device comprising an interface to an object addressable storage system that stores a plurality of objects and provides an object addressable interface via which at least some of the plurality of objects are accessible, wherein objects accessible via the object addressable interface are accessible via a respective object identifier, wherein the objects have metadata associated therewith, and wherein the object addressable storage system is implemented in a tiered storage environment comprising a plurality of storage tiers, the computing device being configured for generating a policy for performing a storage operation on at least one fragmen

Assignees

• Emc Corp

Inventors

• Todd Stephen J
• Ostapovicz Scott

Classifications

• G06F3/0605 Primary

  by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator · CPC title

• G06F12/08 Primary

  in hierarchically structured memory systems, e.g. virtual memory systems · CPC title

• G06F3/064

  Management of blocks · CPC title

• G06F3/0619

  in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors · CPC title

• G06F3/061

  Improving I/O performance · CPC title