Localized dispersed storage memory system

• US 9,431,055 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2014
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pure Storage, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Gladwin, S. Christopher, Grube, Gary W., Markison, Timothy W.
• Primary Examiner(s): BRYAN, JASON B
• Application Number:
  US14/275,560
• Publication Number:
  US 20140247516A1
• Time in Patent Office: 841 Days
• Field of Search: 714/6.11, 714/6.12, 714/6.13, 714/6.2, 714/6.21, 714/6.22, 714/6.23, 714/6.24, 714 40- 42, 714/54
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1076 Parity data used in redundant arrays of independent storages, e.g. in RAID systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1092 Rebuilding, e.g. when physically replacing a failing disk
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/1092 Single disk raid, i.e. RAID with parity on a single disk
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0616 in relation to life time, e.g. increasing Mean Time Between Failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0653 Monitoring storage devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1252 for discontinuous data, e.g. digital information signals, computer programme data
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1803 by redundancy in data representation
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1889 with discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/09 Digital recording

Abstract

A method includes a processing module receiving data to store and determining error coding dispersal storage function parameters based on an error profile of one or more hard drives. The method continues with the processing module encoding at least a portion of the data in accordance with the error coding dispersal storage function parameters to produce a set of data slices. The method continues with the processing module defining addressable storage sectors within the one or more hard drives based on a number of data slices within the set of data slices to produce a set of addressable storage sectors. The method continues with the processing module storing data slices of the set of data slices in corresponding addressable storage sectors of the set of addressable storage sectors.

Claims

1. A computer readable storage device comprises:

a first memory section that stores operational instructions that, when read by a computing device, causes the computing device to determine an error profile of a single hard drive, wherein the error profile includes at least one of detected storage errors and predicted storage errors;

a second memory section that stores operational instructions that, when read by the computing device, causes the computing device to;

determine error coding dispersal storage function parameters based on the error profile;

encode a data segment of the data in accordance with the error coding dispersal storage function parameters to produce a set of encoded data slices; and

a third memory section that stores operational instructions that, when read by the computing device, causes the computing device to;

define addressable storage sectors within the single hard drive based on the error coding dispersal storage function parameters and on the error profile to produce a set of addressable storage sectors; and

store encoded data slices of the set of encoded data slices at addressable locations in corresponding addressable storage sectors of the set of addressable storage sectors.

2. The computer readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the second memory section further stores operational instructions that, when read by the computing device, causes the computing device to determine the error coding dispersal storage function parameters by:

determining the error coding dispersal storage function parameters based on metadata that includes one or more of;

a data object name;

a data size indicator;

a slice name;

a command;

a priority indicator;

a security indicator;

a user identification;

a data type;

a memory error indicator;

a memory availability indicator; and

a memory status.

3. The computer readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the third memory section further stores operational instructions that, when read by the computing device, causes the computing device to define addressable storage sectors by one or more of:

determining utilization of the single hard drive;

avoiding an inoperable storage location of the single hard drive;

avoiding a storage location of the single hard drive with a history of errors; and

avoiding a second storage location of the single hard drive predicted to have a future error.

4. The computer readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the third memory section further stores operational instructions that, when read by the computing device, causes the computing device to:

store one or more slice names of the encoded data slices of the set of encoded data slices, identity of the set of addressable storage sectors, and utilization information associated with the encoded data slices of the set of encoded data slices in a local memory.

5. The computer readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the second memory section further stores operational instructions that, when read by the computing device, causes the computing device to:

encode a plurality of data segments of the data in accordance with the error coding dispersal storage function parameters to produce a plurality of sets of encoded data slices;

store a first encoded data slice of each of the plurality of sets of encoded data slices in a first addressable storage sector of the set of addressable storage sectors; and

store a second encoded data slice of each of the plurality of sets of encoded data slices in a second addressable storage sector of the set of addressable storage sectors.

6. The computer readable storage device of claim 1 further comprises:

the first memory section further stores operational instructions that, when read by the computing device, causes the computing device to;

detect new storage errors in the single hard drive;

update the error profile to include the new storage errors;

determine whether one of the addressable locations storing an encoded data slice of the set of encoded data slices has one of the new storage errors based on the updated error profile;

when the one of the addressable locations has one of the new storage errors, determine whether to rebuild the encoded data slice stored at the one of the addressable locations;

the second memory section further stores operational instructions that, when read by the computing device, causes the computing device to;

when the encoded data slice is to be rebuilt, rebuild the encoded data slice to produce a rebuilt encoded data slice; and

the third memory section further stores operational instructions that, when read by the computing device, causes the computing device to;

store the rebuilt encoded data slice in a different addressable location than the one of the addressable locations.

7. The computer readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the first memory section further stores operational instructions that, when read by the computing device, causes the computing device to:

determine not to rebuild the encoded data slice when more than a decode threshold number of encoded slices are available.