Infinidat Ltd.

Ido Ben-Tsion

Yechiel Yochai

Efraim Zeidner

Leo Corry

Josef Ezra

Haim Kopylovitz

Kariel E Sandler

Jacob Broido

Nir Schenkler

Joseph Ezra

A method for controlling compression based on compression ratio, the method includes monitoring access requests related to a storage entity of a storage system; wherein the access requests are associated with multiple data units; evaluating a compression ratio related to the storage entity; wherein the evaluating comprises applying a first compression process on at least a subset of the multiple data units to provide first compressed data units; serving the access requests without storing, in a permanent storage layer of the storage system, the first compressed data units; and reacting, by the storage system, to the compression ratio.

Compression control based on compression ratio estimation

A method for memory management, the method may include receiving an updated portion of a data unit, the data unit is associated with a logical data entity; wherein the updated portion is smaller than a granularity of a mapping data structure used for retrieval of the data unit; and creating, by the storage system an extended data unit that comprises (i) an original content of the data unit, (ii) the updated portion and, (iii) updated portion metadata; wherein the updated portion metadata comprises (a) updated portion retrieval information for retrieving the updated portion, and (b) updated portion snapshot information indicative of at least one snapshot associated with the updated portion.

Snapshot management using extended data units

There is provided a storage system comprising a control layer operable to manage a snapshot family (SF) constituted by SF members having hierarchical relations represented by a SF relationship data structure and a method of operating thereof. Upon receiving a command for restoring a writable SF member from a read-only snapshot thereof, the control layer provides a foreground atomic operation. The atomic operation comprises generating a new writable snapshot of the read-only snapshot (a destination SF member), modifying the SF relationship data structure, and re-assigning all logical unit numbers (LUNs) from the writable SF member to be restored to the destination SF member. Upon successful completion of the atomic operation, the control layer sends acknowledgement indicative of successful restoring the writable SF member. The control layer further provides a background process comprising modifying, in correspondence with the provided atomic operation, a SF mapping data structure comprising mappings between logical and physical addresses corresponding to SF members.

Storage system capable of managing a plurality of snapshot families and method of operating thereof

There is provided a storage system capable to maintain a snapshot family comprising a plurality of members having hierarchical relations therebetween, and a method of operating thereof. The method comprises generating a mapping data structure with mapping entries each comprising mappings for mapping a logical address range associated with the mapping entry into physical address ranges respectively correlated to representative members of the snapshot family; omitting mappings corresponding to omitted member(s) different from any of the one or more representative members sharing a respective range of physical addresses; responsive to an access request directed to a certain logical address range and a certain omitted member, determining, using a predefined rule related to the hierarchical and sequential relations between members of the snapshot family, a representative member from the one or more representative members; and responding to the access request by using a physical address range correlated to the representative member.

Storage system and methods of mapping addresses of snapshot families

There is provided a storage system comprising a control layer operable to manage a plurality of snapshot families, each family constituted by snapshot family members having hierarchical relations therebetween. The method of operating the storage system comprises searching a cache memory for an addressed data block corresponding to an addressed LBA and associated with an addressed snapshot family and an addressed SF member. In a case of missing the addressed data block in the cache memory, identifying in the cache memory all dirty data blocks corresponding to the addressed LBA and associated with the addressed snapshot family (candidate data blocks); identifying among SF members of the addressed snapshot family a destage owner, and in a case when the identified destage owner is associated with a candidate data block, reading from the cache memory such candidate data block.

There is provided a storage system and a method of identifying delta-data therein between two points-in-time. The method comprises: generating successive snapshots Sand Scorresponding to the two points-in-time; upon generating the snapshot S, searching the cache memory for data blocks associated with snap_version=i, thereby yielding cached delta-metadata; searching the SF mapping data structure for destaged data blocks associated with snap_version=i, thereby yielding destaged delta-metadata; and joining the cached delta-metadata and the destaged delta-metadata, thereby yielding delta-metadata indicative of the delta-data between points-in-time corresponding to the successive snapshots with Snap_ID=i and Snap_ID=i+1. The method operates with no need in copying, destaging to a dedicated location and/or any other special handling of data that needs to be transmitted to the RS system.

A method that includes calculating multiple set parity units for multiple sets of data units that are cached in a storage system thereby providing a group of units that includes multiple sets of units. Each set of units includes a set of data units and at least one associated set parity unit that facilitate a reconstruction of the set of units when a first number of units of the set of units is lost. Calculating at least one group parity unit for the group of units. A combination of the at least one group parity unit and at least one associated set parity unit facilitate a reconstruction of the set of units upon a failure of a second number of units of the set of units. The second number of units of the set of units exceeds the first number of units of the set of units. Destaging the group of units and the at least one group parity unit to multiple disks of the storage system.

Layered failure protection scheme for protecting destaged data units

There is provided a storage system and a method of moving a source data portion from a source logical volume to a destination logical volume. The method comprises: configuring a source mapping data structure to comprise an entry indicative of mapping between logical addresses corresponding to source data portion and addresses corresponding to source data portion and related to a physical address space; and, responsive to a move command, providing an atomic operation comprising configuring a destination mapping data structure to comprise an entry associated with said at least one destination range and comprising a reference to said entry in the source mapping data structure; and configuring said at least one entry in the source mapping data structure DSto bear an indication that said one or more contiguous ranges of addresses corresponding to said source data portion in the source logical volume Vare unavailable to a client.

Method of migrating stored data and system thereof

A method for responding to an extent change operation, the method may include receiving, by a storage system and from a requesting entity, a request to perform an extent content change operation that involves changing a content of a certain extent within a logical space supported by a storage system; generating, in response to the request, extent change operation information that comprises (a) an event counter indicative of a time of requested occurrence of the extent change operation, (ii) a type of extent change operation indicator, and (ii) logical addresses associated with the extent change operation; and sending to the requesting entity an acknowledgement indicative of a completion of the extent change operation before a completion of the extent change operation if an expected content of the certain extent is known before completion of the extent change operation.

Managing read operations, write operations and extent change operations

A storage system and a method for managing a memory capable of storing metadata related to logical volume sets, are disclosed. A memory quota is assigned to a metadata related to a logical volume set. The size of a memory currently consumed by the metadata is monitored. Upon exceeding a threshold by the size of the monitored memory, at least one restraining action related to memory consumption by the metadata is applied.

Mass storage system and methods of controlling resources thereof

There is provided a storage system and a method of migrating a source data portion from a source logical volume to a destination range in a destination logical volume. The method comprises: configuring a source mapping data structure to comprise an entry associated with said source data portion and indicative of mapping between logical addresses corresponding to said source data portion and addresses corresponding to said source data portion and related to a physical address space; and, responsive to a migration command, configuring a destination mapping data structure to comprise an entry associated with said at least one destination range and comprising a reference to said entry in the source mapping data structure, said entry in the source mapping data structure to be used for mapping to said addresses related to said physical address space and corresponding to the source data portion and to the migrated data portion.

A method of migrating data from a source storage resource to a destination storage resource involves selecting a source volume in the source storage resource; configuring in the destination storage resource a destination volume corresponding to the source volume and having the same properties; and redirecting I/O requests from an application running on a host to the destination volume instead of the source volume, whilst migrating data stored in the source volume to the destination volume. A storage system is operable as a destination storage system for migrating data from a source storage system, including means for configuring a destination volume corresponding to a source volume in the source storage system and a migration module having a non-transitory computer useable medium and operable to initiate read requests addressed to the source volume thereby enabling a background process of migrating data stored in the source volume to the destination volume.

A storage system and method is provided including physical storage devices controlled by storage control devices constituting a storage control layer operatively coupled to the physical storage devices and hosts. The storage control layer includes a first virtual layer interfacing with the hosts, operable to represent a logical address space available to said hosts and characterized by an Internal Virtual Address Space (IVAS); a second virtual layer characterized by a Physical Virtual Address Space (PVAS), interfacing with the physical storage devices, and operable to represent an available storage space; and an allocation module operatively coupled to the first and second virtual layers and providing mapping between IVAP and PVAS. Each address in PVAS is configured to have a corresponding address in IVAS. The allocation module facilitates management of IVAS and PVAS, enabling separation of a process of deleting certain logical object into processes performing changes in IVAS and PVAS, respectively.

Virtualized storage system and method of operating thereof

In order to avoid loss of data, computer systems are often connected to a UPS which provides power backup in case of an emergency shutdown resulting from a power failure. However, as UPS units are costly, they take up a lot of physical space and can provide power for a limited period of time, it would be advantageous to improve the efficiency of UPS devices and enable to utilize as much as possible of the UPS power in order to save data to a permanent storage before shutdown. There is provided a method and system for controlling the frequency of one or more processors in computer systems, responsive to an indication of a power failure, and thereby reduce its power consumption, so as to provide more power for writing write-pending data to a non-volatile data storage.

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Ramat Gan, Israel

Ido Ben-Tsion