US 2018/0124176 A1Published application

Finding alternate storage locations to support failing disk migration

AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation

InventorsNiall J. McShane, Ilya Volvovski, Randy D. Pfeifer, Andrew D. Baptist, Manish Motwani, Greg R. Dhuse

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Abstract

A computing device includes an interface configured to interface and communicate with a dispersed storage network (DSN), a memory that stores operational instructions, and processing circuitry operably coupled to the interface and to the memory. The processing circuitry is configured to execute the operational instructions to perform various operations and functions. The computing device detects a potentially adverse storage issue with a memory device of a storage unit (SU) of set(s) of storage unit(s) (SU(s)). The computing device also determines whether to transfer at least one EDSs (associated with the memory device) to another memory device for temporary storage therein. Based on a determination not to transfer, the computing device identifies at least one alternate storage location and facilitates transfer of the at least one EDSs for temporary storage therein. When the potentially adverse storage issue has subsided, the computing device facilitates transfer of the at least one EDSs back.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A computing device comprising:

an interface configured to interface and communicate with a dispersed or distributed storage network (DSN);
memory that stores operational instructions;
and
processing circuitry operably coupled to the interface and to the memory, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to execute the operational instructions to:
detect a potentially adverse storage issue with a memory device of a storage unit (SU) of one or more sets of storage units (SUs) within the DSN, wherein a data object is segmented into a plurality of data segments, wherein a data segment of the plurality of data segments is dispersed error encoded in accordance with dispersed error encoding parameters to produce a set of encoded data slices (EDSs) that are distributedly stored within the one or more sets of storage units SUs within the DSN;
determine whether to transfer at least one EDSs of the set of EDSs that is associated with the memory device of the SU of the one or more sets of SUs within the DSN to another memory device of the SU of the one or more sets of SUs within the DSN for temporary storage therein;
based on a determination not to transfer the at least one EDSs of the set of EDSs that is associated with the memory device of the SU of the one or more sets of SUs within the DSN to the another memory device of the SU of the one or more sets of SUs within the DSN for temporary storage therein, identify at least one alternate storage location within the DSN to store temporarily the at least one EDSs of the set of EDSs that is associated with the memory device of the SU of the one or more sets of SUs within the DSN;
facilitate transfer of the at least one EDSs of the set of EDSs that is associated with the memory device of the SU of the one or more sets of SUs within the DSN to the at least one alternate storage location within the DSN for temporary storage therein;
and
based on detection that the potentially adverse storage issue with the memory device of the SU of the one or more sets of SUs within the DSN has subsided, facilitate transfer of the at least one EDSs of the set of EDSs from the at least one alternate storage location within the DSN back to the memory device of the SU of the one or more sets of SUs within the DSN.

7 more elements

A computing device comprising:

an interface configured to interface and communicate with a dispersed or distributed storage network (DSN);
memory that stores operational instructions;
and
processing circuitry operably coupled to the interface and to the memory, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to execute the operational instructions to:
detect a potentially adverse storage issue with a memory device of a storage unit (SU) of one or more sets of storage units (SUs) within the DSN based on at least one of interpreting an error message, initiating a test, interpreting a test result, interpreting a memory device replacement schedule, determining that an age of the memory device compares unfavorably to a maximum age threshold level, or receiving a request, wherein a data object is segmented into a plurality of data segments, wherein a data segment of the plurality of data segments is dispersed error encoded in accordance with dispersed error encoding parameters to produce a set of encoded data slices (EDSs) that are distributedly stored within the one or more sets of storage units SUs within the DSN;
determine whether to transfer at least one EDSs of the set of EDSs that is associated with the memory device of the SU of the one or more sets of SUs within the DSN to another memory device of the SU of the one or more sets of SUs within the DSN for temporary storage therein;
based on a determination not to transfer the at least one EDSs of the set of EDSs that is associated with the memory device of the SU of the one or more sets of SUs within the DSN to the another memory device of the SU of the one or more sets of SUs within the DSN for temporary storage therein, identify at least one alternate storage location within the DSN to store temporarily the at least one EDSs of the set of EDSs that is associated with the memory device of the SU of the one or more sets of SUs within the DSN;
facilitate transfer of the at least one EDSs of the set of EDSs that is associated with the memory device of the SU of the one or more sets of SUs within the DSN to the at least one alternate storage location within the DSN for temporary storage therein based on at least one of causing encryption of one or more of the set of EDSs to produce encrypted EDSs or causing transfer of the encrypted EDSs to the at least one alternate storage location;
and
based on detection that the potentially adverse storage issue with the memory device of the SU of the one or more sets of SUs within the DSN has subsided, facilitate transfer of the at least one EDSs of the set of EDSs from the at least one alternate storage location within the DSN back to the memory device of the SU of the one or more sets of SUs within the DSN.

7 more elements

A method for execution by a computing device, the method comprising:

detecting a potentially adverse storage issue with a memory device of a storage unit (SU) of one or more sets of storage units (SUs) within a dispersed or distributed storage network (DSN), wherein a data object is segmented into a plurality of data segments, wherein a data segment of the plurality of data segments is dispersed error encoded in accordance with dispersed error encoding parameters to produce a set of encoded data slices (EDSs) that are distributedly stored within the one or more sets of storage units SUs within the DSN;
determining whether to transfer at least one EDSs of the set of EDSs that is associated with the memory device of the SU of the one or more sets of SUs within the DSN to another memory device of the SU of the one or more sets of SUs within the DSN for temporary storage therein;
based on a determination not to transfer the at least one EDSs of the set of EDSs that is associated with the memory device of the SU of the one or more sets of SUs within the DSN to the another memory device of the SU of the one or more sets of SUs within the DSN for temporary storage therein, identifying at least one alternate storage location within the DSN to store temporarily the at least one EDSs of the set of EDSs that is associated with the memory device of the SU of the one or more sets of SUs within the DSN;
facilitating, via an interface of the computing device that is configured to interface and communicate with the DSN, transfer of the at least one EDSs of the set of EDSs that is associated with the memory device of the SU of the one or more sets of SUs within the DSN to the at least one alternate storage location within the DSN for temporary storage therein;
and
based on detection that the potentially adverse storage issue with the memory device of the SU of the one or more sets of SUs within the DSN has subsided, facilitating, via the interface, transfer of the at least one EDSs of the set of EDSs from the at least one alternate storage location within the DSN back to the memory device or another of the SU of the one or more sets of SUs within the DSN.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/846,489Filed 19 Dec 2017
Priority: 30 Sep 2005
Published: 3 May 2018
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

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 11/1092
Parity data used in redundant arrays of independent storages, e.g. in RAID systems: rebuilding, e.g. when physically replacing a failing disk
H04L 69/40
Network arrangements, protocols or services independent of the application payload and not provided for in the other groups of this subclass: for…
G06F 2211/1028
Indexing scheme relating to G06F11/1076: distributed, i.e. distributed RAID systems with parity

Family

Application11/241,555Continuation in part · filed 30 Sep 2005
Application11/403,391Continuation in part · filed 13 Apr 2006
Application11/973,542Continuation in part · filed 9 Oct 2007
Application12/080,042Continuation in part · filed 31 Mar 2008
Application61/230,038Us provisional application · filed 30 Jul 2009
Application12/797,025Continuation · filed 9 Jun 2010
Application13/863,475Continuation · filed 16 Apr 2013
Application62/086,611Us provisional application · filed 2 Dec 2014
Application14/792,577Continuation in part · filed 6 Jul 2015
Application14/876,154Continuation · filed 6 Oct 2015
Application15/673,978Continuation in part · filed 10 Aug 2017
Application15/846,489Continuation in part
Application15/673,978Continuation
Application14/876,154Continuation in part
Application14/792,577Continuation
Application13/863,475Continuation in part
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