SCALABLE OBJECT STORAGE USING MULTICAST TRANSPORT

• US 20140304357A1
• Filed: 06/11/2014
• Published: 10/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nexenta by DDN, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nexenta Systems Incorporated (DataDirect Networks Incorporated)
• Inventors: BESTLER, Caitlin, NOVAK, Robert E., AIZMAN, Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 9,479,587 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/213
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1863 comprising mechanisms for improved reliability, e.g. status reports arrangements for detecting or preventing errors by carrying supervisory signal the return channel H04L1/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/00 Packet switching elements
• 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: H04L 69/164 Adaptation or special uses of UDP protocol

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein provide a scalable multicast transport. The multicast transport protocol provides effectively reliable multicast delivery while avoiding the overhead associated with point-to-point protocols. Additional embodiments disclosed herein relate to a scalable object storage system that uses a multicast transport. The object storage system assigns responsibility for providing storage services for a chunk to a negotiating group of storage servers in the cluster using a shared and distributed hash allocation table. The object storage system dynamically determines a rendezvous group of storage servers in the cluster to store the chunk using the multicast transport. Other embodiments, aspects and features are also disclosed.

Claims

1-89. -89. (canceled)

90. A method of distributing chunks in a cluster of storage servers, the method comprising:

assigning responsibility for providing storage services for a chunk to a first subset of storage servers in the cluster using a shared and distributed hash allocation table; and

dynamically determining a second subset of storage servers in the cluster to store the chunk using a multicast transport service.

91. The method of claim 90, wherein the second subset of storage servers is a subset of the first subset of storage servers.

92. The method of claim 91, wherein storage servers in the first subset of storage servers communicate with each other using multicast messaging to determine the second subset of storage servers.

93. The method of claim 90, wherein the first subset of storage servers is determined by a storage server in the cluster by mapping a hash identifier associated with the chunk to a tuple specifying a multicast address to reach the first subset of storage servers and enumerating storage servers in the first subset.

94. The method of claim 90, further comprising:

multicasting a get request to the first subset of storage servers for the chunk, wherein the get request is extended to specify a relative chunk position in an overall delivery of chunks referenced in a first retrieved chunk.

95. The method of claim 90, further comprising:

editing the hash allocation table by multicasting a versioned edit.

96. The method of claim 95, wherein the versioned edit includes a version number comprised of a timestamp and a source identifier of a storage server submitting the versioned edit.

97. A system of distributing chunks in a cluster of storage servers, the system comprising:

a network of non-blocking switches communicatively interconnecting the storage servers of the cluster;

an initiating client comprising a client system that communicatively interconnects to the network; and

an object storage protocol implemented by the storage servers of the cluster and the initiating client, wherein the object storage protocol comprises

assigning responsibility for providing storage services for a chunk to a first subset of storage servers in the cluster using a shared and distributed hash allocation table, and

dynamically determining a second subset of storage servers in the cluster to store the chunk using a multicast transport service.

98. The system of claim 97, wherein the second subset of storage servers is a subset of the first subset of storage servers.

99. The system of claim 98, wherein storage servers in the first subset of storage servers communicate with each other using multicast messaging to determine the second subset of storage servers.

100. The system of claim 97, wherein the first subset of storage servers is determined by a storage server in the cluster by mapping a hash identifier associated with the chunk to a tuple specifying a multicast address to reach the first subset of storage servers and enumerating storage servers in the first subset.

101. The system of claim 97, wherein the object storage protocol further comprises:

multicasting a get request to the first subset of storage servers for the chunk, wherein the get request is extended to specify a relative chunk position in an overall delivery of chunks referenced in a first retrieved chunk.

102. The system of claim 97, wherein the object storage protocol further comprises:

editing the hash allocation table by multicasting a versioned edit.

103. The system of claim 102, wherein the versioned edit includes a version number comprised of a timestamp and a source identifier of a storage server submitting the versioned edit.