Virtual disk drive system and method

• US 8,020,036 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2008
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell International LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Compellent Technologies Incorporated (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Klemm, Michael J., Soran, Philip E., Guider, John P., Aszmann, Lawrence E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Iqbal; Nadeem
• Application Number:
  US12/261,621
• Publication Number:
  US 20090089504A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 714 3- 6, 714/13, 714/15, 714/18, 714 37- 39, 714/42, 714/43, 714/47, 714/54
• US Class Current: 714/6.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/108 Parity data distribution in semiconductor storages, e.g. in SSD
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1435 using file system or storage system metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1461 Backup scheduling policy
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1471 involving logging of persistent data for recovery
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2089 Redundant storage control functionality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/02 Addressing or allocation; Relocation program address sequencing G06F9/00; arrangements for selecting an address in a digital store G11C8/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0608 Saving storage space on storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0611 in relation to response time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0631 by allocating resources to storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/064 Management of blocks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0647 Migration mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0659 Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0665 at area level, e.g. provisioning of virtual or logical volumes
• 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 3/0683 Plurality of storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

A disk drive system and method capable of dynamically allocating data is provided. The disk drive system may include a RAID subsystem having a pool of storage, for example a page pool of storage that maintains a free list of RAIDs, or a matrix of disk storage blocks that maintain a null list of RAIDs, and a disk manager having at least one disk storage system controller. The RAID subsystem and disk manager dynamically allocate data across the pool of storage and a plurality of disk drives based on RAID-to-disk mapping. The RAID subsystem and disk manager determine whether additional disk drives are required, and a notification is sent if the additional disk drives are required. Dynamic data allocation and data progression allow a user to acquire a disk drive later in time when it is needed. Dynamic data allocation also allows efficient data storage of snapshots/point-in-time copies of virtual volume pool of storage, instant data replay and data instant fusion for data backup, recovery etc., remote data storage, and data progression, etc.

Claims

1. A disk drive system manager, comprising:

means for classifying each of a plurality of storage devices based on the cost;

means for checking data on the storage devices to determine whether there is data to be moved from one classification of storage device to another; and

means for moving data stored on one or more storage devices of one classification to one or more storage devices of another classification;

wherein data is moved to a lower cost storage device if the data has not been recently accessed.

2. The disk drive system manager of claim 1, wherein the cost of each storage device is based on efficiency of the storage device relative to the other storage devices.

3. The disk drive system manager of claim 1, wherein the cost of each storage device is based on storage capacity of the storage device.

4. The disk drive system manager of claim 1, wherein the cost of each storage device is based on physical cost of the storage device.

5. The disk drive system manager of claim 1, wherein data is moved to a lower cost storage device if a substantial portion of the storage space on a higher cost storage device is used up.

6. The disk drive system manager of claim 1, wherein data is moved to a higher cost storage device when data in the lower cost storage device starts to be used more frequently or becomes active.

7. The disk drive system manager of claim 1, wherein the plurality of storage devices comprise different disk types.

8. A method of data progression in a disk drive system, comprising:

classifying each of a plurality of storage devices based on the cost;

checking data on the storage devices to determine whether there is data to be moved from one classification of storage device to another; and

moving data stored on one or more storage devices of one classification to one or more storage devices of another classification;

wherein data is moved to a lower cost storage device if the data has not been recently accessed.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein data is moved to a higher cost storage device when data in the lower cost storage device starts to be used more frequently or becomes active.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the cost of each storage device is based on efficiency of the storage device relative to the other storage devices.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the cost of each storage device is based on storage capacity of the storage device.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the cost of each storage device is based on physical cost of the storage device.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein data is moved to a lower cost storage device if a substantial portion of the storage space on a higher cost storage device is used up.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of storage devices comprise different disk types.

15. A method of data progression in a disk drive system, comprising:

classifying each of a plurality of storage devices based on the cost;

checking data on the storage devices to determine whether there is data to be moved from one classification of storage device to another; and

moving data stored on one or more storage devices of one classification to one or more storage devices of another classification;

wherein data is moved to a lower cost storage device if a substantial portion of the storage space on a higher cost storage device is used up.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the cost of each storage device is based on efficiency of the storage device relative to the other storage devices.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the cost of each storage device is based on storage capacity of the storage device.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the cost of each storage device is based on physical cost of the storage device.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of storage devices comprise different disk types.

20. A disk drive system manager, comprising:

means for classifying each of a plurality of storage devices based on the cost;

means for checking data on the storage devices to determine whether there is data to be moved from one classification of storage device to another; and

means for moving data stored on one or more storage devices of one classification to one or more storage devices of another classification;

wherein data is moved to a lower cost storage device if a substantial portion of the storage space on a higher cost storage device is used up.

21. The disk drive system manager of claim 20, wherein the cost of each storage device is based on efficiency of the storage device relative to the other storage devices.

22. The disk drive system manager of claim 20, wherein the cost of each storage device is based on storage capacity of the storage device.

23. The disk drive system manager of claim 20, wherein the cost of each storage device is based on physical cost of the storage device.

24. The disk drive system manager of claim 20, wherein the plurality of storage devices comprise different disk types.