Decoupled reliability groups

• US 9,710,346 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2016
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Storer, Mark Walter
• Primary Examiner(s): Rones, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): DOAN, HAN V
• Application Number:
  US15/172,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20160283337A1
• Time in Patent Office: 410 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1004 to protect a block of data words, e.g. CRC or checksum G06F11/1076 takes precedence; security arrangements for protecting computers or computer systems against unauthorized activity G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1092 Rebuilding, e.g. when physically replacing a failing disk
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2094 Redundant storage or storage space G06F11/2056 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/805 Real-time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/1061 Parity-single bit-RAID4, i.e. RAID 4 implementations

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for updating members of a data storage reliability group are provided. In one exemplary method, a reliability group includes a data zone in a first storage node and a checksum zone in a second data storage node. The method includes updating a version counter associated with the data zone in response to destaging a data object from a staging area of the data zone to a store area of the data zone without synchronizing the destaging with the state of the checksum zone. The method further includes transmitting, from the data zone to the checksum zone, an update message indicating completion of the destaging of the data object, wherein the update message includes a current value of the version counter.

Claims

1. A data storage device comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory, wherein the memory is coupled to the one or more processors which are configured to execute programmed instructions stored in the memory comprising;

store a data object in a staging area of a data storage zone;

transfer the stored data object to a store area of the data storage zone without establishing a commit protocol with a parity storage zone;

update a revision value associated with the data storage zone in response to the transfer;

identify prior unprocessed updates associated with the data storage zone by comparing the updated revision value to an element of a contribution vector associated with the data storage zone, wherein the identify further comprises determine when information associated with one of the identified prior unprocessed updates is not available in the parity storage zone and request for the information associated with the one of the identified prior unprocessed updates from the data storage zone when the information is determined to be not available;

sequentially generate and store, in a store area of the parity storage zone, checksum information associated with the identified prior unprocessed updates in an order determined based on the updated revision value and revision values of the identified prior unprocessed updates; and

update the element of the contribution vector with the sequentially generated checksum information.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the checksum information is generated using erasure coding.

3. The device of claim 1 further comprising:

additional data storage zones; and

additional parity storage zones; and

wherein the checksum information is generated based on the data storage zones and the parity zones using Reed Solomon encoding.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the data object is stored in the store area of the data storage zone in append-only log format.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the checksum information is stored in the store area of the parity storage zone in-place relative to a prior version of the checksum information.

6. The device of claim 1 further comprises transmit an acknowledgement to the data storage zone in response to receiving the update from the data storage zone.

7. A method comprising:

storing, by a computing device, a data object in a staging area of a data storage zone;

transferring, by the computing device, the stored data object to a store area of the data storage zone without establishing a commit protocol with a parity storage zone;

updating, by the computing device, a revision value associated with the data storage zone in response to the transfer;

identifying, by the computing device, prior unprocessed updates associated with the data storage zone by comparing the updated revision value to an element of a contribution vector associated with the data storage zone, wherein the identify further comprises determine when information associated with one of the identified prior unprocessed updates is not available in the parity storage zone and request for the information associated with the one of the identified prior unprocessed updates from the data storage zone when the information is determined to be not available;

sequentially generating and storing, by the computing device, in a store area of the parity storage zone, checksum information associated with the identified prior unprocessed updates in an order determined based on the updated revision value and revision values of the identified prior unprocessed updates; and

updating, by the computing device, the element of the contribution vector with the sequentially generated checksum information.

8. The method as set forth in claim 7 wherein the checksum information is generated using erasure coding.

9. The method as set forth in claim 7 further comprising:

additional, by the computing device, data storage zones; and

additional, by the computing device, parity storage zones; and

wherein the checksum information is generated based on the data storage zones and the parity zones using Reed Solomon encoding.

10. The method as set forth in claim 7 wherein the data object is stored in the store area of the data storage zone in append-only log format.

11. The method as set forth in claim 7 wherein the checksum information is stored in the store area of the parity storage zone in-place relative to a prior version of the checksum information.

12. The method as set forth in claim 7 further comprising transmitting, by the computing device, an acknowledgement to the data storage zone in response to receiving the update from the data storage zone.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for managing storage comprising machine executable code which when executed by at least one processor causes the processor to perform steps comprising:

storing a data object in a staging area of a data storage zone;

transferring the stored data object to a store area of the data storage zone without establishing a commit protocol with a parity storage zone;

updating a revision value associated with the data storage zone in response to the transfer;

identifying prior unprocessed updates associated with the data storage zone by comparing the updated revision value to an element of a contribution vector associated with the data storage zone, wherein the identify further comprises determine when information associated with one of the identified prior unprocessed updates is not available in the parity storage zone and request for the information associated with the one of the identified prior unprocessed updates from the data storage zone when the information is determined to be not available;

sequentially generating and storing in a store area of the parity storage zone, checksum information associated with the identified prior unprocessed updates in an order determined based on the updated revision value and revision values of the identified prior unprocessed updates; and

updating the element of the contribution vector with the sequentially generated checksum information.

14. The medium as set forth in claim 13 wherein the checksum information is generated using erasure coding.

15. The medium as set forth in claim 13 further comprising:

additional data storage zones; and

additional parity storage zones; and

wherein the checksum information is generated based on the data storage zones and the parity zones using Reed Solomon encoding.

16. The medium as set forth in claim 13 wherein the data object is stored in the store area of the data storage zone in append-only log format.

17. The medium as set forth in claim 13 wherein the checksum information is stored in the store area of the parity storage zone in-place relative to a prior version of the checksum information.

18. The medium as set forth in claim 13 further comprising transmitting an acknowledgement to the data storage zone in response to receiving the update from the data storage zone.