DISTRIBUTED STORAGE NETWORK UTILIZING MEMORY STRIPES

• US 20110078371A1
• Filed: 05/11/2010
• Published: 03/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pure Storage, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cleversafe Incorporated (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: RESCH, JASON K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,554,994 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/114
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1076 Parity data used in redundant arrays of independent storages, e.g. in RAID systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0813 with a network or matrix configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/1011 Clustered RAID, i.e. clustered or de-clustered RAID where data and parity are spread over more disks than blocks in a parity group
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• 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 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/101 based on network conditions
• 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: H04N 21/231 Content storage operation, e.g. caching movies for short term storage, replicating data over plural servers, prioritizing data for deletion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2405 Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the server, e.g. server load allocation of resources in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/50; performance measurement of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/442 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/29; arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information H04H60/35; monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; monitoring in wireless networks H04W24/00

Abstract

Multiple data slices are generated from an original data segment. The data slices are constructed to prevent recovery of the original data segment using a single related data slice, but to allow recovery of the original data segment using fewer than all of the data slices. Each data slice is stored in the same memory stripe as the other data slices. The memory stripe extends across multiple memory devices and multiple different distributed storage units. The memory device in which each data slice is stored can be determined based on a source name associated with each data slice.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a distributed storage unit, a related data slice of a plurality of related data slices for storage, the plurality of related data slices generated from an original data segment and constructed to prevent recovery of the original data segment using a single related data slice, but to allow recovery of the original data segment using fewer than all of the plurality of related data slices; and

storing the related data slice in a same memory stripe as other related data slices, the same memory stripe extending across a plurality of memory devices and a plurality of different distributed storage units.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a source name of the related data slice; and

determining a selected memory device in which to store the data slice based on the source name.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

calculating a reduced length source name; and

determining the selected memory device based on the reduced length source name.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving information indicating a source name of the related data slice; and

deriving the source name from the information.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

defining sub-ranges of an address range assigned to a DS unit; and

determining the selected memory device in which to store the data slice based on a sub-range associated with the source name.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating a digital-storage-network-address to physical-location table to indicate the memory device used to store the related data slice.

7. A distributed storage unit comprising:

an interface to receive a related data slice of a plurality of related data slices for storage, the plurality of related data slices generated from an original data segment and constructed to prevent recovery of the original data segment using a single related data slice, but to allow recovery of the original data segment using fewer than all of the plurality of related data slices; and

a controller to direct storage of the related data slice in a same memory stripe as other related data slices, the same memory stripe extending across a plurality of memory devices and a plurality of different distributed storage units.

8. The distributed storage unit of claim 7, the controller further to:

determine a source name of the related data slice; and

determine a selected memory device in which to store the data slice based on the source name.

9. The distributed storage unit of claim 8, the controller further to:

calculate a reduced length source name; and

determine the selected memory device based on the reduced length source name.

10. The distributed storage unit of claim 8, the controller further to:

define sub-ranges of an address range assigned to a distributed storage unit; and

determine the selected memory device in which to store the data slice based on a sub-range associated with the source name.

11. The distributed storage unit of claim 8, the controller further to:

receive information indicating a source name of the related data slice; and

derive the source name from the information.

12. A method comprising:

generating, at a distributed storage processing unit, a plurality of related data slices from a single original data segment, the plurality of related data slices configured to prevent recovery of the original data segment using a single related data slice, but to allow recovery of the original data segment using fewer than all of the plurality of related data slices; and

transmitting the plurality of related data slices to be stored in a common memory stripe, the common memory stripe extending across a plurality of different memory devices.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting, in conjunction with each of the plurality of related data slices, information indicating a source name of the plurality of related data slices.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the information is selected from the group consisting of:

a source name, a slice name, and slice metadata.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the common memory stripe is a logical stripe, the logical stripe comprising memory devices included in a plurality of different distributed storage units.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of different distributed storage units includes a multiple of a number of memory devices included in each of the plurality of distributed storage units.

17. A distributed storage processing unit comprising:

a processor to generate a plurality of related data slices from a single original data segment, the plurality of related data slices configured to prevent recovery of the original data segment using a single related data slice, but to allow recovery of the original data segment using fewer than all of the plurality of related data slices; and

an interface to transmit the plurality of related data slices to be stored in a common memory stripe, the common memory stripe extending across a plurality of different memory devices.

18. The distributed storage processing unit of claim 17, further comprising:

the processor further to generate information indicating a source name of the plurality of related data slices; and

the interface further to transmit the information in conjunction with each of the plurality of related data slices.

19. The distributed storage processing unit of claim 18, wherein the information is selected from the group consisting of a source name, a slice name, and slice metadata.

20. The distributed storage processing unit of claim 19, wherein the common memory stripe is a logical stripe, the logical stripe comprising memory devices included in a plurality of different distributed storage units.

21. The distributed storage processing unit of claim 20, wherein each of the plurality of different distributed storage units a multiple of a number of memory devices included in each of the plurality of distributed storage units.