IP Library › Granted Patent US 9,047,216
Granted Patent B2
US 9,047,216 · App. 14/052,822 · Granted Jun 2, 2015

Virtual disk drive system and method

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,047,216
App. No.
14/052,822
Granted
Jun 2, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

A disk drive system and method capable of dynamically allocating data is provided. The disk drive system may include a RAID subsystem having a pool of storage, for example a page pool of storage that maintains a free list of RAIDs, or a matrix of disk storage blocks that maintain a null list of RAIDs, and a disk manager having at least one disk storage system controller. The RAID subsystem and disk manager dynamically allocate data across the pool of storage and a plurality of disk drives based on RAID-to-disk mapping. The RAID subsystem and disk manager determine whether additional disk drives are required, and a notification is sent if the additional disk drives are required. Dynamic data allocation and data progression allow a user to acquire a disk drive later in time when it is needed. Dynamic data allocation also allows efficient data storage of snapshots/point-in-time copies of virtual volume pool of storage, instant data replay and data instant fusion for data backup, recovery etc., remote data storage, and data progression, etc.

Claims (33)

1. A disk drive system, capable of dynamically allocating data in a pool of storage, comprising:

a data storage system supporting a plurality of user volumes; and

a disk manager configured to;

classify each of a plurality of storage devices based on the cost;

maintain a pool of storage comprising a matrix of disk space blocks, each of the disk space blocks being an abstraction of data storage space from the plurality of data storage devices;

dynamically allocate free disk space blocks from the pool of storage to the plurality of user volumes;

check data on the storage devices to determine whether there is data to be moved from one classification of storage device to another; and

move data stored on one or more storage devices of one classification to one or more storage devices of another classification.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the storage system further comprises a combination of a plurality of RAID devices.

3. A method of dynamically allocating data of a data storage system, comprising the steps of:

classifying each of a plurality of data storage devices of the data storage system based on cost;

generating a plurality of user volumes of disk space blocks from the plurality of data storage devices;

managing a pool of storage comprising a matrix of disk space blocks, each of the disk space blocks being an abstraction of data storage space from the plurality of data storage devices;

dynamically allocating free disk space blocks from the pool of storage to the plurality of user volumes;

checking data on the data storage devices to determine whether there is data to be moved from one classification of storage device to another; and

moving the data stored on one or more storage devices of one classification to one or more storage devices of another classification.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising setting a size of the disk space block as a default and changeable by a user.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein data is moved to a lower cost storage device based on a decrease in the access pattern of the data.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cost of each storage device is based at least in part on efficiency of the storage device related to the other storage devices.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cost of each storage device is based at least in part on storage capacity of the storage device.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cost of each storage device is based at least in part on physical cost of the storage device.

9. The disk system of claim 1 , wherein data is moved to a higher cost storage device based on an increase in the access pattern of the data.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein data is moved to a lower cost storage device if a substantial portion of the storage space on the higher cost storage device is used up.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the disk manager determines whether additional disk drives are required, and a notification is sent if the additional disk drives are required.

12. The system of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of RAID devices comprise a plurality of RAID types, comprising at least one of RAID-0, RAID-1, RAID-5, and RAID-10.

13. The method of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of user volumes comprise a combination of disk space blocks from a plurality of RAID devices.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of RAID devices comprise a plurality of RAID types, comprising at least one of RAID-0, RAID-1, RAID-5, and RAID-10.

15. The method of claim 3 , further comprising determining whether additional disk drives for the data storage system are required, and sending a notification if the additional disk drives are required.

16. The method of claim 3 , wherein the data is moved to a lower cost storage device based on a decrease in the access pattern of the data.

17. The method of claim 3 , wherein data is moved to a higher cost storage device when data in the lower cost storage device starts to be used more frequently or otherwise becomes active.

18. The method of claim 3 , wherein the cost of each storage device is based at least in part on efficiency of the storage device relative to the other storage devices.

19. The method of claim 3 , wherein the cost of each storage device is based at least in part on storage capacity of the storage device.

20. The method of claim 3 , wherein the cost of each storage device is based at least in part on physical cost of the storage device.

Assignments (15)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053546/0001) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING L.P. (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.); DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC. AND WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
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From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO ASAP SOFTWARE EXPRESS, INC.); DELL MARKETING L.P. (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.); DELL USA L.P.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC. AND WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); EMC CORPORATION (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO MAGINATICS LLC); EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO MOZY, INC.); SCALEIO LLC
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RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (040136/0001) Recorded Apr 26, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO ASAP SOFTWARE EXPRESS, INC.); DELL MARKETING L.P. (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.); DELL USA L.P.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC. AND WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); EMC CORPORATION (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO MAGINATICS LLC); EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO MOZY, INC.); SCALEIO LLC
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RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 3, 2021
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To: DELL USA L.P.; ASAP SOFTWARE EXPRESS, INC.; AVENTAIL LLC; CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL, L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL SOFTWARE INC.; DELL SYSTEMS CORPORATION; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; MAGINATICS LLC; MOZY, INC.; SCALEIO LLC; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
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SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 22, 2020
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
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SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Mar 21, 2019
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
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SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Sep 21, 2016
From: ASAP SOFTWARE EXPRESS, INC.; AVENTAIL LLC; CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DELL USA L.P.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL SOFTWARE INC.; DELL SYSTEMS CORPORATION; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; MAGINATICS LLC; MOZY, INC.; SCALEIO LLC; SPANNING CLOUD APPS LLC; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
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SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Sep 21, 2016
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