US 10,372,329 B1Granted

Managing storage devices in a distributed storage system

AssigneeDelphix Corporation

InventorsMatthew Allan Ahrens, Alexander Warner Reece, George Raymond Wilson

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Abstract

Storage systems store data in a storage pool comprising storage devices or virtual devices. The storage pool may be allocated for a particular purpose. If a virtual device within the storage pool needs to be repurposed, the virtual device is removed from the storage pool. Data is moved from the removed virtual device to one or more target virtual devices. Segments of the source virtual device being removed are copied to target virtual devices. Mapping tables associating source segments with target segments are stored. If the storage system receives a request to access data stored on a virtual device that is removed, the storage system processes the mapping tables to determine where the data is stored.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A method for managing storage of data, the method comprising:

storing data in a storage pool comprising multiple virtual devices, wherein data stored on one or more virtual devices points at data stored in other virtual devices of the storage pool, and each virtual device corresponds to one or more physical storage devices and each virtual device comprises one or more segments, each segment representing a contiguous allocated portion of the virtual device;
receiving a request for removing at least a plurality of virtual devices from the storage pool corresponding to a plurality of source virtual devices;
removing the plurality of source virtual devices from the storage pool comprising at least a first source virtual device and a second source virtual device, the removing of each source virtual device comprising:
for each segment of data stored on the source virtual device, copying the data of the segment from the source virtual device to one or more segments on a target virtual device;
and
storing at a selected virtual device from the storage pool, a mapping table corresponding to the source virtual device, comprising mappings from each source segment of the source virtual device to one or more target segments on the target virtual device;
receiving a request to read data previously stored in a removed virtual device;
identifying a mapping corresponding to the removed virtual device based upon the mapping tables corresponding to the plurality of source virtual devices, in which the mapping tables are loaded by:
determining an order in which the first source virtual device and the second source virtual device were removed;
and
determining an order in which mapping tables corresponding the first source virtual device and the second source virtual device are loaded based on the order in which the first source virtual device and the second source virtual device were removed;
determining the target virtual device to which the accessed requested data is moved based on the mapping;
and
retrieving the requested data from the target virtual device.

11 more elements

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for:

storing data in a storage pool comprising multiple virtual devices, wherein data stored on one or more virtual devices points at data stored in other virtual devices of the storage pool, and each virtual device corresponds to one or more physical storage devices and each virtual device comprises one or more segments, each segment representing a contiguous allocated portion of the virtual device;
receiving a request for removing at least a plurality of virtual devices from the storage pool corresponding to a plurality of source virtual devices;
removing the plurality of source virtual devices from the storage pool comprising at least a first source virtual device and a second source virtual device, the removing of each source virtual device comprising:
for each segment of data stored on the source virtual device, copying the data of the segment from the source virtual device to one or more segments on a target virtual device;
and
storing at a selected virtual device from the storage pool, a mapping table corresponding to the source virtual device, comprising mappings from each source segment of the source virtual device to one or more target segments on the target virtual device;
receiving a request to read data previously stored in a removed virtual device;
identifying a mapping corresponding to the removed virtual device based upon the mapping tables corresponding to the plurality of source virtual devices, in which the mapping tables are loaded by:
determining an order in which the first source virtual device and the second source virtual device were removed;
and
determining an order in which mapping tables corresponding the first source virtual device and the second source virtual device are loaded based on the order in which the first source virtual device and the second source virtual device were removed;
determining the target virtual device to which the accessed requested data is moved based on the mapping;
and
retrieving the requested data from the target virtual device.

11 more elements

A computer system comprising:

a computer processor;
and
a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for execution by the computer processor, the instructions for:
storing data in a storage pool comprising multiple virtual devices, wherein data stored on one or more virtual devices points at data stored in other virtual devices of the storage pool, and each virtual device corresponds to one or more physical storage devices and each virtual device comprises one or more segments, each segment representing a contiguous allocated portion of the virtual device;
receiving a request for removing at least a plurality of virtual devices from the storage pool corresponding to a plurality of source virtual devices;
removing the plurality of source virtual devices from the storage pool comprising at least a first source virtual device and a second source virtual device, the removing of each source virtual device comprising:
for each segment of data stored on the source virtual device, copying the data of the segment from the source virtual device to one or more segments on a target virtual device;
and
storing at a selected virtual device from the storage pool, a mapping table corresponding to the source virtual device, comprising mappings from each source segment of the source virtual device to one or more target segments on the target virtual device;
receiving a request to read data previously stored in a removed virtual device;
identifying a mapping corresponding to the removed virtual device based upon the mapping tables corresponding to the plurality of source virtual devices, in which the mapping tables are loaded by:
determining an order in which the first source virtual device and the second source virtual device were removed;
and
determining an order in which mapping tables corresponding the first source virtual device and the second source virtual device are loaded based on the order in which the first source virtual device and the second source virtual device were removed;
determining the target virtual device to which the accessed requested data is moved based on the mapping;
and
retrieving the requested data from the target virtual device.

14 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/346,433Filed 8 Nov 2016 · us provisional application
Priority: 9 Nov 2015
Granted: 6 Aug 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

G06F 3/0604
Specifically adapted to achieve a particular effect: improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
G06F 12/0653
Configuration or reconfiguration: with centralised address assignment
G06F 3/0605
Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management: by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
G06F 3/0631
Configuration or reconfiguration of storage systems: by allocating resources to storage systems

Family

Application62/253,095Us provisional application · filed 9 Nov 2015
US 10,372,329 B1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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