Using information specifying an organization of a data structure associated with a storage device

• US 9,740,408 B1
• Filed: 01/31/2017
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pure Storage, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Pure Storage, Inc.
• Inventors: Coleman, Gordon James, Seppanen, Eric D., Sladic, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Kaushikkumar
• Application Number:
  US15/420,904
• Time in Patent Office: 203 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0253 Garbage collection, i.e. reclamation of unreferenced memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/211 Schema design and management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2282 Tablespace storage structures; Management thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/572 Secure firmware programming, e.g. of basic input output system [BIOS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/482 Application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/702 Conservative garbage collection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7205 Cleaning, compaction, garbage collection, erase control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0607 by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• 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 3/064 Management of blocks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0652 Erasing, e.g. deleting, data cleaning, moving of data to a wastebasket
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0655 Vertical data movement, i.e. input-output transfer; data movement between one or more hosts and one or more storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0665 at area level, e.g. provisioning of virtual or logical volumes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0688 Non-volatile semiconductor memory arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 : Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4881 : Scheduling strategies for dispatcher, e.g. round robin, multi-level priority queues

Abstract

A storage device associated with a storage array may be identified. Information specifying an organization of data included in a data structure may be retrieved from the storage device. The data may be associated with characteristics of a plurality of data blocks of the storage device. A read operation or a write operation may be performed for the storage device based on the information specifying the organization of the data included in the data structure that is associated with the characteristics of the plurality of data blocks of the storage device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying a solid-state storage device associated with a host server of a solid-state storage array;

retrieving, from the solid-state storage device and by an application that is executed by a processing device of the host server of the solid-state storage array, a file from the solid-state storage device, the file specifying an organization of information included in a plurality of tables that are associated with characteristics of a plurality of data blocks of the solid-state storage device, the organization of the information specifying a plurality of data fields in each row of the plurality tables by identifying a location and size of each of the plurality of fields in each row of the plurality of tables;

reading the file specifying the organization of the information included in the plurality of tables to identify a particular location of a particular data stored at one of the tables of the plurality of tables, the particular location being associated with one of the plurality of data fields in a particular row within the one of the tables and with a particular data block of the plurality of data blocks of the solid-state storage device; and

performing a read operation or a write operation from the application of the host server to the file at the solid-state storage device based on the particular location of the particular data stored at the one of the tables of the plurality of tables that are associated with the characteristics of the plurality of data blocks of the solid-state storage device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the read operation or the write operation is further based on the characteristics of the plurality of data blocks.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information included in the plurality of tables comprises a number of write operations that have been performed for each of the plurality of data blocks of the solid-state storage device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the organization of the information specifies, for each of the plurality of tables, the data fields for each row of each of the plurality of tables, each row corresponding to a different data block of the plurality of data blocks of the solid-state storage device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein organization of the information specifies an offset and a size for each of the data fields, wherein the offset specifies a difference between a start of a respective data field and a start of a respective row that includes the respective data field, and wherein the size specifies a number of bits of the respective row that are included in the respective data field.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the file is stored at a volatile memory of a storage controller of the solid-state storage device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the file from the solid-state storage device is modified in response to an update to a firmware of the solid-state storage device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the application is associated with an operating system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the application is associated with a user space.

10. A system comprising:

a solid-state storage array; and

a storage controller coupled to the solid-state storage array, the storage controller comprising a processing device, the processing device to;

identify a solid-state storage device associated with a host server of the solid-state storage array;

retrieve, from the solid-state storage device and by an application that is executed by the processing device, a file from the solid-state storage device, the file specifying an organization of information included in a plurality of tables that are associated with characteristics of a plurality of data blocks of the solid-state storage device, the organization of the information specifying a plurality of data fields in each row of the plurality tables by identifying a location and size of each of the plurality of fields in each row of the plurality of tables;

read the file specifying the organization of the information included in the plurality of tables to identify a particular location of a particular data stored at one of the tables of the plurality of tables, the particular location being associated with one of the plurality of data fields in a particular row within the one of the tables and with a particular data block of the plurality of data blocks of the solid-state storage device; and

perform a read operation or a write operation from the application of the host server to the file at the solid-state storage device based on the particular location of the particular data stored at the one of the tables of the plurality of tables that are associated with the characteristics of the plurality of data blocks of the solid-state storage device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein performing the read operation or the write operation is further based on the characteristics of the plurality of data blocks of the solid-state storage device, and wherein the characteristics correspond to a number of write operations that have been performed for each of the plurality of data blocks of the solid-state storage device.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the information included in the plurality of tables comprises a number of write operations that have been performed for each of the plurality of data blocks of the solid-state storage device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the organization of the information specifies, for each of the plurality of tables, the data fields for each row of each of the plurality of tables, each row corresponding to a different data block of the plurality of data blocks of the solid-state storage device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein organization of the information specifies an offset and a size for each of the data fields, wherein the offset specifies a difference between a start of a respective data field and a start of a respective row that includes the respective data field, and wherein the size specifies a number of bits of the respective row that are included in the respective data field.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the file is stored at a volatile memory of the storage controller of the solid-state storage device.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the file from the solid-state storage device is modified in response to an update to a firmware of the solid-state storage device.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the application is associated with an operating system.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the application is associated with a user space.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions, which when executed, cause a processing device to:

identify a solid-state storage device associated with a host server of a solid-state storage array;

retrieve, from the solid-state storage device and by an application that is executed by the processing device, a file from the solid-state storage device, the file specifying an organization of information included in a plurality of tables that are associated with characteristics of a plurality of data blocks of the solid-state storage device, the organization of the information specifying a plurality of data fields in each row of the plurality tables by identifying a location and size of each of the plurality of fields in each row of the plurality of tables;

read the file specifying the organization of the information included in the plurality of tables to identify a particular location of a particular data stored at one of the tables of the plurality of tables, the particular location being associated with one of the plurality of data fields in a particular row within the one of the tables and with a particular data block of the plurality of data blocks of the solid-state storage device; and

perform a read operation or a write operation from the application of the host server to the file at the solid-state storage device based on the particular location of the particular data stored at the one of the tables of the plurality of tables that are associated with the characteristics of the plurality of data blocks of the solid-state storage device.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein performing the read operation or the write operation is further based on the characteristics of the plurality of data blocks of the solid-state storage device, and wherein the characteristics correspond to a number of write operations that have been performed for each of the plurality of data blocks of the solid-state storage device.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the information included in the plurality of tables comprises a number of write operations that have been performed for each of the plurality of data blocks of the solid-state storage device.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the organization of the information specifies, for each of the plurality of tables, the data fields for each row of each of the plurality of tables, each row corresponding to a different data block of the plurality of data blocks of the solid-state storage device.

23. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein organization of the information specifies an offset and a size for each of the data fields, wherein the offset specifies a difference between a start of a respective data field and a start of a respective row that includes the respective data field, and wherein the size specifies a number of bits of the respective row that are included in the respective data field.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the file is stored at a volatile memory of a storage controller of the solid-state storage device.

25. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the file from the solid-state storage device is modified in response to an update to a firmware of the solid-state storage device.

26. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the application is associated with an operating system.