Storage subsystem and storage system architecture performing storage virtualization and method thereof

A method for accessing data in a data storage system architecture, the data storage system architecture comprising at least one disk array subsystem, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a section allocation system within a master subsystem of the at least one disk array subsystem, for managing a virtual pool, and the virtual pool comprising a first media extent and a second media extent mapped by the disk array subsystem;
• providing a block association set section allocation list (BAS SAL) within the section allocation system for managing a virtual volume, and the virtual volume being presented to a host for data accessing;
• providing a physical-to-virtual/virtual-to-physical (P2V/V2P) section allocation list within the section allocation system for generating a physical-to-virtual table (P2V table);
• receiving a first host command, the first host command carrying a to-be-converted host logical block address (LBA);
• using a block association table (BAT) associated with the BAS SAL and the P2V table associated with the P2V/V2P section allocation list to convert the to-be-converted host LBA into a physical section index;
• converting the physical section index, by using a physical section index to physical section LBA mapping function, into a first physical LBA of a first physical section of the first media extent;
• receiving a second host command that is an IO access command and carries the host LBA;
• and
• accessing data in the first physical section of the first media extent using the first physical LBA.

A method for accessing data in a disk array subsystem architecture, the disk array subsystem architecture comprising at least one disk array subsystem, the at least one disk array subsystem comprising at least one media extent including a first media extent, the first media extent comprising a plurality of logical block address (LBAs), the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a section allocation system for managing the at least one media extent, the section allocation system comprising a block association table (BAT), a physical-to-virtual table (P2V table), and a physical section index to physical section logical block address mapping function;
• receiving an input/output request from a host, the input/output request comprising a host LBA;
• obtaining a first physical logical block address from the host LBA by using the block association table, the P2V table, and the physical section index to physical logical block address mapping function, or by using the block association table, a virtual-to-physical table (V2P table) generated from the P2V table, and the physical section index to physical section logical block address mapping function;
• and
• performing input/output accessing on the first media extent by using the first physical logical block address.

A method for generating a virtual volume in a storage system architecture, the architecture comprising a host and one or more storage subsystems, each of the subsystem comprising one or more storage controllers and a physical storage device array, the method comprising the steps of:

• mapping the physical storage device array into one or more media extents, each of the one or more media extents comprising a plurality of physical sections, each of the physical sections has a physical section logical block address (LBA);
• generating a section allocation system (SAS) for managing the one or more media extents, the section allocation system comprising:
• at least one block association set section allocation list (BAS SAL), each of the BAS SALs being used to map the plurality of physical sections of the one or more media extents into the virtual volume, each of the BAS SALs records a block association table (BAT) and a volume capacity for an associated virtual volume, the block association table being used to convert a host LBA into a location index;
• at least one virtual-to-physical table (V2P table) recording cross-referencing information between the location index and the physical LBA;
• and
• presenting the virtual volume to the host.