Netapp, Inc.

Emc Corporation

Network Appliance, Inc.

Stephen William Daniel

Jeffrey S Kimmel

Blake H Lewis

Rajesh Sundaram

Gaurav Makkar

Thomas Haynes

Pranoop Erasani

Joseph Richart

Steven C Miller

Rodney A Dekoning

Sandeep Yadav

Ashish Prakash

Ralph C Frangioso, Jr

Brian M Hackworth

Rickard Edward Faith

Srinivasan Narayanamurthy

James Marriott Guyer

Joseph P CaraDonna

Brandon Barney

Kartheek Muthyala

Hubbert Smith

Eric Sirianni

William Earl Taylor, Jr

Michael S Riley

Valentin M Bercovici

Subramaniam Perivagaram

William Randall Pafford

A flash-optimized, log-structured layer of a file system of a storage input/output (I/O) stack executes on one or more nodes of a cluster. The log-structured layer of the file system provides sequential storage of data and metadata (i.e., a log-structured layout) on solid state drives (SSDs) of storage arrays in the cluster to reduce write amplification, while leveraging variable compression and variable length data features of the storage I/O stack. The data may be organized as an arbitrary number of variable-length extents of one or more host-visible logical units (LUNs) served by the nodes. The metadata may include mappings from host-visible logical block address ranges (i.e., offset ranges) of a LUN to extent keys, as well as mappings of the extent keys to SSD storage locations of the extents. The storage location of an extent on SSD is effectively 'virtualized' by its mapped extent key (i.e., extent store layer mappings) such that relocation of the extent on SSD does require update to volume layer metadata (i.e., the extent key sufficiently identifies the extent).

Flash optimized, log-structured layer of a file system

One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for dynamic data access configuration. For example, a mapping may be maintained for compute nodes of a distributed processing system. The mapping may comprise access permission assignments of at least some compute nodes to shared data segments (e.g., read access and/or write access permissions). The mapping may be updated based upon configuration changes for the distributed processing system (e.g., addition of a new compute node, failure of a compute node, granting or removal of access to a shared data segment for an existing compute node, etc.). The updated mapping may be applied to the distributed processing system during operation of the distributed processing system (e.g., access may be granted to original instances of shared data segments based upon the configuration change; compute nodes and/or the distributed processing system may be kept online and operational while applying the configuration change; etc.).

Dynamic data access configuration

A system and method for planning and configuring the components of a modular computing system is provided. In some embodiments, the method for planning an implementation of a modular computing system comprises presenting a user interface at a display device, the user interface including a plurality of user-selectable objects, each of the user-selectable objects representing a component of the modular computing system. A user selection is received via a user input device. The user selection is from among the user-selectable objects and specifies one of an enclosure, an existing component, and a future component of the modular computing system. A representation of the specified one of an enclosure, an existing component, and a future component is displayed at a display device. The user selection is verified with respect to an implementation guideline. An indicator of whether the user selection meets the implementation guideline is displayed at the display device.

System and method for planning an upgrade of a modular computing system

Embodiments described herein provide an object store that efficiently manages and services objects for use by clients of a distributed data processing system. Illustratively, the object store may be embodied as a quasi-shared storage system that interacts with nodes of the distributed data processing system to service the objects as blocks of data stored on a plurality of storage devices, such as disks, of the storage system. To that end, an architecture of the object store may include an on-disk layout, e.g., of the storage system, and an incore layout, e.g., of the nodes, that cooperate to illustratively convert the blocks to objects for access by the clients.

Object store architecture for distributed data processing system

In one embodiment, storage arrays of solid state drives (SSDs) coupled to a node are organized as redundant array of independent disks (RAID) groups. Each storage array includes one or more segments. Each segment has contiguous free space on the SSDs. Data and metadata is organized on the SSDs with a sequential log-structured layout, with the data organized as variable-length extents of one or more logical units (LUNs). Segment cleaning is performed to clean a selected segment by moving the extents of the selected segment that contain valid data to one or more different segments so as to free the selected segment. Additional extents are written as a sequence of contiguous range write operations to the entire free segment with temporal locality to reduce data relocation within the SSDs as a result of the write operations.

A storage architecture of a storage system environment has a storage connector interface configured to exchange data directly between flash storage devices on a server and a storage array of the environment so as to bypass main memory and a system bus of the server. According to one or more embodiments, the storage connnector interface includes control logic configured to implement the data exchange in accordance with one of a plurality of operational modes that deploy and synchronize the data on the flash storage devices and the storage array. Advantageously, the storage connector interface obviates latencies and bandwidth consumption associated with prior data exchanges over the main memory and bus, thereby enhancing storage architecture performance.

Storage architecture for server flash and storage array operation

An extent-based storage architecture is implemented by a storage server receiving a read request for an extent from a client, wherein the extent includes a group of contiguous blocks and the read request includes a file block number. The storage server retrieves an extent identifier from a first sorted data structure, wherein the storage server uses the received file block number to traverse the first sorted data structure to the extent identifier. The storage server retrieves a reference to the extent from a second sorted data structure, wherein the storage server uses the retrieved extent identifier to traverse the second sorted data structure to the reference, and wherein the second sorted data structure is global across a plurality of volumes. The storage server retrieves the extent from a storage device using the reference and returns the extent to the client.

Extent-based storage architecture

In one embodiment, a flash-optimized, log-structured layer of a file system of a storage input/output (I/O) stack executes on one or more nodes of a cluster. The log-structured layer of the file system provides sequential storage of data and metadata on solid state drives (SSDs) to reduce write amplification, while leveraging variable compression and variable length data features of the storage I/O stack. The data may be organized as an arbitrary number of variable-length extents of one or more host-visible logical units (LUNs). The metadata may include mappings from host-visible logical block address ranges of a LUN to extent keys, as well as mappings of the extent keys to SSD storage locations of the extents. The storage location of an extent on SSD is effectively 'virtualized' by its mapped extent key such that relocation of the extent on SSD does not require update to volume layer metadata.

A method and system performs a fencing technique in a host cluster storage environment. The fence program executes on each cluster member in the cluster, and the cluster is coupled to a storage system by a network. When a cluster member fails or cluster membership changes, the fence program is invoked and a host fencing API message is sent via the network to the storage system. The storage system in turn modifies export lists to restrict further access by the failed cluster node to otherwise fence the failed cluster node off from that storage system or from certain directories within that storage system.

Client failure fencing mechanism for fencing network file system data in a host-cluster environment

A method and system performs fencing techniques in a host cluster storage environment. A fencing application program interface resides in one or more storage systems. When a message is received by said storage system from a cluster member, the storage system in turn modifies the NFS export lists of one or more storage systems to restrict further access by the failed cluster node to otherwise fence the failed cluster node off from that storage system or from certain directories within that storage system. Prior to said access permission rights being changed, NFS operations are locked and drained, NFS locks are removed after which the export lists are modified. Once the fencing operations are performed, the NFS operations are served again by the storage system.

Server side API for fencing cluster hosts via export access rights

A computer system for managing a computer network comprises a rack cabinet having a cabinet interior. A plurality of infrastructure connector assemblies are fixedly mounted on the rack cabinet in 1-U boundaries, each infrastructure connector assembly including a signal snap interface connector and a power snap interface connector. A plurality of compute elements are adapted to be slidably disposed within the cabinet interior of the rack cabinet in a stacked relationship, each compute element including at least one infrastructure connector assembly which releasably snap-interconnects with an associated infrastructure connector assembly mounted on the rack cabinet. A distributed power bay is disposed within the rack cabinet and provides central power for the computer system. A rack manager is disposed within the rack cabinet and includes the central video and I/O devices for the computer system. A cabinet controller is disposed within the rack cabinet and is responsible for the management of a geography bus and an intelligent chassis management bus for the computer system.

Growing community of inventors

Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America

Stephen William Daniel