METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR OBJECT STORAGE

• US 20160171025A1
• Filed: 11/16/2015
• Published: 06/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: JI, HAI, LI, YUAN YUAN, YANG, XIAO YANG, ZHENG, CHUN GUANG
• Granted Patent: US 10,089,338 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/235 Update request formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for object storage are disclosed. The method includes, in response to an update to metadata of an object in an object storage region to produce updated metadata of the object, recording a metadata object associated with the object in a metadata change storage region separated from the object storage region. The metadata object includes the updated metadata of the object and pointer information. The pointer information points to a first storage location representing a storage location of the object in the object storage region. The method also includes modifying index information associated with the object to produce modified index information. The modified index information indicates the update to the metadata and a second storage location representing a storage location of the metadata object in the metadata change storage region.

Claims

1. A method for object storage, comprising:

in response to an update to metadata of an object in an object storage region to produce updated metadata of the object, recording, by a processor coupled to a memory, a metadata object associated with the object in a metadata change storage region separated from the object storage region,

the metadata object including the updated metadata of the object and pointer information,

the pointer information pointing to a first storage location representing a storage location of the object in the object storage region; and

modifying, by the processor, index information associated with the object to produce modified index information indicating the update to the metadata and a second storage location representing a storage location of the metadata object in the metadata change storage region.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the object storage region log structured data store utilizes a log structured data store to implement the object storage.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the index information includes status information of the object and location information indicating the first storage location, wherein the status information includes a first status indicating an existence of the object, a second status indicating a deletion of the object, and a third status indicating the update to the metadata of the object.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the updated metadata is included in the metadata object with non-updated metadata of the object.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first storage location and the second storage location are represented by a start address and a length.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a request for compacting the object storage region, replacing the metadata of the object stored in the object storage region with the updated metadata in the metadata object stored in the metadata change storage region;

performing a compaction operation on the object storage region; and

modifying the index information of the object in the object storage region.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the object storage region and the metadata change storage region are on a disk of an object storage device, and the index information is stored in a memory of the object storage device.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to cause:

in response to a request for compacting the object storage region, replacing the metadata of the object stored in the object storage region with the updated metadata in the metadata object stored in the metadata change storage region;

performing a compaction operation on the object storage region; and

modifying the index information of the object in the object storage region.

8. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions for object storage embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform:

in response to an update to metadata of an object in an object storage region to produce updated metadata of the object, recording a metadata object associated with the object in a metadata change storage region separated from the object storage region,

the metadata object including the updated metadata of the object and pointer information,

the pointer information pointing to a first storage location representing a storage location of the object in the object storage region; and

modifying index information associated with the object to produce modified index information indicating the update to the metadata and a second storage location representing a storage location of the metadata object in the metadata change storage region.

9. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the object storage region log structured data store utilizes a log structured data store to implement the object storage.

10. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the index information includes status information of the object and location information indicating the first storage location, wherein the status information includes a first status indicating an existence of the object, a second status indicating a deletion of the object, and a third status indicating the update to the metadata of the object.

11. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the updated metadata is included in the metadata object with non-updated metadata of the object.

12. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the first storage location and the second storage location are represented by a start address and a length.

14. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the object storage region and the metadata change storage region are on a disk of an object storage device, and the index information is stored in a memory of the object storage device.

15. An apparatus for object storage, comprising:

a record module configured to, in response to an update to metadata of the object storage region to produce updated metadata of the object, record a metadata object associated with the object in a metadata change storage region separated from the object storage region,

the metadata object including the updated metadata of the object and pointer information,

the pointer information pointing to a first storage location representing a storage location of the object in the object storage region; and

a modification module configured to modify index information associated with the object to produce modified index information indicating the update to the metadata and a second storage location representing a storage location of the metadata object in the metadata change storage region.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the object storage region utilizes a log structured data store log structured data store to implement the object storage.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the index information includes status information of the object and location information indicating the first storage location, wherein the status information includes a first status indicating an existence of the object, a second status indicating a deletion of the object, and a third status indicating the update to the metadata of the object.

18. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the updated metadata is included in the metadata object with non-updated metadata of the object.

19. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the first storage location and the second storage location are represented by a start address and a length.

20. The apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising:

a replacement module configured to, in response to a request for compacting the object storage region, replace the metadata of the object stored in the object storage region with the updated metadata in the metadata object stored in the metadata change storage region; and

a compaction module configured to perform a compaction operation on the object storage region;

wherein the modification module is further configured to modify the index information of the object in the object storage region.