SELECTING A MEMORY FOR STORAGE OF AN ENCODED DATA SLICE IN A DISPERSED STORAGE NETWORK

• US 20120137091A1
• Filed: 11/07/2011
• Published: 05/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pure Storage, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cleversafe Incorporated (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Grube, Gary W., Markison, Timothy W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,336,139 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0638 Combination of memories, e.g. ROM and RAM such as to permit replacement or supplementing of words in one module by words in another module address formation of the next microinstruction G06F9/26; masking faults in memories by using spares or by reconfiguring G11C29/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0646 Horizontal data movement in storage systems, i.e. moving data in between storage devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

A method begins by a processing module receiving an encoded data slice for storage. The method continues with the processing module obtaining metadata associated with the encoded data slice and interpreting the metadata to determine whether the encoded data slice is to be stored in a first access speed memory or a second access speed memory, wherein the first access speed memory has a higher data access rate than the second access speed memory. The method continues with the processing module storing the encoded data slice in a memory device of the first access speed memory when the encoded data slice is to be stored in the first access speed memory and storing the encoded data slice in a memory device of the second access speed memory when the encoded data slice is to be stored in the second access speed memory.

Claims

1. A method for execution by a dispersed storage (DS) module, the method comprises:

receiving an encoded data slice for storage;

obtaining metadata associated with the encoded data slice;

interpreting the metadata to determine whether the encoded data slice is to be stored in a first access speed memory or a second access speed memory, wherein the first access speed memory has a higher data access rate than the second access speed memory;

storing the encoded data slice in a memory device of the first access speed memory when the encoded data slice is to be stored in the first access speed memory; and

storing the encoded data slice in a memory device of the second access speed memory when the encoded data slice is to be stored in the second access speed memory.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the interpreting the metadata comprises at least one of:

interpreting the metadata to determine an estimated access frequency of the encoded data slice, wherein, when the estimated access frequency compares favorably to an access frequency threshold, indicating that the encoded data slice is to be stored in the first access speed memory;

interpreting the metadata to determine a data type of the encoded data slice, wherein, when the data type is a first data type, indicating that the encoded data slice is to be stored in the first access speed memory;

interpreting the metadata to determine a user identifier of the encoded data slice, wherein, when the user identifier is a first user type, indicating that the encoded data slice is to be stored in the first access speed memory;

interpreting the metadata to determine a priority requirement of the encoded data slice, wherein, when the priority requirement is a first priority type, indicating that the encoded data slice is to be stored in the first access speed memory; and

interpreting the metadata to determine a performance requirement of the encoded data slice, wherein, when the performance requirement is a first performance type, indicating that the encoded data slice is to be stored in the first access speed memory.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

the first access speed memory includes a plurality of solid-state memory devices; and

the second access speed memory includes one or more hard drive memory devices.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

generating storage information to include one or more of;

a slice name associated with the encoded data slice;

a memory device identifier (ID) of the memory device of the first or the second access speed memory;

a memory device storage location associated with the storing of the encoded data slice; and

at least some of the metadata; and

storing the storage information in an information memory device of the first access speed memory.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprises:

retrieving the storage information from the information memory device;

updating the storage information based on one or more of historical access information, a reprioritization message, and updated metadata to produce updated storage information; and

storing the updated storage information in the information memory device.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

interpreting the metadata to determine whether the encoded data slice is to be stored in the first access speed memory, the second access speed memory, or a third access speed memory, wherein the second access speed memory has a higher data access rate than the third access speed memory; and

storing the encoded data slice in a memory device of the third access speed memory when the encoded data slice is to be stored in the third access speed memory.

7. A method for execution by a dispersed storage (DS) module, the method comprises:

obtaining data access frequency information regarding a stored encoded data slice;

when the stored encoded data slice is stored in a first access speed memory and the data access frequency information compares unfavorably to a first access frequency threshold, transferring the stored encoded data slice from the first access speed memory to the second access speed memory, wherein the first access speed memory has a higher data access rate than the second access speed memory; and

when the stored encoded data slice is stored in the second access speed memory and the data access frequency information compares favorably to a second access frequency threshold, transferring the stored encoded data slice from the second access speed memory to the first access speed memory.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the data access frequency information comprises one or more of:

read requests regarding the stored encoded data slice within a given time period;

write requests regarding the stored encoded data slice within a time frame;

duration of storage of the stored encoded data slice;

data size of the stored encoded data slice; and

memory availability.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the data access frequency information comparing unfavorably to the first access frequency threshold comprises one or more of:

quantity of read requests regarding the stored encoded data slice within a given time period compares unfavorably to a read request threshold;

quantity of write requests regarding the stored encoded data slice within a time frame compares unfavorably to a read request threshold;

duration of storage of the stored encoded data slice in the first access speed memory compares unfavorably to a storage duration threshold; and

data size of the stored encoded data slice and memory availability of the first access speed memory compares unfavorably to a storage availability threshold.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the data access frequency information comparing favorably to the second access frequency threshold comprises one or more of:

quantity of read requests regarding the stored encoded data slice within a given time period compares favorably to a read request threshold; and

quantity of write requests regarding the stored encoded data slice within a time frame compares favorably to a read request threshold.

11. A dispersed storage (DS) module comprises:

a first module for facilitating receiving an encoded data slice for storage;

a second module for;

obtaining metadata associated with the encoded data slice; and

interpreting the metadata to determine whether the encoded data slice is to be stored in a first access speed memory or a second access speed memory, wherein the first access speed memory has a higher data access rate than the second access speed memory; and

a third module for;

facilitating storing the encoded data slice in a memory device of the first access speed memory when the encoded data slice is to be stored in the first access speed memory; and

facilitating storing the encoded data slice in a memory device of the second access speed memory when the encoded data slice is to be stored in the second access speed memory.

12. The DS module of claim 11, wherein the second module is further operable to interpret the metadata by one or more of:

interpreting the metadata to determine an estimated access frequency of the encoded data slice, wherein, when the estimated access frequency compares favorably to an access frequency threshold, indicating that the encoded data slice is to be stored in the first access speed memory;

interpreting the metadata to determine a data type of the encoded data slice, wherein, when the data type is a first data type, indicating that the encoded data slice is to be stored in the first access speed memory;

interpreting the metadata to determine a user identifier of the encoded data slice, wherein, when the user identifier is a first user type, indicating that the encoded data slice is to be stored in the first access speed memory;

interpreting the metadata to determine a priority requirement of the encoded data slice, wherein, when the priority requirement is a first priority type, indicating that the encoded data slice is to be stored in the first access speed memory; and

interpreting the metadata to determine a performance requirement of the encoded data slice, wherein, when the performance requirement is a first performance type, indicating that the encoded data slice is to be stored in the first access speed memory.

13. The DS module of claim 11 further comprises:

the first access speed memory includes a plurality of solid-state memory devices; and

the second access speed memory includes one or more hard drive memory devices.

14. The DS module of claim 11 further comprises:

a fourth module for generating storage information to include one or more of;

a slice name associated with the encoded data slice;

a memory device identifier (ID) of the memory device of the first or the second access speed memory;

a memory device storage location associated with the storing of the encoded data slice; and

at least some of the metadata; and

a fifth module for facilitating storing the storage information in an information memory device of the first access speed memory.

15. The DS module of claim 14 further comprises:

a sixth module for;

retrieving the storage information from the information memory device;

updating the storage information based on one or more of historical access information, a reprioritization message, and updated metadata to produce updated storage information; and

a seventh module for facilitating storing the updated storage information in the information memory device.

16. The DS module of claim 11 further comprises:

a fourth module for interpreting the metadata to determine whether the encoded data slice is to be stored in the first access speed memory, the second access speed memory, or a third access speed memory, wherein the second access speed memory has a higher data access rate than the third access speed memory; and

a fifth module for facilitating storing the encoded data slice in a memory device of the third access speed memory when the encoded data slice is to be stored in the third access speed memory.

17. A dispersed storage (DS) module comprises:

a first module for obtaining data access frequency information regarding a stored encoded data slice;

a second module for;

facilitating transferring the stored encoded data slice from the first access speed memory to the second access speed memory when the stored encoded data slice is stored in a first access speed memory and the data access frequency information compares unfavorably to a first access frequency threshold, wherein the first access speed memory has a higher data access rate than the second access speed memory; and

facilitating transferring the stored encoded data slice from the second access speed memory to the first access speed memory when the stored encoded data slice is stored in the second access speed memory and the data access frequency information compares favorably to a second access frequency threshold.

18. The DS module of claim 17, wherein the data access frequency information comprises one or more of:

read requests regarding the stored encoded data slice within a given time period;

write requests regarding the stored encoded data slice within a time frame;

duration of storage of the stored encoded data slice;

data size of the stored encoded data slice; and

memory availability.

19. The DS module of claim 17, wherein the data access frequency information comparing unfavorably to the first access frequency threshold comprises one or more of:

quantity of read requests regarding the stored encoded data slice within a given time period compares unfavorably to a read request threshold;

quantity of write requests regarding the stored encoded data slice within a time frame compares unfavorably to a read request threshold;

duration of storage of the stored encoded data slice in the first access speed memory compares unfavorably to a storage duration threshold; and

data size of the stored encoded data slice and memory availability of the first access speed memory compares unfavorably to a storage availability threshold.

20. The DS module of claim 17, wherein the data access frequency information comparing favorably to the second access frequency threshold comprises one or more of:

quantity of read requests regarding the stored encoded data slice within a given time period compares favorably to a read request threshold; and

quantity of write requests regarding the stored encoded data slice within a time frame compares favorably to a read request threshold.