Allocating storage in a distributed storage system

A system comprising:

• a memory to store a data structure;
• and
• a processing device operatively coupled to the memory, the processing device to:
• receive the data structure comprising a plurality of identifiers of storage devices grouped into a plurality of lists reflecting failure zones, wherein any storage device of a first failure zone of the failure zones does not share a common point of failure with any storage device of a second failure zone of the failure zones, wherein the common point of failure corresponds to a common resource shared by two or more of the storage devices;
• in response to receiving a storage allocation request, identify, in view of the data structure, a first storage device of the first failure zone that fulfills the storage allocation request and a second storage device of the second failure zone that fulfills the storage allocation request, wherein to identify the first storage device and the second storage device, the processing device is further to:
• identify, using a first pointer referencing an unallocated device of the first failure zone, the first storage device of the first failure zone;
• modify the first pointer to reference a next unallocated device of the first failure zone;
• identify, using a second pointer referencing an unallocated device of the second failure zone, the second storage device of the second failure zone;
• and
• modify the second pointer to reference a next unallocated device of the second failure zone;
• and
• respond to the storage allocation request by providing a list of suggested devices for fulfilling the storage allocation request, wherein a first element of the list of suggested devices comprises a first failure zone identifier identifying the first failure zone and a first device identifier identifying the first storage device, and wherein a second element of the list of suggested devices comprises a second failure zone identifier identifying the second failure zone and a second device identifier identifying the second storage device.

A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising executable instructions that when executed by a processor device, cause the processing device to:

• receive a data structure comprising a plurality of identifiers of network resource devices grouped into a plurality of lists reflecting failure zones, wherein any network resource device of a first failure zone of the failure zones does not share a common point of failure with any network resource device of a second failure zone of the failure zones, wherein the common point of failure corresponds to a common resource shared by two or more of the network resource devices;
• in response to receiving a storage allocation request, identify, in view of the data structure, a first network resource device of the first failure zone that fulfills the storage allocation request and a second network resource device of the second failure zone that fulfills the storage allocation request, wherein to identify the first network resource device and the second network resource device, the processing device is further to:
• identify, using a first pointer referencing an unallocated device of the first failure zone, the first network resource device of the second failure zone;
• modify the first pointer to reference a next unallocated device of the first failure zone;
• identify, using a second pointer referencing an unallocated device of the second failure zone, the second network resource device of the second failure zone;
• and
• modify the second pointer to reference a next unallocated device of the second failure zone;
• and
• respond to the storage allocation request by providing a list of suggested devices for fulfilling the storage allocation request, wherein a first element of the list of suggested devices comprises a first failure zone identifier identifying the first failure zone and a first device identifier identifying the first network resource device, and wherein a second element of the list of suggested devices comprises a second failure zone identifier identifying the second failure zone and a second device identifier identifying the second network resource device.