APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR SERVICING OBJECT REQUESTS WITHIN A STORAGE CONTROLLER

• US 20080140724A1
• Filed: 12/06/2007
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Flynn, David, Atkisson, David, Thatcher, Jonathan, Zappe, Michael, Lagerstedt, Bert, Strasser, John
• Application Number:
  US11/952,098
• Publication Number:
  US 20080140724A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/104.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/183 Internal mounting support structures, e.g. for printed circuit boards, internal connecting means for buses G06F13/409
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/108 Parity data distribution in semiconductor storages, e.g. in SSD
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0804 with main memory updating G06F12/0806 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0868 Data transfer between cache memory and other subsystems, e.g. storage devices or host systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/12 Replacement control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/121 using replacement algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/123 with age lists, e.g. queue, most recently used [MRU] list or least recently used [LRU] list
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/28 using burst mode transfer, e.g. direct memory access DMA, cycle steal G06F13/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4022 using switching circuits, e.g. switching matrix, connection or expansion network G06F13/4009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/426 using an embedded synchronisation, e.g. Firewire bus, Fibre Channel bus, SSA bus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/002 Bus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/103 Hybrid, i.e. RAID systems with parity comprising a mix of RAID types
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1032 Reliability improvement, data loss prevention, degraded operation etc
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1044 Space efficiency improvement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/2022 Flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/222 Non-volatile memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/70 Details relating to dynamic memory management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7203 Temporary buffering, e.g. using volatile buffer or dedicated buffer blocks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7205 Cleaning, compaction, garbage collection, erase control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7208 : Multiple device management, e.g. distributing data over multiple flash devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 : Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0608 : Saving storage space on storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0613 : in relation to throughput
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 : in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0643 : Management of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 : Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0652 : Erasing, e.g. deleting, data cleaning, moving of data to a wastebasket
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0656 : Data buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0659 : Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0679 : Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0685 : Hybrid storage combining heterogeneous device types, e.g. hierarchical storage, hybrid arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0688 : Non-volatile semiconductor memory arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/52 : Program synchronisation; Mutual exclusion, e.g. by means of semaphores
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 : Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 : based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1444 : Complex or three-dimensional-arrangements; Stepped or dual mother boards
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1487 : Blade assemblies, e.g. blade cases or inner arrangements within a blade
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for servicing object requests within a storage controller. An object request receiver module is included that receives an object request from a requesting device. The object request is received by the storage controller and directed at a data segment of an object managed by the storage controller. The storage controller stores the data segment in a data storage device coupled to the storage controller. A parsing module is included that parses at least one command from the object request. A command execution module is included that executes the at least one command parsed from the object request. An object index module is included that creates an object entry in an object index in response to the storage controller storing the data segment of the object. The object entry includes a mapping between a logical identifier of the object and one or more physical addresses corresponding to where the storage controller stored one or more data packets created from one or more data segments of the object and metadata packets created from object attributes of the object.

Claims

1. An apparatus for servicing object requests within a storage controller, the apparatus comprising:

an object request receiver module operating within a storage controller that receives an object request from a requesting device, the object request received by the storage controller and directed at a data segment of an object managed by the storage controller, the storage controller storing the data segment in a data storage device coupled to the storage controller;

a parsing module operating within the storage controller that parses at least one command from the object request;

a command execution module operating within the storage controller that executes the at least one command parsed from the object request; and

an object index module operating within the storage controller that creates an object entry in an object index in response to the storage controller storing the data segment of the object, the object entry comprising a mapping between a logical identifier of the object and one or more physical addresses corresponding to where the storage controller stored one or more data packets created from one or more data segments of the object and metadata packets created from object attributes of the object.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the object request further comprises a write request to write data to data of an object previously stored by the storage controller and the write request comprises one or more of a request to add data in front of the previously stored data, a request to insert data to a location within the stored data, and a request to replace a portion of the stored data with another portion of data of a different size than the replaced portion of stored data.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one or more data segments of the object are stored by one or more additional storage controllers.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an object request queuing module that queues one or more object requests received by the object request receiver module prior to parsing by the parsing module.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage controller and the data storage device comprise a storage device and the requesting device sends object requests to the storage device.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data storage device comprises one or more of a solid-state storage, a disk drive, an optical drive, and a tape storage.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data storage device comprises solid-state storage comprising an array of non-volatile, solid-state data storage elements.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the solid-state storage is further arranged in two or more banks.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage controller receives one or more data segments from the object and the storage controller further comprises a packetizer that creates one or more data packets from the one or more data segments, the data packets sized for storage in the data storage device.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the packetizer further comprises a messages module that creates a header for each data packet, the header comprising a data packet identifier and a data packet length, wherein the data packet identifier relates the data packet to the data segment from which the data packet was formed.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an object index reconstruction module that reconstructs the entries in the object index using information from data packet headers stored in the data storage device.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage controller manages one or more objects stored in the data storage device wherein the managed objects appear to the requesting device as objects in one of an object file system and an object file server.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage controller is a distributed storage controller comprising two or more storage controllers networked together and each storage controller within the distributed storage controller is coupled to one or more data storage devices, wherein the distributed storage controller manages one or more objects stored in the data storage devices.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the objects managed by the distributed storage controller appear to the requesting device as objects in one of a distributed object file system and a distributed file server.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the distributed storage controller is configured as a redundant array of independent drives (“

RAID”

) distributed storage controller and stripes a data segment of an object and a parity stripe across the data storage devices coupled to the storage controllers of the distributed storage controller.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the data storage device comprises a solid-state storage and the storage controller comprises a solid-state storage controller configured as a RAID storage controller and stripes a data segment of an object and a parity stripe across one or more solid-state storage coupled to the solid-state storage controller.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the RAID storage controller reconfigures data stored in the solid-state storage from a first RAID level to a second RAID level independent of devices external to the RAID storage controller.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage controller comprises a solid-state storage controller and the data storage device comprises a solid-state storage, and wherein index metadata comprising the object index is stored separately and managed independently from object data and object metadata transmitted from the requesting device, the index metadata stored in object index metadata packets, the object data and object metadata managed by the solid-state controller wherein the object metadata is stored in metadata packets and object data is stored in data packets.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein index metadata comprising the object index is cached in volatile memory and periodically stored to a data storage device coupled to the storage controller.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the data storage device is separate from the data storage device storing object data packets.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein in response to an object request comprising a write request, the storage controller transmits one or more data segments of an object from memory of the requesting device as a direct memory access (“

DMA”

) operation, and wherein in response to an object request comprising a read request, the storage controller transmits one or more data segments of an object to the memory of the requesting device as a DMA operation.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the storage controller pulls the data segments of the object from the memory of the requesting device in response to a write request and pushes the data segments of the object to the memory of the requesting device in response to a read request.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the requesting device communicates with the storage controller over a computer network and the storage controller transmits data as a remote DMA (“

RDMA”

) operation.

24. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein an object communicated between the requesting device and the storage controller comprises one or more data blocks.

25. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the object index module updates an entry in the object index in response to the storage controller modifying the data segment of the object.

26. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage controller stores an object erase packet corresponding to an object or to one or more data segments of the object in response to the object request receiver module receiving an object request comprising a command to erase the object or data segments of the object, the object erase packet comprising a packet stored in the data storage device and z indicating the object or portion of the object to be erased.

27. A system to for servicing object requests in a storage controller, the system comprising:

a storage device with a storage controller coupled to a data storage device, the storage controller comprising

an object request receiver module that receives an object request from a requesting device, the object request received by the storage controller and directed at a data segment of an object managed by the storage controller, the storage controller storing the data segment in the data storage device coupled to the storage controller;

a parsing module that parses at least one command from the object request;

a command execution module that executes the at least one command parsed from the object request; and

an object index module that creates an object entry in an object index in response to the storage controller storing the data segment of the object, the object entry comprising a mapping between a logical identifier of the object and one or more physical addresses corresponding to where the storage controller stored one or more data packets created from one or more data segments of the object and metadata packets created from object attributes of the object.

28. The system of claim 27, further comprising a computer that includes the storage device and is in communication with the storage device.

29. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having computer usable program code executable to perform operations for servicing object requests within a storage controller, the operations of the computer program product comprising:

receiving an object request within a storage controller from a requesting device, the object request received by the storage controller and directed at a data segment of an object managed by the storage controller, the storage controller storing the data segment in a data storage device coupled to the storage controller;

parsing within the storage controller at least one command from the object request;

executing within the storage controller the at least one command parsed from the object request; and

creating within the storage controller an object entry in an object index in response to the storage controller storing the data segment of the object, the object entry comprising a mapping between a logical identifier of the object and one or more physical addresses corresponding to where the storage controller stored one or more data packets created from one or more data segments of the object and metadata packets created from object attributes of the object.