US 10,649,850 B1Granted

Heterogenous media storage and organization in automated data storage systems

AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.

InventorsJames Raymond Allard, Paul David Franklin, Samuel Rubin Barrett, Jeremiah Brazeau, Jeffrey Allen Dzado, James Caleb Kirschner, David Levy, Brent James Lutz, Andrew Brendan Tinka, Colin Laird Lazier

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Abstract

Techniques and systems for storing and retrieving data storage devices of a data storage system are disclosed. In some embodiments, inventory holders are used to store data storage devices used by a data storage system. When data is to be transacted with the data storage devices, mobile drive units locate appropriate inventory holders and transport them to a device reading station, where an appropriate device retrieval unit transacts the data. In some embodiments, each inventory holder includes a heterogenous mix of data storage device types, the layout of which may be calculated according to the specific mix allocated to a given inventory holder. After the data has been transacted, the data storage devices are returned to the appropriate inventory holders, and the inventory holders are placed by the mobile drive units in locations where they may be accessed in response to further data transactions.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A computer-implemented method, comprising:

generating, from a plurality of received archives using a redundancy code, a set of shards representing the plurality of archives;
storing the set of shards on a set of storage devices, the set of data storage devices:
having a quantity of data storage devices that is associated with a minimum quorum quantity of the data storage devices sufficient to retrieve the plurality of archives;
and
including a first subset of the data storage devices of a first type that differs from at least a second type of at least a second subset of the data storage devices outside the first subset;
allocating the set of storage devices to a plurality of inventory holders by at least modeling one or more layouts that, when implemented by the one or more computer systems, cause at least a member of the first subset of the data storage devices and a member of the second subset of the data storage devices to be stored on at least one of the plurality of inventory holders;
and
in response to a data request associated with at least a portion of the plurality of received archives, at least:
locating one or more of the inventory holders associated with at least one subset of the set of data storage devices upon which a subset of shards associated with the data request is stored;
retrieving, using at least one mobile drive unit capable of retrieving any of the plurality of inventory holders, the located inventory holders;
routing the retrieved inventory holders to one or more device data stations capable of transacting data with member data storage devices of the least one subset of the set of storage devices to which the retrieved inventory holders are associated;
retrieving, using at least one device retrieval unit associated with the device data stations, the at least one subset of the set of data storage devices;
transacting, by the device data stations, the data with the at least one subset of the set of storage devices;
storing, according to at least one of the one or more layouts;
the at least one subset of the set of data storage devices on a respective inventory holder from which it was retrieved;
and
placing the retrieved inventory holders in a location where they are capable of being retrieved using the at least one mobile drive unit.

14 more elements

A system, comprising:

at least one processor;
and
at least one memory comprising instructions that, in response to execution by the at least one processor, cause the system to at least:
model a set of storage devices to be stored on a plurality of inventory holders by at least generating one or more layouts that include, on a selected inventory holder of the plurality of inventory holders, at least a member of a first subset of the set of data storage devices and a member of a second subset of the data storage devices outside of the first subset, the first subset and the second subset having differing characteristics;
and
in response to a data request associated with data associated with a portion of the allocated set of storage devices, at least:
determine, based on the data request, which subset of the portion of the set of storage devices to retrieve;
locate, using at least one of the one or more layouts, at least one respective inventory holder to which the portion of the allocated set of storage devices is associated;
retrieve, using at least one mobile drive unit capable of retrieving any of the plurality of inventory holders, the located inventory holders so as to enable at least one device retrieval unit associated with at least one device data station to access at least a subset of the determined subset of storage devices, the at least one mobile drive unit being associated with the at least one computing device;
and
transact, using the at least one device data stations, the data with the determined subset of storage devices.

8 more elements

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon executable instructions that, if executed by one or more processors of a computer system, cause the computer system to at least:

cause storage of data storage devices by at least:
allocating a set of data storage devices to be stored on a plurality of inventory holders by at least generating one or more layouts that include, on a selected inventory holder of the plurality of inventory holders, at least a member of a first subset of the set of data storage devices and a member of a second subset of the data storage devices outside of the first subset, the first subset and the second subset having differing characteristics;
and
placing the plurality of inventory holders in a plurality of locations, all of which are accessible to any of at least one mobile drive unit associated with the computer system;
and
in response to a data request associated with a subset of the data storage devices, at least:
determine at least one respective inventory holder to which the subset of storage devices is allocated;
cause, using at least one of the at least one mobile drive unit and the generated one or more layouts, retrieval of the determined at least one inventory holder so as to enable at least one device retrieval unit associated with at least one device data station to access the subset of storage devices;
and
cause, using the at least one device data stations, transaction of data associated with the data request, with the subset of storage devices.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/754,552Filed 29 Jun 2015
Granted: 12 May 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

G06F 11/1451
Management of the data involved in backup or backup restore: by selection of backup contents
G06F 16/122
File system administration, e.g. details of archiving or snapshots: using management policies
H04L 67/1097
In which an application is distributed across nodes in the network: for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for…
G06F 11/1076
Adding special bits or symbols to the coded information, e.g. parity check, casting out 9's or 11's: parity data used in redundant arrays of…