Storage tier verification checks
Techniques are provided for storage tier verification checks. A determination is made that a mount operation of an aggregate of a set of volumes stored within a multi-tier storage environment has completed. A first metafile and a second metafile are maintained to track information related to the storage of objects of a volume of the aggregate within a remote object store that is a tier of the multi-tier storage environment. A distributed verification is performed between the first metafile and the second metafile to identify an inconsistency. Accordingly, the first metafile and the second metafile are reconciled to address the inconsistency so that storage information within the first metafile and the second metafile are consistent.
1. A computing device comprising:
a memory comprising machine executable code; and
a processor coupled to the memory, the processor configured to execute the machine executable code cause the computing device to:
assemble, within a staging area, objects to comprise object slots populated with data of an aggregate;
tier the objects from the staging area to a remote object store;
populate an object reference metafile with information specifying numbers of references from the aggregate to object identifiers of the objects tiered to the remote object store;
maintain an object map metafile having a one-to-one correspondence to the object reference metafile, wherein the object map metafile comprises indicators set to indicate whether the object identifiers of the objects are allocated or not allocated; and
utilize the object reference metafile and the object map metafile to access the objects within the remote object store.
2. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the machine executable code causes the computing device to:
populate the object reference metafile with information specifying how many places in the aggregate are pointing to an object; and
utilize the information to access the object within the remote object store.
3. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the machine executable code causes the computing device to:
utilize the object reference metafile to track a plurality of pointers that point from a storage tier hosting the staging area to blocks of data within the object; and
provide access to the blocks of data utilizing the pointers and the object reference metafile.
4. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the machine executable code causes the computing device to:
utilize the object reference metafile to track physical volume block numbers that reference from a storage tier hosting the staging area to blocks of data within the object; and
provide access to the blocks of data utilizing the physical volume block numbers and the object reference metafile.
5. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the machine executable code causes the computing device to:
create the object reference metafile as a bitmap populated with bits for each object identifier to indicate a number of references to corresponding objects.
6. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the machine executable code causes the computing device to:
populate the object reference metafile with bits set to indicate whether object identifiers of objects are allocated or not allocated, wherein a first value for a bit indicates that an object identifier is allocated and a second value for the bit indicates that the object identifier is not allocated and free for storing data.
7. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the machine executable code causes the computing device to:
during a mount operation, verify the object reference metafile.
8. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the machine executable code causes the computing device to:
determine that a metafile has a reliance upon the object reference metafile; and
perform distributed checks upon the metafile and the object reference metafile based upon the reliance.
9. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the machine executable code causes the computing device to:
evaluate metafiles maintained by a storage tier hosting the staging area to identify interdependencies amongst the metafiles, wherein the metafiles include the object reference metafile; and
perform distributed checks upon the metafiles.
10. A method, comprising:
assembling, within a staging area, objects to comprise object slots populated with data of an aggregate;
tiering the objects from the staging area to a remote object store;
populating an object reference metafile with information specifying numbers of references from the aggregate to object identifiers of the objects tiered to the remote object store;
maintaining an object map metafile having a one-to-one correspondence to the object reference metafile, wherein the object map metafile comprises indicators set to indicate whether the object identifiers of the objects are allocated or not allocated; and
utilizing the object reference metafile and the object map metafile to access the objects within the remote object store.
11. The method of claim 10 , comprising:
determining that a metafile has a reliance upon the object reference metafile; and
performing distributed checks upon the metafile and the object reference metafile based upon the reliance.
12. The method of claim 10 , comprising:
evaluating metafiles maintained by a storage tier hosting the staging area to identify interdependencies amongst the metafiles, wherein the metafiles include the object reference metafile; and
performing distributed checks upon the metafiles.
13. The method of claim 10 , comprising:
populating the object reference metafile with information specifying how many places in the aggregate are pointing to an object; and
utilizing the information to access the object within the remote object store.
14. The method of claim 10 , comprising:
utilizing the object reference metafile to track a plurality of pointers that point from a storage tier hosting the staging area to blocks of data within the object; and
providing access to the blocks of data utilizing the pointers and the object reference metafile.
15. The method of claim 10 , comprising:
utilizing the object reference metafile to track physical volume block numbers that reference from a storage tier hosting the staging area to blocks of data within the object; and
providing access to the blocks of data utilizing the physical volume block numbers and the object reference metafile.
16. A non-transitory machine readable medium comprising instructions for performing a method, which when executed by a machine, causes the machine to:
assemble within a staging area, objects to comprise object slots populated with data of an aggregate;
tier the objects from the staging area to a remote object store;
populate an object reference metafile with information specifying numbers of references from the aggregate to object identifiers of the objects tiered to the remote object store;
maintain an object map metafile having a one-to-one correspondence to the object reference metafile, wherein the object map metafile comprises indicators set to indicate whether the object identifiers of the objects are allocated or not allocated; and
utilize the object reference metafile and the object map metafile to access the objects within the remote object store.
17. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the instructions cause the machine to:
determine that a metafile has a reliance upon the object reference metafile; and
perform distributed checks upon the metafile and the object reference metafile based upon the reliance.
18. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the instructions cause the machine to:
evaluate metafiles maintained by a storage tier hosting the staging area to identify interdependencies amongst the metafiles, wherein the metafiles include the object reference metafile; and
perform distributed checks upon the metafiles.
19. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the instructions cause the machine to:
populate the object reference metafile with information specifying how many places in the aggregate are pointing to an object; and
utilizing the information to access the object within the remote object store.
20. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the instructions cause the machine to:
utilize the object reference metafile to track a plurality of pointers that point from a storage tier hosting the staging area to blocks of data within the object; and
provide access to the blocks of data utilizing the pointers and the object reference metafile.