Smart Storage Control for Peak Efficiency

Introduction

This storage system, equipped with an innovative control method, is crafted for businesses that require adaptive and reliable data storage management. Designed to address the challenges of data-intensive environments, this technology provides a smart solution for efficiently allocating resources, enhancing both data accessibility and operational reliability. It’s an ideal fit for organizations seeking a solution that can scale with demand while maintaining streamlined data control.

The Challenge: Inefficiencies in Traditional Storage Allocation

In today’s data landscape, managing storage allocation effectively is critical. Traditional storage systems often struggle to handle fluctuating data demands, leading to either underutilized or overloaded storage resources. This imbalance can drive up operational costs and lead to system inefficiencies that limit an organization’s ability to respond to changing data needs. Without an intelligent allocation method, data managers are often forced into manual adjustments, diverting time and resources from strategic goals and increasing the risk of data bottlenecks.

Adaptive and Intelligent Storage Management

This storage system’s advanced control method introduces a smart allocation strategy that continuously monitors data usage and dynamically adjusts resources to meet real-time requirements. By automating the allocation process, the system minimizes the manual intervention needed to maintain optimal data flow, reducing downtime and enhancing overall productivity. This adaptive approach not only improves data accessibility but also maximizes storage efficiency by ensuring that every resource is utilized to its full potential.

Broad Benefits Across Key Industries

For data centers and cloud service providers, this technology offers a streamlined solution to managing data in large, complex environments. IT managers benefit from a reduction in manual storage oversight, enabling them to focus on high-priority projects. Enterprises in sectors like finance, healthcare, and telecommunications will find the system invaluable for ensuring data accessibility and meeting stringent data reliability standards. Additionally, this technology’s compatibility with existing infrastructures makes it an adaptable choice for organizations aiming to optimize their data operations without a complete system overhaul.

Invest in Scalable, Smart Data Management

Licensing this smart storage control system equips your organization with a high-performance data management tool that evolves with your business needs. By implementing a system that dynamically allocates storage based on demand, you achieve greater efficiency, reduce operational costs, and enhance data reliability. This technology represents a forward-thinking approach to data storage, meeting the growing needs of data-driven industries with a flexible, intelligent solution.

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Abstract
Claims

With omission of a duplication process of compressed data, a cache access frequency is reduced to improve throughput. A storage system includes first and second control units and a storage drive. Upon receiving a data write command, the first control unit stores data to be subjected to the write command in a first cache area of the first control unit, and stores the data in a second cache area of the second control unit to perform duplication, and upon completion of the duplication, the first control unit transmits a response indicating an end of write, performs a predetermined process on the data to be subjected to the write command, stores the data in a buffer area, reads the data stored in the buffer area, and transmits the read data to the storage drive.

What is claimed is:

1. A storage system comprising:

a first storage control unit;

a second storage control unit; and

a storage drive connected to at least the first storage control unit and having a nonvolatile storage medium,

wherein each of the first storage control unit and the second storage control unit includes a cache area in which data is stored and a buffer area in which the data is stored, and the data stored in one cache area is stored in the other cache area to perform duplication,

upon receiving a data write command from a host computer, the first storage control unit stores data to be subjected to the write command in a first cache area which is the cache area of the first storage control unit, and stores the data in a second cache area which is the cache area of the second storage control unit to perform duplication, and upon completion of the duplication, the first storage control unit transmits a response indicating an end of write of the data to the host computer,

the first storage control unit executes a predetermined process on the data to be subjected to the write command and transmits the data to the storage drive,

the first storage control unit holds a predetermined condition for determining which of a response performance and a throughput performance is prioritized in the storage system and determines which of the response performance and the throughput performance is prioritized based on the predetermined condition,

when the response performance is prioritized, the first storage control unit stores the data in the first and second cache areas and then performs a predetermined process,

when the throughput performance is prioritized, the first storage control unit stores the data subjected to the predetermined process in the first and second cache areas.

2. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined process includes one of compression, deduplication, encryption, and redundancy of the data.

3. The storage system according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined process is compression of the data.

4. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein, when the throughput performance is prioritized, the first storage control unit stores the data to be subjected to the write command in a buffer area, performs a predetermined process and then stores the data in the first and second cache areas.

5. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein the first storage control unit determines that the response performance is prioritized when a processing load of the first storage control unit is lower than a predetermined reference.

6. The storage system according to claim 3,

wherein, when a compression rate of the data is predicted to be lower than a predetermined reference or when the compressed data cannot be stored in the volume designated as a data write target, the first storage control unit determines that the response performance is prioritized.

7. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein the first storage control unit stores the data read from the first cache area and subjected to the predetermined process in the buffer area.

8. The storage system according to claim 7,

wherein the first storage control unit holds a queue state indicating whether the data written in the management unit area is stored in the storage drive for each management unit area of the volume to which the data is written,

upon receiving the data write command from the host computer, the first storage control unit stores the data in the first cache area after ensuring exclusion of the management unit area to which the data is to be written,

after transmitting a response indicating an end of write of the data to the host computer, the first storage control unit cancels the exclusion of the management unit area to which the data is to be written,

after securing the exclusion of the management unit area in which the queue state indicates that the written data is not stored in the storage drive from the management unit areas, the first storage control unit reads the data written in the management unit area from the first cache area, and stores the data subjected to the predetermined process in the buffer area, and

upon completion of storage of the data that has been subjected to the predetermined process and read from the buffer area into the storage drive, the first storage control unit updates the queue state to a value indicating that the written data has been stored in the storage drive, and then cancels the exclusion of the management unit area.

9. The storage system according to claim 7,

wherein the first storage control unit holds a queue state indicating whether data written in the management unit area is stored in the storage drive for each management unit area of the volume to which the data is written and a buffer transfer state indicating whether the data written in the management unit area is stored in the buffer area,

upon receiving the data write command from the host computer, the first storage control unit stores the data in the first cache area after securing the exclusion of the management unit area to which the data is to be written,

after transmitting a response indicating the end of the data write to the host computer, the first storage control unit cancels the exclusion of the management unit area to which the data is to be written,

the first storage control unit cancels the exclusion of the management unit area after updating the buffer transfer status of the management unit area to a value indicating that the stored data has been stored in the buffer area,

when writing the data to the management unit area while the exclusion of the management unit area is canceled, the first storage control unit updates the buffer transfer state of the management unit area to a value indicating that the written data is not stored in the buffer area,

after the data that has been subjected to the predetermined process and read from the buffer area is stored into the storage drive, the first storage control unit secures the exclusion of the management unit area, and

when the buffer transfer state of the management unit area indicates that the written data is stored in the buffer area, the first storage control unit updates the written data to a value indicating that the written data is stored in the storage drive, and then cancels the exclusion of the management unit area.

10. The storage system according to claim 7,

wherein the storage drive includes a plurality of storage drives connected to the first storage control unit, and

when the amount of data stored in the buffer area reaches a predetermined amount of data for generating parity, the first storage control unit creates the parity based on the data read from the buffer area and transmits the data read from the buffer area and the parity to the plurality of storage drives.

11. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein the first storage control unit further includes a third cache area in which the data is stored,

the second storage control unit further includes a fourth cache area in which the data is stored,

when determining that a throughput performance is prioritized based on the predetermined condition, the first storage control unit performs the predetermined process on the data, stores the data subjected to the predetermined process in the third cache area, and transmits the data subjected to the predetermined process to the second storage control unit,

the second storage control unit stores the data that has been subjected to the predetermined process and received from the first storage control unit in the fourth cache area and performs duplication,

upon completion of storage of the data subjected to the predetermined process in the fourth cache area by the second storage control unit, the first storage control unit transmits a response indicating an end of write of the data to the host computer, and

the first storage control unit reads the data stored in the third cache area and transmits the read data to the storage drive.

12. A method of controlling a storage system, the storage system including: a first storage control unit; a second storage control unit; and a storage drive connected to at least the first storage control unit and having a nonvolatile storage medium, in which each of the first storage control unit and the second storage control unit includes a cache area in which data is stored and a buffer area in which the data is stored, and the data stored in one cache area is stored in the other cache area to perform duplication, the method comprising the steps of:

upon receiving a data write command from a host computer, allowing the first storage control unit to store data to be subjected to the write command in a first cache area which is the cache area of the first storage control unit, and store the data in a second cache area which is the cache area of the second storage control unit to perform duplication, and upon completion of the duplication, allowing the first storage control unit to transmit a response indicating an end of write of the data to the host computer;

allowing the first storage control unit to execute a predetermined process on the data to be subjected to the write command and transmit the data to the storage drive;

allowing the first storage control unit to hold a predetermined condition for determining which of a response performance and a throughput performance is prioritized in the storage system and determine which of the response performance and the throughput performance is prioritized based on the predetermined condition;

when the response performance is prioritized, allowing the first storage control unit to store the data in the first and second cache areas and then perform a predetermined process; and

when the throughput performance is prioritized, allowing the first storage control unit to store the data subjected to the predetermined process in the first and second cache areas.

Title

Storage system and control method thereof

Inventor(s)

Kazuki MATSUGAMI, Yoshihiro Yoshii, Nobumitsu Takaoka, Tomohiro Kawaguchi

Assignee(s)

Hitachi Ltd

Patent #

11294578

Patent Date

April 5, 2022