Clustered RAID assimilation management

• US 9,367,241 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2015
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Sundaram, Rajesh, Baddepudi, Bharat
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HIEP T
• Application Number:
  US14/854,850
• Publication Number:
  US 20160004447A1
• Time in Patent Office: 273 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2069 Management of state, configuration or failover
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2092 Techniques of failing over between control units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/805 Real-time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/82 Solving problems relating to consistency ensuring consistency in mirrored systems G06F11/2064
• 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 3/0632 by initialisation or re-initialisation of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0634 by changing the state or mode of one or more devices
• 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 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

In one embodiment, a node of a cluster is coupled to a storage array of storage devices. The node executes a storage input/output (I/O) stack having a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) layer that organizes the storage devices within the storage array as a plurality of RAID groups. Configuration information is stored as a cluster database. The configuration information identifies the RAID groups associated with the storage devices. Each RAID group is associated with a plurality of segments and each segment has a different RAID configuration.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU) of a node of a cluster coupled to a storage array of storage devices;

a memory coupled to the CPU and configured to store a storage input/output (I/O) stack executable by the CPU, the storage I/O stack having a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) layer that when executed is operable to organize the storage devices within the storage array as a plurality of RAID groups; and

a service storage device coupled to the CPU and configured to store configuration information associating the RAID groups with one or more segments stored on the storage array, each segment having a log-structured layout, and wherein each RAID group has a different RAID configuration identifying a set of storage devices.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein a first set of segments is associated with a first RAID group having a first set of storage devices and wherein the storage I/O stack when executed is operable to:

add a new storage device to the storage array; and

allocate a new segment that includes the first set of storage devices and the new storage device.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the storage I/O stack when executed is further operable to:

clean the first set of segments;

move data from the first set of segments to the new segment; and

create a new RAID group associated with the new segment.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the storage I/O stack when executed is further operable to:

assimilate the storage devices into the RAID groups by segment.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein the storage I/O stack when executed is further operable to:

write extents to the new segment for use to one of recover from a degraded level of redundancy and store additional data.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the configuration information is embodied as RAID related metadata stored on the service storage device separate from the storage array of storage devices.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the RAID configuration identifies storage devices as solid state drives.

8. A method comprising:

executing, by a processor of a node of a cluster coupled to a storage array of storage devices that serve as main storage, a storage input/output (I/O) stack, the storage I/O stack having a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) layer that organizes the storage devices within the storage array as RAID groups; and

storing configuration information on a service storage device coupled to the processor, the configuration information associating the RAID groups with one or more segments stored on the storage devices, each segment having a log-structured layout, each RAID group having a different RAID configuration identifying a set of storage devices.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

associating a first set of segments with a first RAID group having a first set of storage devices;

adding a new storage device to the storage array; and

allocating a new segment that includes the first set of storage devices and the new storage device.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

cleaning the first set of segments;

moving data from the first set of segments to the new segment; and

creating a new RAID group associated with the new segment.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein creating the new RAID group comprises:

creating the new RAID group when the new segment is allocated.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

assimilating the storage devices into the RAID groups by segment.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

writing extents to the new segment for use to one of recover from a degraded level of redundancy and store additional data.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

embodying the configuration as RAID related metadata stored on the service storage device separate from the main storage provided by the storage array of storage devices.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium including program instructions for execution on one or more processors, the program instructions when executed operable to:

implement a storage input/output (I/O) stack, the storage I/O stack having a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) layer that organizes storage devices of a storage array as RAID groups, the storage array coupled to the one or more processors; and

store configuration information on a service storage device coupled to the one or more processors, the configuration information associating the RAID groups with one or more segments stored on the storage devices, wherein each segment has a log-structured layout, and wherein each RAID group has a different RAID configuration identifying a set of storage devices.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 wherein the program instructions when executed are further operable to:

associate a first set of segments with a first RAID group having a first set of storage devices;

add a new storage device to the storage array; and

allocate a new segment that includes the first set of storage devices and the new storage device.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein the program instructions when executed are further operable to:

clean the first set of segments;

move data from the first set of segments to the new segment; and

create a new RAID group associated with the new segment.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 wherein the program instructions when executed to create the new RAID group are further operable to:

create the new RAID group when the new segment is allocated.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 wherein the program instructions when executed are further operable to:

assimilate the storage devices into the RAID groups by segment.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 wherein the program instructions when executed are further operable to:

write extents to the new segment for use to one of recover from a degraded level of redundancy and store additional data.