Topology independent storage arrays and methods

• US 7,702,850 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2005
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rateze Remote Mgmt. L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Rateze Remote Mgmt. L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Ludwig, Thomas Earl, Frank, Charles William
• Primary Examiner(s): Bragdon; Reginald G
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOONAN, ERIC T
• Application Number:
  US11/173,765
• Publication Number:
  US 20060206662A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,754 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 711/114
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2087 with a common controller
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0607 by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0631 by allocating resources to storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0647 Migration mechanisms
• 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

Abstract

A topology independent storage array. In a preferred embodiment the topology of the array is reconfigurable due to information control packets passed among storage nodes comprising the array. The topology of the array, as determine by the relationship between data sets stored within the array'"'"'s storage nodes and storage maps of the storage node, can be reconfigured without requiring a complete duplication of the entire array. In especially preferred embodiments, the topology of the storage array follows a Z-10 or a Z-110 configuration where storage devices store one or more mirrored parts of a data set per storage device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing, to a storage node, a first storage sub-map to map a plurality of data block identifiers to a corresponding plurality of physical locations on a storage device, the first storage sub-map being specific to the storage node;

providing, to a client device, a second storage sub-map to map a data block identifier, of the plurality of data block identifiers, to the storage node and the second storage sub-map to further map another data block identifier to another storage node; and

providing, to the another storage node, a third storage sub-map to map the another data block identifier to a physical location on the storage device or on another storage device, the first storage sub-map, the second storage sub-map, and the third storage sub-map configured to implement a topology of a storage array according to an array policy, the storage array having a plurality of storage nodes, including the storage node and the another storage node, and a plurality of storage devices, including the storage device and the another storage device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical location is on the another storage device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical location is on the storage device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the corresponding plurality of physical locations on the storage device are in a first partition and the method further comprises:

providing the third storage node sub-map to the another storage node to map another plurality of data block identifiers to another corresponding plurality of physical locations in a second partition of the storage device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said providing the second storage sub-map comprises:

providing, via a network communication path, the second storage sub-map to the client device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising directing the storage node to be receptive to receiving an internal packet from the another storage node of the storage array.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising directing the storage node to be receptive to a packet from external to the storage array.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying the array policy by updating the first storage sub-map and/or the second storage sub-map.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second storage sub-map is configured to allow the client device to interact with the storage node to access a corresponding physical location of the plurality of physical locations by transmitting a packet including the data block identifier to the storage node.

10. A method comprising:

providing, to a storage node, a first storage sub-map to map a plurality of data block identifiers to a corresponding plurality of physical locations on a storage device, the first storage sub-map being specific to the storage node; and

providing, to a client device, a second storage sub-map to map a data block identifier, of the plurality of data block identifiers, to the storage node, the first storage sub-map and the second storage sub-map configured to implement a topology of a storage array according to an array policy, the storage array having a plurality of storage nodes, including the storage node and another storage node, and a plurality of storage devices, including the storage device, wherein the second storage sub-map is to further map the data block identifier to the another storage node to provide the client device direct access to the another storage node from among the plurality of storage nodes.

11. A storage array comprising:

a first storage node to communicate with a storage device, the first storage node being responsible for access to a first partition of the storage device by having a first storage map to map a plurality of data block identifiers to the first partition, the first storage node being directly addressable by communications received from a network external to the storage array and the first partition being associated with a striped logical group; and

a second storage node to communicate with the storage device, the second storage node being responsible for access to a second partition of the storage device by having a second storage map to map another plurality of data block identifiers to the second partition, the second storage node being directly addressable by communications received from the network and the second partition to mirror a third partition associated with the striped logical group.

12. The storage array of claim 11, further comprising:

a plurality of storage devices including the storage device; and

a plurality of storage nodes, including the first and second storage nodes, having a corresponding plurality of storage maps to define an array policy that establishes a topology of the storage array.

13. The storage array of claim 12, wherein the array policy comprises a first array parameter and a second array parameter where the first array parameter is modified in response to changes to the second array parameter.

14. The storage array of claim 13, wherein the first array parameter and the second array parameter are independently selected from a list of parameters, including a cost parameter, a number of mirrors per storage device parameter, a reliability parameter, a performance parameter, a latency parameter, or an available capacity parameter.

15. The storage array of claim 12, wherein the corresponding plurality of storage maps are a corresponding plurality of first storage sub-maps to map data block identifiers to physical locations of the plurality of storage devices, and the array policy is further defined by one or more second storage sub-maps provided to a corresponding one or more client devices to map data block identifiers to the plurality of storage nodes.

16. The storage array of claim 12, wherein at least some of the plurality of storage nodes are configured to receive control information to update a respective storage map to change the topology of the storage array.

17. The storage array of claim 12, wherein the topology comprises the striped logical group striped across the plurality of storage devices and a mirrored logical group, to mirror the striped logical group, striped across the plurality of storage devices, the mirrored logical group shifted with respect to the striped logical group by at least one storage device.

18. The storage array of claim 17, wherein the topology further comprises another mirrored logical group, to mirror the mirrored logical group, striped across the plurality of storage devices and shifted, with respect to the mirrored logical group, by at least one storage device.

19. The storage array of claim 11, further comprising:

a network communication interface to communicatively couple the first storage node and the second storage node to the network.

20. The storage array of claim 11, further comprising:

a controller configured to provide a client a third storage map to map a first data block identifier to the first storage node and a second data block identifier to the second storage node.

21. The storage array of claim 11, wherein both the plurality of data block identifiers and the another plurality of data block identifiers includes a first data block identifier.

22. The storage array of claim 11, wherein the first partition is interleaved with the second partition.

23. A system comprising:

means for providing, to a storage node, a first storage sub-map to map a plurality of data block identifiers to a corresponding plurality of physical locations on a storage device, the first storage sub-map being specific to the storage node;

means for providing, to a client device, a second storage sub-map to map a data block identifier, of the plurality of data block identifiers, to the storage node and the second storage sub-map to further map another data block identifier to another storage node; and

means for providing, to the another storage node, a third storage sub-map to map the another data block identifier to a physical location on the storage device or on another storage device, the first storage sub-map, the second storage sub-map, and the third storage sub-map configured to implement a topology of a storage array according to an array policy, the storage array having a plurality of storage nodes, including the storage node and the another storage node, and a plurality of storage devices, including the storage device and the another storage device.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the physical location is on the another storage device.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the physical location is on the storage device.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the corresponding plurality of physical locations on the storage device are in a first partition and the system further comprises:

means for providing the third storage sub-map to the another storage node to map another plurality of data block identifiers to another corresponding plurality of physical locations in a second partition of the storage device.

27. The system of claim 23, further comprising

means for directing the storage nodes to be receptive to a packet from external to the storage array.

28. The system of claim 23, further comprising

means for modifying the array policy by updating the first storage sub-map and/or the second storage sub-map.

29. A system comprising:

means for providing, to a storage node, a first storage sub-map to map a plurality of data block identifiers to a corresponding plurality of physical locations on a storage device, the first storage sub-map being specific to the storage node; and

means for providing, to a client device, a second storage sub-map to map a data block identifier, of the plurality of data block identifiers, to the storage node, the first storage sub-map and the second storage sub-map configured to implement a topology of a storage array according to an array policy, the storage array having a plurality of storage nodes, including the storage node, and a plurality of storage devices, including the storage device, wherein the second storage sub-map is to further map the data block identifier to another storage node to provide the client device direct access to the another storage node from among the plurality of storage nodes.