Primary Data Storage System with Quality of Service

• US 20130117286A1
• Filed: 11/07/2012
• Published: 05/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pivot3, Inc., NexGen Storage, Inc. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NexGen Storage, Inc. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Gallant, David A., Sobolewski, Sebastian Piotr, Ashmore, Paul A., Long, Kelly E.
• Granted Patent: US 9,176,708 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/752
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0614 Improving the reliability of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0649 Lifecycle management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0665 at area level, e.g. provisioning of virtual or logical volumes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0685 Hybrid storage combining heterogeneous device types, e.g. hierarchical storage, hybrid arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/24 Sorting, i.e. extracting data from one or more carriers, rearranging the data in numerical or other ordered sequence, and rerecording the sorted data on the original carrier or on a different carrier or set of carriers sorting methods in generalG06F7/36 takes precedence

Abstract

The invention is directed to a primary data storage system for use in a computer network in which a network allows user computers to transfer data to/from the primary data storage system. In one embodiment, the primary data storage system allows an administrator of the computer network to define two or more volumes on the primary data storage system and define quality of service goals for each volume. The primary data storage system operates so as allocate resources within the primary data storage system to the volumes based upon criticality and performance goals specified for each of the volumes.

Claims

1. A primary data storage system for use in a computer network and having a quality of service capability, the system comprising:

an input/output port for receiving a block command packet that embodies one of a read block command and a write block command and transmitting a block result packet in reply to a block command packet;

a data store system having at least one data store capable of receiving and storing data in response to a write block command and retrieving and providing data in response to a read block command;

wherein the data store system is capable of having at least a first volume with a first criticality and first quality of service goals and a second volume with a second criticality and a second quality of service goals;

a statistical database for receiving, storing, and providing data for use in making decisions related to the pursuit of the first and second quality of service goals; and

a sorting processor for sorting an input string comprised of multiple read/write block commands into an output string of multiple read/write block commands using data from the statistical database, wherein the order of the read/write block commands in the output string reflects the pursuit of the first and second quality of service goals.

2. A primary data storage system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the sorting processor includes;

a sub-string processor for sorting a string of read/write block commands into a plurality of sub-strings of read/write block commands; and

a merging processor for merging a plurality of sub-strings of read/write block commands into a string of read/write block commands.

3. A primary data storage system, as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

the sub-string processor, in sorting a read/write block command, is capable of acquiring a combination of a criticality, throughput, queue depth, latency, and input-output operations per second (IOPS) statistical data associated with whatever criticality is associated with whichever one of a first volume and a second volume a read/write block command is associated.

4. A primary data storage system, as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

the sub-string processor, in sorting a read/write block command, is capable of acquiring a combination of a criticality, throughput, queue depth, latency, and input-output operations per second (IOPS) statistical data associated with whichever one of a first volume and a second volume a read/write block command is associated.

5. A primary data storage system, as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

the sub-string processor, in sorting a read/write block command, is capable of acquiring;

a combination of a criticality, throughput, queue depth, latency, and input-output operations per second (IOPS) statistical data associated with whichever one of the first and second volumes the read/write block command is associated and

a combination of a criticality, throughput, queue depth, latency, and input-output operations per second (IOPS) statistical data associated with the other of the first and second volumes in deciding the sorting of the read/write command.

6. A primary data storage system, as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

the sub-string processor comprising a port for receiving data from and providing data to the statistics database.

7. A primary data storage system, as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

the merging processor, in merging a read/write block command into a string, is capable of accessing a combination of a criticality, throughput, queue depth, latency, and input-output operations per second (IOPS) statistical data that is related to hardware used in moving data to, from, and within the data store system with the data store system.

8. A primary data storage system, as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

the merging processor comprising a port for receiving data from and providing data to the statistics database.

9. A primary data storage system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the sorting processor includes;

a first sub-string processor for sorting a string of read/write block commands into a plurality of sub-strings of read/write block commands;

a second sub-string processor for sorting sub-strings of read/write block commands into a plurality of sub-sub-strings of read/write block commands;

a merging processor for merging a plurality of sub-sub-strings of read/write block commands into a string of read/write block commands.

10. A primary data storage system, as claimed in claim 9, wherein:

the first sub-string processor, in sorting a read/write block command, is capable of performing a sort based upon one of;

(a) a criticality and (b) a combination of throughput, queue depth, latency, and input-output operations per second (IOPS) statistical data associated with whichever one of the first volume and second volume the read/write block command is associated.

11. A primary data storage system, as claimed in claim 9, wherein:

the second sub-string processor, in sorting a read/write block command, is capable of performing a sort based upon one of;

(a) a criticality and (b) a combination of throughput, queue depth, latency, and input-output operations per second (IOPS) statistical data associated with whichever one of the first volume and second volume the read/write block command is associated.

12. A primary data storage system, as claimed in claim 9, wherein:

the merging processor, in merging a read/write block command into a string, is capable of acquiriing a combination of criticality, throughput, queue depth, latency, and input-output operations per second (IOPS) that is related to hardware used in moving data to, from, and within the data store system with the data store system.

13. A primary data storage system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the sorting processor capable of determining a priority of a read/write block command relative to other read/write block commands using a weighted sum of weighted factors, the factors comprising;

(a) the criticality of the volume with which the read/write command is associated;

(b) the relationship of the read/write block command to the quality of service goals for the volume with which the read/write command is associated;

(c) the relationship of the read/write block command to the quality of service goals for any other volumes having the same criticality as the volume with which the read/write command is associated;

(d) the relationship of the read/write block command to hardware used in moving data to, from, and within the data store system; and

(e) the relationship of the read/write block command to the quality of service goals for any other volumes having a different criticality than the volume with which the read/write command is associated.

14. A primary data storage system, as claimed in claim 13, wherein:

at least one factor has a value that is a current statistic value.

15. A primary data storage system, as claimed in claim 13, wherein:

at least one factor has a value that is a historic statistic value.

16. A primary data storage system, as claimed in claim 13, wherein:

each factor is weight by a coefficient whose value relates to the criticality and reducing the different between quality of service goals for the first and second volumes and the actual service obtained.

17. A primary data storage system, as claimed in claim 13, wherein:

each factor is weight by a coefficient that changes of time.

18. A primary data storage system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the statistical database is capable of providing the sorting processor with current statistical data that relates to a first time frame and historical statistical data that relates to a second time frame that is greater than the first time frame.

19. A primary data storage system, as claimed in claim 18, wherein:

the current statistical data and the historical statistical data relate to a first volume.

20. A primary data storage system, as claimed in claim 18, wherein:

the current statistical data and the historical statistical data relate to both a first volume and a second volume.

21. A primary data storage system, as claimed in claim 18, wherein:

the current statistical data and the historical statistical data relate to a first criticality associated with the first volume.

22. A primary data storage system, as claimed in claim 18, wherein:

the current statistical data and the historical statistical data relate to a first criticality associated with a first volume and a second criticality associated with a second volume.

23. A primary data storage system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the statistical database is capable of providing the sorting processor with a combination of throughput data, queue depth data, latency data, and input-output operations per second (IOPS) related data.

24. A primary data storage system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the combination includes at least latency data.

25. A primary data storage system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the statistical database is capable of providing the sorting processor with a combination of;

(a) current throughput data, (b) current queue depth data, (c) current latency data, (d) current input-output operations per second (IOPS) related data, (e) historical throughput data, (f) historical queue depth data, (g) historical latency data, and (h) historical input-output operations per second (IOPS) related data.

26. A primary data storage system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the statistical database is capable of providing the sorting processor with a combination of;

(a) current read related throughput data, (b) current read related queue depth data, (c) current read related latency data, (d) current read related input-output operations per second (IOPS) related data, (e) historical read related throughput data, (f) historical read related queue depth data, (g) historical read related latency data, and (h) historical read related input-output operations per second (IOPS) related data, (i) current write related throughput data, (j) current write related queue depth data, (k) current write related latency data, (l) current write related input-output operations per second (IOPS) related data, (m) historical write related throughput data, (n) historical write related queue depth data, (o) historical write related latency data, and (p) historical write related input-output operations per second (IOPS) related data.

27. A primary data storage system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the statistical database is capable of providing the sorting processor with a combination of latency, throughput, and IOPS related statistical data that is related to criticality.

28. A primary data storage system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the statistical database is capable of providing the sorting processor with a combination of latency, throughput, and IOPS related statistical data that is related to a first volume and/or a second volume.

29. A primary data storage system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the statistical database is capable of providing the sorting processor with a combination of latency, throughput, and IOPS related statistical data that is related to hardware used in moving data to, from, and within the data store system.