FILE MANAGEMENT METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HYBRID STORAGE SYSTEM

• US 20130297969A1
• Filed: 04/17/2013
• Published: 11/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: KIM, Hong-Yeon, CHOI, Wan, KIM, Young-Chang
• Application Number:
  US13/864,685
• Publication Number:
  US 20130297969A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2094 Redundant storage or storage space G06F11/2056 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2097 maintaining the standby controller/processing unit updated initialisation or re-synchronisation thereof G06F11/1658 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3485 for I/O devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/172 Caching, prefetching or hoarding of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1844 Management specifically adapted to replicated file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/81 Threshold

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of improving file write performance and providing availability in a hybrid storage system. When a file writing target server information request signal is received from a client, any one cache server is selected in consideration of storage spaces of cache servers, information about the selected cache server to the client is transmitted so that the client stores the file in the selected cache server. When a duplicate writing target server information request is received from the selected cache server, any one first data server is selected in consideration of storage spaces of respective data servers, information about the selected first data server is transmitted to the cache server so that the cache server stores a duplicate of the file in the first data server. Information about storage of the file and the duplicate is received, and then file metadata is stored.

Claims

1. A file management method using a metadata server of a hybrid storage management system, comprising:

selecting any one cache server in consideration of storage spaces of respective cache servers based on previously stored cache server information when a request for information about a target server in which a file is to be written is received from a client;

transmitting information about the selected cache server to the client so that the client stores the file in the selected cache server;

selecting any one first data server in consideration of storage spaces of respective data servers based on previously stored data server information when a signal requesting information about a target server in which a duplicate of the stored file is to be written is received from the selected cache server;

transmitting information about the selected first data server to the cache server so that the cache server stores a duplicate of the file in the selected first data server; and

receiving information about storage of the file and the duplicate from the selected cache server and the selected first data server, and then storing file metadata.

2. The file management method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a second data server in which an additional duplicate of the stored file is to be written;

sending a storage request for the additional duplicate to the selected second data server; and

when a storage completion signal for the additional duplicate is received, updating the stored file metadata.

3. The file management method of claim 1, wherein:

each cache server is implemented as a Solid State Drive (SSD), and

each data server is implemented as a Hard Disk Drive (HDD).

4. The file management method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a failure of each cache server and each data server via periodic communication;

if a failure has been detected in any one server, creating a duplicate list for files stored in the server in which the failure has been detected, based on the stored file metadata;

obtaining file information from the created duplicate list, and identifying a third data server in which a valid duplicate is stored among the data servers;

selecting a fourth data server to which the files included in the duplicate list are to be duplicated in consideration of storage spaces of the respective data servers included in the previously stored data server information;

transmitting a request to duplicate the files included in the duplicate list to the fourth data server to the third data server; and

if a duplication completion signal has been received from the third data server, updating the stored file metadata.

5. The file management method of claim 4, further comprising:

if a file that has not yet been duplicated to the fourth data server is present among the files included in the duplicate list, selecting a fifth data server to which the file that has not yet been duplicated is to be transmitted in consideration of remaining storage spaces of the respective data servers based on the previously stored data server information; and

transmitting to the third data server a request to duplicate the file that has not yet been duplicated to the fifth data server.

6. The file management method of claim 1, further comprising:

when a file location information request is received from the client, if it is determined that a file corresponding to the file location information request is stored in any one cache server, transmitting information about that cache server to the client that transmitted the request; and

if it is determined that the file corresponding to the file location information request is stored in any one data server, transmitting information about that data server to the client that transmitted the request.

7. The file management method of claim 1, further comprising:

when a file transfer target server information request required to transfer a file is received from any one of the cache servers due to insufficiency of a remaining space, selecting any one fifth data server in consideration of storage spaces of the respective data servers based on the previously stored data server information; and

transmitting information about the fifth data server to the cache server having an insufficient remaining space, thus allowing the cache server having the insufficient remaining space to transfer the file to the fifth data server.

8. The file management method of claim 7, further comprising:

if the transfer of the file is completed by the cache server having the insufficient remaining space and information about the transfer of the file is received, updating the stored file metadata.

9. A metadata server for a hybrid storage management system, comprising:

a cache server control unit for, when a request for information about a target server in which a file is to be written is received from a client, selecting any one cache server in consideration of storage spaces of respective cache servers based on previously stored cache server information;

a network interface unit for transmitting information about the selected cache server to the client, thus allowing the client to store the file in the selected cache server;

a data server control unit for, when a request for information about a target server in which a duplicate of the stored file is to be written is received from the selected cache server, selecting any one first data server in consideration of remaining storage spaces of respective data servers based on previously stored data server information, and transmitting information about the selected first data server to the cache server so that the cache server stores a duplicate of the file in the selected first data server; and

a metadata control unit for receiving information about storage of the file and the duplicate from the selected cache server and the selected first data server, and then storing file metadata.

10. The metadata server of claim 9, wherein:

the data server control unit is configured to select a second data server in which an additional duplicate of the stored file is to be written, and transmit a storage request for the additional duplicate to the selected second data server, and

the metadata control unit is configured to, when a storage completion signal for the additional duplicate is received, update the stored file metadata.

11. The metadata server of claim 9, wherein:

each cache server is implemented as a Solid State Drive (SSD) device, and

each data server is implemented as a Hard Disk Drive (HDD).

12. The metadata server of claim 9, wherein:

the network interface unit detects a failure of each cache server and each data server via periodic communication,

the data server control unit is configured to, if a failure has been detected in any one server, create a duplicate list for files stored in the server in which the failure has been detected, based on the stored file metadata, obtain file information from the created duplicate list, identify a third data server in which a valid duplicate is stored among the data servers, select a fourth data server to which the files included in the duplicate list are to be duplicated in consideration of storage spaces of the respective data servers included in the previously stored data server information, and transmit a request to duplicate the files included in the duplicate list to the fourth data server to the third data server, and

the metadata control unit is configured to, if a duplication completion signal has been received from the third data server, update the stored file metadata.

13. The metadata server of claim 12, wherein the data server control unit is configured to, if a file that has not yet been duplicated to the fourth data server is present among the files included in the duplicate list, select a fifth data server to which the file that has not yet been duplicated is to be transmitted in consideration of storage spaces of the respective data servers based on the previously stored data server information, and transmit a request to duplicate the file that has not yet been duplicated to the fifth data server to the third data server via the network interface unit.

14. The metadata server of claim 9, wherein the network interface unit is configured to, when a file location information request is received from the client, if it is determined that a file corresponding to the file location information request is stored in any one cache server, transmit information about that cache server to the client that transmitted the request, and if it is determined that the file corresponding to the file location information request is stored in any one data server, transmit information about that data server to the client that transmitted the request.

15. The metadata server of claim 9, wherein the data server control unit is configured to, when a file transfer target server information request required to transfer a file is received from any one of the cache servers due to insufficiency of a remaining space via the network interface unit, select any one fifth data server in consideration of remaining storage spaces of the respective data servers based on the previously stored data server information, transmit information about the fifth data server to the cache server having an insufficient remaining space via the network interface unit, and then allow the cache server having the insufficient remaining space to transfer the file to the fifth data server.

16. The metadata server of claim 9, wherein the metadata control unit is configured to, if the transfer of the file is completed by the cache server having the insufficient remaining space and information about the transfer of the file is received via the network interface unit, update the stored file metadata.