Systems and methods for load balancing drives and servers

• US 20060031287A1
• Filed: 09/29/2005
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gregory D. Bolstad, James R. Schweitzer, Jay G. Randall, John R. Staub, Thomas R. Ulrich
• Original Assignee: Overland Storage Incorporated (Silicon Valley Technology Partners LLC)
• Inventors: Schweitzer, James R., Bolstad, Gregory D., Staub, John R., Randall, Jay G., Ulrich, Thomas R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,782,661 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5083 Techniques for rebalancing the load in a distributed system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1014 based on the content of a request

Abstract

A file system that balances the loading of filers and the capacity of drives that are associated with the filers is described. The file system includes a first disk drive that includes a first unused capacity and a second disk drive that includes a second unused capacity, wherein the second unused capacity is smaller than the first unused capacity. The file system further includes a first filer that is configured to fill requests from clients through access to at least the first disk drive. The file system further includes a second filer that is configured to fill requests from clients through access to at least the second disk drive. The second filer is configured to select an infrequently accessed file from the second disk drive and to push the infrequently accessed files to the first disk drive, thereby improving a balance of unused capacity between the first and second disk drives without substantially affecting a loading for each of the first and second filers.

Claims

1. A file system that balances the loading of servers and the capacity of drives associated with the servers, the file system comprising:

a first disk drive including a first unused capacity;

a second disk drive including a second unused capacity, wherein the second unused capacity is smaller than the first unused capacity;

a first server configured to fill requests from clients through access to at least the first disk drive; and

a second server configured to fill requests from clients through access to at least the second disk drive, and configured to select an infrequently accessed file from the second disk drive and push said infrequently accessed file to the first disk drive, thereby improving a balance of unused capacity between the first and second disk drives without substantially affecting a loading for each of the first and second servers.

2. The file system of claim 1, wherein the second server pushes the infrequently accessed file through communication with the first server.

3. The file system of claim 1, wherein the second server pushes the infrequently accessed file through communication with the first disk drive.

4. The file system of claim 1, wherein the first server further comprises a server profile comprising information about the first server.

5. The file system of claim 4, wherein the information about the first server comprises attributes of the first server.

6. The file system of claim 4, wherein the information about the first server comprises performance data of resources connected to the first server.

7. The file system of claim 4, wherein the information about the first server comprises performance data of the first server.

8. The file system of claim 4, wherein the information about the first server comprises substantially static information.

9. The file system of claim 4, wherein the information about the first server comprises dynamic information.

10. A method for balancing the loading of processors and the capacity of drives associated with the processors, the method comprising:

storing first data on a first disk drive having a first unused capacity;

storing second data on a second disk drive having a second unused capacity, wherein the second unused capacity is smaller than the first unused capacity;

filling, with a first processor, requests from clients through access to at least the first disk drive; and

filling, with a second processor, requests from clients through access to at least the second disk drive, and selecting with said second processor an infrequently accessed file from the second disk drive and pushing said infrequently accessed file to the first disk drive, thereby improving a balance of unused capacity between the first and second disk drives without substantially affecting a loading for each of the first and second processors.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the first and second processors comprises a server.

12. The method of claim 11, additionally comprising pushing, with the second processor, the infrequently accessed file through communication with the first processor.

13. The method of claim 11, additionally comprising pushing, with the second processor, the infrequently accessed file through communication with the first disk drive.

14. A file system that balances the loading of servers and the capacity of drives associated with the servers, the file system comprising:

a first means for storing data, said first means having a first unused capacity;

a second means for storing data, said second means having a second unused capacity, wherein the second unused capacity is smaller than the first unused capacity;

a third means for filling requests from clients through access to at least said first means; and

a fourth means for filling requests from clients through access to at least the second means and for selecting at least one infrequently accessed file from said second means and pushing said at least one infrequently accessed file to the first means, thereby improving a balance of unused capacity between the first and second means for storing data without substantially affecting a loading for each of the third and fourth means for filling requests.

15. The file system of claim 14, wherein said fourth means for filling requests pushes the infrequently accessed file through communication with said third means for filling requests.

16. The file system of claim 14, wherein said fourth means for filling requests pushes the infrequently accessed file through communication with said first means for storing data.

17. The file system of claim 14, wherein at least one of said first and second means for storing data comprises a disk drive.

18. The file system of claim 17, wherein said third means for filling requests comprises a file server.

19. The file system of claim 18, wherein the file server comprises means for storing information about the file server.

20. The file system of claim 19, wherein the information about the file server comprises performance data of the file server.