Adjusting a dispersal parameter of dispersedly stored data

• US 9,135,114 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2014
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pure Storage, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cleversafe Incorporated (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Resch, Jason K., Grube, Gary W., Markison, Timothy W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Blair, April Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): GANDHI, DIPAKKUMAR B
• Application Number:
  US14/481,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20150067445A1
• Time in Patent Office: 371 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1044 with specific ECC/EDC distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1076 Parity data used in redundant arrays of independent storages, e.g. in RAID systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1441 Resetting or repowering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3051 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the configuration of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring the presence of processing resources, peripherals, I/O links, software programs verification or detection of system hardware configuration G06F11/2247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3055 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the status of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring if the computing system is on, off, available, not available error or fault processing without redundancy G06F11/0703; error detection or correction by redundancy in data representation G06F11/08; error detection or correction by redundancy in operation G06F11/14; error detection or correction by redundancy in hardware G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/064 Management of blocks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0646 Horizontal data movement in storage systems, i.e. moving data in between storage devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0653 Monitoring storage devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/09 Error detection only, e.g. using cyclic redundancy check [CRC] codes or single parity bit
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/1515 Reed-Solomon codes
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/23 using convolutional codes, e.g. unit memory codes
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/2707 Simple row-column interleaver, i.e. pure block interleaving
• 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]

Abstract

A method begins by a processing module storing data files utilizing a dispersed storage error coding function that includes a pillar width parameter and a decode threshold parameter. The method continues with the processing module determining whether to adjust redundancy of the dispersed storage error coding function based on performance of the DSN. When the redundancy of the dispersed storage error coding function is to be adjusted, changing a ratio between the pillar width parameter and the decode threshold parameter and adjusting storage of one or more sets of the plurality of sets of encoded data slices based on the changing of the ratio.

Claims

1. A method for execution by a computing device, the method comprises:

storing data files utilizing a dispersed storage error coding function, wherein a data file of the data files is encoded using the dispersed storage error coding function to produce a plurality of sets of encoded data slices, wherein the plurality of sets of encoded data slices is stored in memory of a dispersed storage network (DSN), and wherein the dispersed storage error coding function includes a pillar width parameter and a decode threshold parameter;

determining whether to adjust redundancy of the dispersed storage error coding function based on performance of the DSN;

when the redundancy of the dispersed storage error coding function is to be adjusted, changing a ratio between the pillar width parameter and the decode threshold parameter; and

adjusting storage of one or more sets of the plurality of sets of encoded data slices based on the changing of the ratio.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

determining performance of the DSN by;

determining a memory utilization indicator associated with the memory;

determining a memory reliability indicator associated with the memory; and

when the memory utilization indicator is unfavorable and the memory reliability indicator is favorable, indicating a decrease of the ratio between the pillar width parameter and the decode threshold parameter.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

determining performance of the DSN by;

determining a memory utilization indicator associated with the memory;

determining a memory reliability indicator associated with the memory; and

when the memory utilization indicator is favorable and the memory reliability indicator is unfavorable, indicating an increase of the ratio between the pillar width parameter and the decode threshold parameter.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the changing the ratio comprises:

maintaining the decode threshold parameter and increasing the pillar width parameter.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the changing the ratio comprises:

maintaining the decode threshold parameter and decreasing the pillar width parameter.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting storage of the one or more sets of the plurality of sets of encoded data slices based on the changing of the ratio further comprises:

deleting an encoded data slice from each set of the one or more sets of the plurality of sets of encoded data slices.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting storage of the one or more sets of the plurality of sets of encoded data slices based on the changing of the ratio further comprises:

adding an encoded data slice to each set of the one or more sets of the plurality of sets of encoded data slices.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage device comprises:

a first memory section for storing operational instructions that, when executed by a computing device, causes the computing device to;

store data files utilizing a dispersed storage error coding function, wherein a data file of the data files is encoded using the dispersed storage error coding function to produce a plurality of sets of encoded data slices, wherein the plurality of sets of encoded data slices is stored in memory of a dispersed storage network (DSN), and wherein the dispersed storage error coding function includes a pillar width parameter and a decode threshold parameter;

a second memory section for storing operational instructions that, when executed by the computing device, causes the computing device to;

determine whether to adjust redundancy of the dispersed storage error coding function based on performance of the DSN;

a third memory section for storing operational instructions that, when executed by the computing device, causes the computing device to;

when the redundancy of the dispersed storage error coding function is to be adjusted, change a ratio between the pillar width parameter and the decode threshold parameter; and

a fourth memory section for storing operational instructions that, when executed by the computing device, causes the computing device to;

adjust storage of one or more sets of the plurality of sets of encoded data slices based on the changing of the ratio.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 8, wherein the second memory section stores further operational instructions that, when executed by the computing device, causes the computing device to:

determine the performance of the DSN by;

determining a memory utilization indicator associated with the memory;

determining a memory reliability indicator associated with the memory; and

when the memory utilization indicator is unfavorable and the memory reliability indicator is favorable, indicating a decrease of the ratio between the pillar width parameter and the decode threshold parameter.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 8, wherein the second memory section stores further operational instructions that, when executed by the computing device, causes the computing device to:

determine the performance of the DSN by;

determining a memory utilization indicator associated with the memory;

determining a memory reliability indicator associated with the memory; and

when the memory utilization indicator is favorable and the memory reliability indicator is unfavorable, indicating an increase of the ratio between the pillar width parameter and the decode threshold parameter.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 8, wherein the third memory section stores further operational instructions that, when executed by the computing device, causes the computing device to change the ratio by:

maintaining the decode threshold parameter and increasing the pillar width parameter.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 8, wherein the third memory section stores further operational instructions that, when executed by the computing device, causes the computing device to change the ratio by:

maintaining the decode threshold parameter and decreasing the pillar width parameter.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 8, wherein the fourth memory section stores further operational instructions that, when executed by the computing device, causes the computing device to adjust storage of the one or more sets of the plurality of sets of encoded data slices based on the changing of the ratio by:

deleting an encoded data slice from each set of the one or more sets of the plurality of sets of encoded data slices.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 8, wherein the fourth memory section stores further operational instructions that, when executed by the computing device, causes the computing device to adjust storage of the one or more sets of the plurality of sets of encoded data slices based on the changing of the ratio by:

adding an encoded data slice to each set of the one or more sets of the plurality of sets of encoded data slices.