Stream-oriented interconnect for networked computer storage

• US 7,944,936 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2006
• Issued: 05/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Plotkin, Serge, Avida, Dan
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan; Man
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mansoury; Nourali
• Application Number:
  US11/426,258
• Publication Number:
  US 20060233170A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,789 Days
• Field of Search: 370/389, 370/415, 370/420, 709/221, 710/52, 710/104, 710/305, 710/310, 710/316
• US Class Current: 370/415
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/10 Routing in connection-oriented networks, e.g. X.25 or ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/46 Cluster building
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/254 Centralised controller, i.e. arbitration or scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/30 Peripheral units, e.g. input or output ports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/357 Fibre channel switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0005 Switch and router aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0071 Provisions for the electrical-optical layer interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0015 using splitting combining
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0024 using space switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/003 using switches based on microelectro-mechanical systems [MEMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0069 using dedicated optical channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0084 Quality of service aspects
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 370/912 Packet communications

Abstract

An apparatus and method for connecting a plurality of computing devices, e.g. web servers, database servers, etc., to a plurality of storage devices, such as disks, disk arrays, tapes, etc., by using a stream-oriented (circuit oriented) switch that has high throughput, but that requires non-negligible time for reconfiguration is disclosed. An example of such stream-oriented switch is an optical switch. The system decodes the requests from the computing devices and uses this information to create circuits, e.g. optical paths in embodiments where the stream-oriented switch is an optical switch, through the stream-oriented switch. The system uses these circuits to route traffic between the computing devices and the storage devices. Buffering of data and control in the device memory is used to improve overall throughput and reduce the time spent on reconfigurations.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a first set of ports configured to connect a computing device, and a second set of ports configured to connect a storage device comprising data;

a stream-oriented switch operatively connected with the first set of ports and the second set of ports, and a packet switch operatively connected with the first set of ports and the second set of ports;

a scheduling and load balancing unit (SLBU) configured to receive decoded information, the decoded information decoded from a data operation sent from the computing device to access the data of the storage device, the SLBU further configured to use the decoded information to predict whether a future data operation sent from the computing device will be directed to a first data type or directed to a second data type; and

a system controller configured to route the future data operation sent from the computing device to the stream-oriented switch in response to predicting the future data operation will be directed to the first data type, the system controller further configured to route the future data operation sent from the computing device to the packet switch in response to predicting the future data operation will be directed to the second data type.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the stream-oriented switch is an optical switch.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first data type comprises a number of bytes greater than a particular number of bytes, and wherein the second data type comprises a number of bytes less than the particular number of bytes.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the SLBU utilizes a Hidden Markov Model to predict the first data type and the second data type for the future data operation.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the SLBU utilizes a Markov Decision Process for decisions regarding reconfiguring the stream-oriented switch.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first data type is a video file.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the SLBU is further configured to route predicted data through the stream-oriented switch and route a remainder of data through the packet switch.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the SLBU is further configured to determine a configuration for the stream-oriented switch in response to predicting the future data operation.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the SLBU is further configured to optimize a customer-desired system attribute by balancing a frequency of stream-oriented switch reconfigurations.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the stream-oriented switch is configured to support multiple concurrent circuits.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a splitter/combiner configured to communicate with the SLBU.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a network adapter configured to communicate with the SLBU.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a server-side driver configured to collect global data about the data operation to be sent to the SLBU.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the SLBU is further configured to instruct the data to be forwarded through an interconnect that is already reconfigured while another interconnect is being reconfigured.

15. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

connecting a first set of ports to a computing device, and connecting a second set of ports to a storage device comprising data;

connecting a stream-oriented switch with the first set ports and the second set of ports, and connecting a packet switch with the first set of ports and the second set of ports;

receiving decoded information from a data operation sent from the computing device to access the data of the storage device;

predicting whether a future data operation sent from the computing device will be a first data type or a second data type using the decoded information; and

routing the future data operation sent from the computing device to the stream-oriented switch in response to predicting the future data operation will be the first data type, and routing the future data operation sent from the computing device to the packet switch in response to predicting the future data operation will be the second data type.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the stream-oriented switch is an optical switch.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the first data type comprises a number of bytes greater than a particular number of bytes, and wherein the second data type comprises a number of bytes less than the particular number of bytes.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the predicting comprises utilizing a Hidden Markov Model.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising utilizing a Markov Decision Process for decisions regarding reconfiguring the stream-oriented switch.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the first data type is a video file.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising routing predicted data through the stream-oriented switch and routing a remainder of data through the packet switch.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining a configuration for the stream-oriented switch in response to predicting the future data operation.

23. The method of claim 15, further comprising forwarding data through an interconnect that is already reconfigured while another interconnect is being reconfigured.

24. A non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage device containing executable program instructions executed by a processor, comprising:

program instructions that connect a first set of ports to a computing device, and that connect a second set of ports to a storage device comprising data;

program instructions that connect a stream-oriented switch with the first set of ports and the second set of ports, and program instructions that connect a packet switch with the first set of ports and the second set of ports;

program instructions that receive decoded information from a data operation sent from the computing device to access the data of the storage device;

program instructions that predict whether a future data operation sent from the computing device will be a first data type or a second data type using the decoded information; and

program instructions that route the future data operation sent from the computing device to the stream-oriented switch in response to predicting the future data operation will be the first data type, and program instructions that route the future data operation sent from the computing device to the packet switch in response to predicting the future data operation will be the second data type.