VIRTUAL DISK DRIVE SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20090138755A1
• Filed: 02/04/2009
• Published: 05/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell International LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: John P. Guider, Lawrence E. Aszmann, Michael J. Klemm, Philip E. Soran
• Inventors: Klemm, Michael J., Soran, Philip E., Guider, John P., Aszmann, Lawrence E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,941,695 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/6
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/108 Parity data distribution in semiconductor storages, e.g. in SSD
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1435 using file system or storage system metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1461 Backup scheduling policy
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1471 involving logging of persistent data for recovery
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2089 Redundant storage control functionality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/02 Addressing or allocation; Relocation program address sequencing G06F9/00; arrangements for selecting an address in a digital store G11C8/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0608 Saving storage space on storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0611 in relation to response time
• 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 3/064 Management of blocks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0647 Migration mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0659 Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling
• 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 3/0683 Plurality of storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

A disk drive system and method capable of dynamically allocating data is provided. The disk drive system may include a RAID subsystem having a pool of storage, for example a page pool of storage that maintains a free list of RAIDs, or a matrix of disk storage blocks that maintain a null list of RAIDs, and a disk manager having at least one disk storage system controller. The RAID subsystem and disk manager dynamically allocate data across the pool of storage and a plurality of disk drives based on RAID-to-disk mapping. The RAID subsystem and disk manager determine whether additional disk drives are required, and a notification is sent if the additional disk drives are required. Dynamic data allocation and data progression allow a user to acquire a disk drive later in time when it is needed. Dynamic data allocation also allows efficient data storage of snapshots/point-in-time copies of virtual volume pool of storage, instant data replay and data instant fusion for data backup, recovery etc., remote data storage, and data progression, etc.

Claims

1-26. -26. (canceled)

27. A method of data instant replay, comprising the steps of:

creating an abstract volume of data space blocks from a plurality of data storage devices;

generating a snapshot of data for the abstract volume;

storing an address index for the snapshot; and

accessing the snapshot via the stored address index.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the snapshot is generated at predetermined time intervals.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the snapshot is application initiated.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein generating the snapshot of data for the abstract volume comprises recording write operations to the abstract volume.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein generating a snapshot of data for the abstract volume comprises tracking changes to the abstract volume.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein tracking changes to the abstract volume comprises maintaining at least a partial list of delta writes to the abstract volume.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the at least a partial list comprises the last writes to the single data addresses of the abstract volume since a previous snapshot was generated.

34. The method of claim 27, further comprising creating a temporary volume based on the snapshot that provides a view of the contents of the abstract volume at a past point in time.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising modifying the temporary volume without modifying the underlying data in the snapshot and the abstract volume.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the temporary volume is used for testing, such that the testing may be performed on data as it was at the past point in time without altering the underlying data in the abstract volume.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein the temporary volume is used for training, such that the training may be performed on data as it was at the past point in time without altering the underlying data in the abstract volume.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein the temporary volume is used for backup of the data by replicating the data.

39. The method of claim 35, wherein the temporary volume is used for data recovery.

40. A disk drive system, capable of replaying data, comprising:

a data storage system having an abstraction of data space blocks; and

a data manager having at least one data storage system controller, the system controller automatically generating a snapshot of the abstraction of data space blocks, storing an address index of the snapshot of the abstraction of data space blocks, and accessing the snapshot via the stored address index.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the system controller automatically generates snapshots of the abstraction of data space blocks at predetermined time intervals.

42. The system of claim 40, wherein the system controller automatically generates a snapshot of the abstraction of data space blocks based on application control.

43. The system of claim 40, wherein the system controller records write operations to the abstraction of data space blocks.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein the system controller maintains at least a partial list of delta writes to the abstraction of data space blocks.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the at least a partial list comprises the last writes to the single data addresses of the abstraction of data space blocks since a previous snapshot was generated.

46. The system of claim 40, wherein the system controller creates a temporary volume based on the snapshot that provides a view of the contents of the abstraction of data space blocks at a past point in time.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein the controller uses the temporary volume for data recovery.

43-1. The system of claim 40, wherein the system controller tracks changes to the abstraction of data space blocks.

48. A disk drive system, capable of replaying data, comprising:

abstract means for generating at least one volume of data space blocks from a plurality of data storage devices;

allocating means for allocating the data space blocks of the volume;

writing means for writing data to the allocated data space blocks;

fusing means for generating a snapshot for the volume;

storing means for storing an address index of the snapshot; and

accessing means for accessing the snapshot via the stored address index.