Localized dispersed storage memory system

• US 9,870,795 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2016
• Issued: 01/16/2018
• 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
• Application Number:
  US15/085,648
• Publication Number:
  US 20160210193A1
• Time in Patent Office: 657 Days
• 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 method for execution by a processing module to extend life of a set of hard drives for reliably storing data, the method comprises:

determining a first error profile for a first hard drive of the set of hard drives, wherein the first error profile includes at least one of detected storage errors and predicted storage errors for the first hard drive;

determining a second error profile for a second hard drive of the set of hard drives;

determining a dispersal configuration based on the first and second error profiles;

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

defining addressable storage sectors within the first and second hard drives based on the dispersal configuration and on the first and second error profiles to produce a set of addressable storage sectors; and

storing 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 method of claim 1, wherein the defining addressable storage sectors further comprises:

determining a first addressable storage sector of the addressable storage sectors within the first hard drive; and

determining a second addressable storage sector of the addressable storage sectors within the second hard drive.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

detecting new storage errors in the first or the second hard drive;

updating the first or the second error profile to include the new storage errors;

determining 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 first or second error profile;

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

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

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

4. The method of claim 3 further comprises:

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

5. 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 a first error profile for a first hard drive of a set of hard drives, wherein the first error profile includes at least one of detected storage errors and predicted storage errors for the first hard drive;

determine a second error profile for a second hard drive of the set of hard drives;

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

determine a dispersal configuration based on the first and the second error profiles;

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

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 first and the second hard drives based on the dispersal configuration and on the first and second error profiles 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.

6. The computer readable storage device of claim 5, wherein the third memory section further stores operational instructions that, when read by the computing device, causes the computing device to define the addressable storage sectors further by:

determining a first addressable storage sector of the addressable storage sectors within the first hard drive; and

determining a second addressable storage sector of the addressable storage sectors within the second hard drive.

7. The computer readable storage device of claim 5 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 first or the second hard drive;

update the first or the second error profile to include the new storage errors;

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

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 first or second 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; and

the third 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

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

8. The computer readable storage device of claim 7, wherein the third 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.