Redundant array of independent discs and dispersed storage network system re-director

• US 10,268,374 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2016
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pure Storage, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Grube, Gary W., Resch, Jason K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bonzo, Bryce P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Arcos, Jeison C
• Application Number:
  US15/276,903
• Publication Number:
  US 20170017401A1
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0727 in a storage system, e.g. in a DASD or network based storage system drivers for digital recording or reproducing units G06F3/06; circuits for error detection or correction within digital recording or reproducing units G11B20/18; for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1076 Parity data used in redundant arrays of independent storages, e.g. in RAID systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1461 Backup scheduling policy
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/1028 Distributed, i.e. distributed RAID systems with parity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0614 Improving the reliability of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0631 by allocating resources to storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0647 Migration mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0665 at area level, e.g. provisioning of virtual or logical volumes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/068 Hybrid storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0685 Hybrid storage combining heterogeneous device types, e.g. hierarchical storage, hybrid arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

Systems and method for accessing data in a storage network include a processing module receives redundant array of independent disks (RAID) data to store determining which memories to utilize (e.g., a RAID memory, local and/or remote dispersed storage network (DSN) memory) based on one or more of the metadata, the RAID data, a vault lookup, a command, a message, a performance indicator, a predetermination, local DSN memory capabilities, remote DSN memory capabilities, RAID memory capabilities, and a comparison of requirements to capabilities of the RAID memory and local and/or DSN memory. The processing module saves the determination choice in a memory indicator that is stored in one or more of the RAID memory, the local DSN memory, the remote DSN memory, and a DSN user vault.

Claims

1. A method for accessing data in a storage network, the storage network including a redundant array of independent disk (RAID) memory and at least one dispersed storage network (DSN) memory, the method comprises:

determining, based at least in part on metadata associated with first RAID data, whether to process the first RAID data using the RAID memory, the at least one DSN memory, or a combination of the RAID memory and the at least one DSN memory and producing a determination; and

processing the first RAID data using the RAID memory, the at least one DSN memory, or a combination of the RAID memory and the at least one DSN memory based on the determination.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the first RAID data using the RAID memory, the at least one DSN memory, or a combination of the RAID memory and the at least one DSN memory based on the determination further includes forwarding the first RAID data to, and retrieving the first RAID data from, the RAID memory, and storing selected second RAID data of the first RAID data in the at least one DSN memory.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the selected second RAID data is selected based on a retrieval frequency of the selected second RAID data.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein determining whether to process first RAID data using the RAID memory, the at least one DSN memory, or a combination of the RAID memory and the at least one DSN memory and producing a determination occurs in response to one or more of an attempt to store the first RAID data in the RAID memory and a background task.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein processing the first RAID data using the RAID memory the at least one DSN memory, or a combination of the RAID memory and the at least one DSN memory based on the determination further includes retrieving the selected second RAID data from the at least one DSN memory to rebuild the first RAID data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to process first RAID data using the RAID memory, the at least one DSN memory, or a combination of the RAID memory and the at least one DSN memory, is further based on one or more of:

the first RAID data, a vault lookup, a command, a message, a performance indicator, a predetermination, memory capabilities of the at least one DSN memory, memory capabilities of the RAID memory, or a comparison of requirements to capabilities of the RAID memory to the at least one DSN memory.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one DSN memory includes a local DSN memory and a remote DSN memory.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata includes at least one of:

a user ID, a data type, a data object name, an expected access frequency, a requirement for priority, a requirement for security, a requirement for performance, or a requirement for when to backup based on access frequency.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the first RAID data using the RAID memory the at least one DSN memory, or a combination of the RAID memory and the at least one DSN memory based on the determination further includes storing the first RAID data in the RAID memory and backing up the first RAID data from the RAID memory to the at least one DSN memory.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the backing up of the first RAID data from the RAID memory to the at least one DSN memory is based on one or more of the metadata, a timer, or use activity information relating to the first RAID data.

11. A dispersed storage processing unit for accessing data in a storage network, the storage network including a redundant array of independent disk (RAID) memory and at least one dispersed storage network (DSN) memory, the dispersed storage processing unit comprising:

a communications interface;

a memory; and

a processor;

wherein the memory includes instructions for causing the processor to;

determine whether to process first RAID data using the RAID memory, the at least one DSN memory, or a combination of the RAID memory and the at least one DSN memory and produce a determination; and

process the first RAID data using the RAID memory, the at least one DSN memory, or a combination of the RAID memory and the at least one DSN memory, based on the determination.

12. The dispersed storage processing unit of claim 11, wherein the memory further includes instructions for causing the processor to forward the first RAID data to, and retrieve the first RAID data from, the RAID memory, and store selected second RAID data of the first RAID data in the at least one DSN memory.

13. The dispersed storage processing unit of claim 12, wherein the selected second RAID data is selected based on a retrieval frequency of the selected second RAID data.

14. The dispersed storage processing unit of claim 12, wherein the memory further includes instructions for causing the processor to determine whether to process first RAID data using the RAID memory, the at least one DSN memory, or a combination of the RAID memory and the at least one DSN memory and produce a determination in response to one or more of an attempt to store the first RAID data in the RAID memory and a background task.

15. The dispersed storage processing unit of claim 12, wherein the memory further includes instructions for causing the processor to retrieve the selected second RAID data from the at least one DSN memory to rebuild the first RAID data.

16. The dispersed storage processing unit of claim 11, wherein memory further includes instructions for causing the processor to determine whether to process first RAID data using the RAID memory, the at least one DSN memory, or a combination of the RAID memory and the at least one DSN memory and produce a determination based on one or more of metadata associated with the first RAID data, the first RAID data, a vault lookup, a command, a message, a performance indicator, a predetermination, memory capabilities of the at least one DSN memory, memory capabilities of the RAID memory, or a comparison of requirements to capabilities of the RAID memory to the at least one DSN memory.

17. The dispersed storage processing unit of claim 16, wherein the metadata includes at least one of:

a user ID, a data type, a data object name, an expected access frequency, a requirement for priority, a requirement for security, a requirement for performance, or a requirement for when to backup based on access frequency.

18. The dispersed storage processing unit of claim 11, wherein the memory further includes instructions for causing the processor to store the first RAID data in the RAID memory and back up the first RAID data from the RAID memory to the at least one DSN memory.

19. The dispersed storage processing unit of claim 18, wherein memory further includes instructions for causing the processor to store the first RAID data in the RAID memory and back up the first RAID data from the RAID memory to the at least one DSN memory based on one or more of metadata associated with the first RAID data, a timer, or use activity information relating to the first RAID data.

20. A computer readable memory device for accessing data in a storage network, the storage network including a redundant array of independent disk (RAID) memory and at least one dispersed storage network (DSN) memory, the computer readable memory device comprises:

a first storage section that stores operational instructions that, when executed by a computing device, causes the computing device to;

determine whether to process first RAID data using the RAID memory, the at least one DSN memory, or a combination of the RAID memory and the at least one DSN memory and produce a determination; and

process the first RAID data using the RAID memory, the at least one DSN memory, or a combination of the RAID memory and the at least one DSN memory, based on the determination.