WO2008026497A1

WO2008026497A1 - Disc array control device, disc array control method, and disc array control program

Info

Publication number: WO2008026497A1
Application number: PCT/JP2007/066339
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kinichi Sugimoto
Original assignee: Nec Corporation
Priority date: 2006-08-28
Filing date: 2007-08-23
Publication date: 2008-03-06

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To guarantee a stable data I/O speed as a system and realize effective disc device operation management and data arrangement. [MEANS FOR SOLVING PROBLEMS] A disc array control device (10) includes an I/O managing unit (5) which performs input/output by striping to the number of disc devices selected so that the total of I/O speeds at the address as a data I/O object exceeds a predetermined threshold value. Thus, the number of disc devices for which data is subjected to striping is decided in accordance with the necessary I/O speed so as to guarantee a stable data I/O speed and realize an effective disc device operation management and data arrangement.

Description

Specification

Disk array control device, disk array control method, disk array control program

Technical field

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a control device, a control method, and a program for a disk array device using an external storage device such as a magnetic disk, and more particularly to control of a disk array device that can efficiently perform data striping. It relates to devices.

Background art

[0002] In related storage devices, due to the effect of the difference in the amount of data that can be input or output per unit time of a storage device such as a hard disk device (hereinafter referred to as "processing speed" or "speed") In order to minimize variations in processing speed and to ensure average input / output performance, a disk array that combines the inner and outer circumferences of the disk unit is configured to ensure stable performance. .

For example, Patent Document 1 describes a system in which two disk devices are used as a set, and access is performed by combining the inner and outer peripheral sides to form a disk device with good performance on average.

[0003] In addition, in the related disk array device, in order to stabilize the response speed of each disk device, measures such as always controlling the disk input / output response by controlling the access size to the disk device, etc. Go, les.

For example, Patent Document 2 describes a method of setting the amount of data to be distributed to each disk based on the processing speed of the disk device and making the response time from each disk constant.

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-55597

Patent Document 2: JP-A-8-69359

Disclosure of the invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

[0005] A related technical problem is that in a hard disk device, the data input / output speed is on the inner circumference side. Therefore, a design that takes into account a decrease in throughput when using data recorded on the inner circumference was necessary. In particular, in recording and playback of digital AV data, it was necessary to design with the performance on the inner circumference side as the performance of the device, and to set the system throughput low.

For example, as shown in the specification of Patent Document 1, in order to eliminate the effect of disk array performance fluctuations, it is common to estimate the worst performance based on the worst performing disk. It is stated that In addition, a method is described in which measures are taken such as realizing input / output with stable performance by operating two sets of the inner and outer sides simultaneously.

[0006] Another problem is that, in order to avoid fluctuations in the performance of the disk device, it is necessary to always operate a plurality of disks when a disk array using a plurality of disk devices is used.

For example, as shown in Patent Document 2, in order to minimize the difference in disk device performance, there is a method of stabilizing the response time of the disk device by adjusting the data striving size according to the performance. Are listed. However, even in this case, it was necessary to always operate a plurality of disk devices.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to realize efficient disk device operation management and data arrangement when data is recorded and managed on a magnetic disk device or an optical disk device constituting a disk array device. There is.

Means for solving the problem

[0008] The first disk array control device of the present invention changes the number of disk devices used for the striping according to the address of the storage area to which at least one data of the plurality of disk devices is input / output. An input / output management unit for performing input / output is provided.

[0009] According to the first disk array control device, since the number of disk devices to which data is to be striped is determined according to the data input / output address, the operation of the disk device is efficiently managed and the data is An arrangement can be realized. In other words, the power S that can be used to stripe data to an appropriate number of disk devices according to the required transfer speed, power consumption, quietness, etc. The invention's effect

[0010] The first effect of the present invention is that the required performance is ensured over the entire surface of the disk because effective striping can be performed in a region where the performance decreases such as the inner circumference of a magnetic disk device or the like. It is to do with power S.

The reason is that it is possible to improve the performance by performing the striving operation only in the region where the performance is lower than the required performance.

The second effect lies in the ability S to achieve a reduction in power consumption without operating the disk more than necessary.

The reason is that in the present invention, area allocation is performed according to the required bandwidth requested by the file, and the number of strivings is allocated according to the required rate, so the required rate is low or real-time processing is not required. This is because data can be controlled without operating many disks.

The third effect is that noise can be suppressed by changing the operation according to the characteristics of the disk device.

The reason is that in the present invention, the number of strivings can be changed according to the address position. Therefore, when using a device that generates noise due to the change in the number of rotations according to the address position, such as an optical disc, the number of striving can be reduced by reducing the number of striving. Control that prevents simultaneous access to the disk is possible. As a result, the noise of the entire system can be suppressed.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The configuration and operation of the disk array control apparatus 10 that is the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

1 and 2 show a configuration diagram of the disk array control device 10.

The disk array controller 10 includes a program execution unit 4 that performs data input / output, an input / output management unit 5 that manages data, a time measurement unit 6 that performs time measurement, and an area management unit 7 that performs area management. A disk input / output control unit 8 and a disk array 9 composed of two disk devices 90 and 9 1. Of these, the program execution unit 4 has a function of generating and playing back data to be recorded and played back. It is conceivable to install video processing means such as a video / audio compression / decompression unit 1, a memory management unit 2, and a buffer unit 3.

[0012] The input / output management unit 5 that manages the input / output of data uses the disk input / output control unit 8 to divide and distribute the data to a plurality of disk units 90 and 91. I do. This operation is defined as a striping operation. The size of the data to be striped may be in units of bytes or may be executed in units of an appropriate block size such as a sector. Further, when performing the striping operation, it is necessary that the target disk devices 90 and the like are in operation and capable of performing a parallel operation.

In this embodiment, the description has been made assuming that a magnetic disk device is used as the disk device. However, when a plurality of disk devices whose input / output speed and rotational speed vary depending on the address position of the optical disk device or the like are used. Is equally applicable.

The embodiment of the present invention is assumed to be used in a personal computer, a video / audio recording / playback apparatus using digital data, and the like. Thus, each unit can be implemented as a software module that operates on a single CPU (Central Processing Unit), or can be implemented by independent hardware as well. In addition, S is described assuming that sequential data is generated using the video / audio compression / decompression unit 1 and buffer unit 3, etc., and these are data encoded in advance by an external device. You may acquire and record via a network, a broadcast wave, and another storage device.

The input / output operations of the disk array control device 10 will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, the recording operation of sequential data such as video and audio and other data will be described.

Video / audio input from the outside is converted into compressed digital data by the video / audio compression / decompression unit 1 and stored in the buffer unit 3 managed by the memory management unit 2. The program execution unit 4 monitors the generation status of the stored digital data via the memory management unit 2.

The program execution unit 4 is configured so that when the compressed digital data force is stored in the predetermined amount buffer unit 3, these data are collectively recorded in the disk devices 90 and 91. Sends an instruction to 5 and sends data to the input / output management unit 5. [0015] The program execution unit 4 also records other data such as thumbnail data and file management metadata, which is not directly related to the video stream, in the disk devices 90 and 9-1. Similarly, an instruction is sent to the input / output management unit 5 and data is sent to the input / output management unit 5.

When managing data as a logical group of files, file attribute information such as file type, file size, and required bit rate is notified to the input / output management unit 5 as necessary. These attributes are recorded and managed in the disk devices 9-0 and 9-1 as file management metadata for the files.

[0016] When the program execution unit 4 instructs the input / output management unit 5 to generate a file, the input / output management unit 5 requests the area management unit 7 to secure a recording area on the disk device 9, and positions the area to be recorded. After obtaining the size, the disk input / output control unit 8 is instructed to record the data in the corresponding area. Further, the input / output management unit 5 generates metadata such as the position and size of the area to be recorded, the file attribute, the file size, and the required bit rate as metadata for managing the area. Instruct the disk I / O controller 8 to write. File management metadata includes general-purpose file systems, general-purpose file system management structures such as ECMA (European Computer Manufacturers Association; -167A ^ ISO (International Organization For Standardization) 9293, and extended attributes. This can be realized by using.

The input / output management unit 5 measures the input / output performance of the disk devices 9-0 and 9-1.

Specifically, the input / output management unit 5 controls the disk input / output control unit 8 to divide the address ranges of the disk units 90 and 91 into appropriate equal intervals, and to obtain a certain amount of data from each position. The sequential reading is executed, the processing time is measured by the time measuring unit 6, and the processing time is acquired. The input / output management unit 5 reads out a certain amount of data sufficiently larger than these buffers in consideration of the capacity of the buffers in the control devices of the disk devices 90 and 91 during input / output. It is better to measure the physical input / output speed more accurately. Considering the protocol overhead of the disk unit interface, it is recommended to select a relatively large value for the amount of data handled by each I / O command. Based on the result, the input / output management unit 5 determines the relationship between the address position and the input / output speed of the disk device. The relationship between the address position and the input / output speed of the disk device is recorded in advance in a specific position of the disk device 90 or 91, or is recorded in a nonvolatile memory in the controller of the disk device. When starting up, it may be read and used. Alternatively, the relationship between the address position and the input / output speed of the disk device may be recorded and used in a non-volatile memory in the input / output management unit 5.

The disk I / O control unit 8 issues a command to write or read the requested data to the disk units 90 and 9 1 to the address and length area designated by the I / O management unit 5 and Send and receive.

Next, the reproduction operation of sequential data such as video and audio and other data will be described.

First, the program execution unit 4 instructs the input / output management unit 5 to read a desired file to be reproduced.

When the program execution unit 4 is instructed to read a file, the input / output management unit 5 instructs the input / output control unit 8 to read metadata for managing the area of the file. The disk input / output control unit 8 reads data from the disk devices 9-0 and 9-1 as described above. Based on the metadata received from the input / output control unit 8, the input / output management unit 5 obtains the position and size of the area holding the file, and then reads the data of this position and size again. Instructs the part 8 and sends the received data to the program execution part 4.

If the received file is not video / audio data, the program execution unit 4 stores the received file in the program execution unit 4 and uses it for other processing. The program execution unit 4 stores the audio / video data in the buffer unit 3 via the memory management unit 2. This data is read again by the memory management unit 2, sent to the video / audio compression / decompression unit 1, decompressed, and then output to the outside as video / audio.

Next, the operation of the area management unit 7 will be described. The area management unit 7 manages the allocation of areas that determine the order of area allocation and the conditions of the striving operation.

The configuration of the area management unit 7 will be described with reference to FIG. The area manager 7 has multiple disk devices. Divide the area into multiple areas and determine how to allocate the area for each area.

The striping management unit 71 issues an instruction to the area management unit 73 to manage the address assignment of each area. The striving management unit 71 determines whether to distribute data to one or more disk devices. These are the range and number of disks managed by the striving management metadata storage unit 72. Implemented based on management settings.

Area management unit 73 is the ability to manage the range of each area, etc. Simultaneously manages the disk device performance values in each area, and stores and stores each data in the area management metadata storage unit 74. Each data held in the unit 72 and the area management metadata storage unit 74 is recorded at a specific address in the target disk devices 90 and 91, and is loaded and managed.

[0022] The striping management metadata is a list as shown in FIG. 3, and an index that determines the access order for each striping area, an area ID that specifies an area (partial area) in which the striping data is arranged, and its ID Includes the number of striving that gives the number. In this figure, the area ID is expressed in the format of “information specifying the disk device / information specifying the area by the disk device”. For example, “# 0/0” indicates the area of number 0 of the disk device # 0 (9-1).

[0023] On the other hand, the area management metadata uses a list such as shown in FIG. 4 to identify the disk device for each area ID, the address range in the disk device, and the input / output performance in the address range. Holds the highest and lowest values.

The disk address range is recorded in the format of the start address and end address of the area. In this embodiment, since the hard disk device is assumed as the disk device, the addresses are assigned in ascending order from the outer peripheral side toward the inner peripheral side. In the disk address range column, “0x” is a symbol indicating that the numerical value following it is displayed in hexadecimal.

The maximum input / output performance and minimum input / output performance are the highest input / output speed and maximum Low I / O speed is recorded using units such as bps. In this embodiment, “A” is the value at address 0x0 of disk 9-0, “E” is the value at address 0xfffff of disk 9-0, “CJ is the value at address 0x100000 of disk 90, “G” is the value at address 0x1 7ffff of disk 9-0, and has a relationship of A>E>C> G. The same applies to the disk 9-1. The used / unused flag is information indicating whether or not the area is used as a striping area. “0” is not used and “1” is used. Indicates that

[0024] FIG. 5 shows the correspondence with each area when laid out in two disk devices 90, 91 based on this data example. If you are going to strike on two units with Index = 2, you should use a disk unit sector or a larger unit as a reference for striping! /. Here, the number of strips, which is the number of discs to be striped, is two, and the same applies to a force of three or more.

Here, a method of dividing the disk device into areas will be described. In general, the relationship between the input / output speed and access position of a magnetic disk device is roughly as shown in Fig. 6. Therefore, if it is necessary to always guarantee a desired input / output speed (threshold) or more, data may be insufficient when data is recorded on the inner periphery of the disk device. Here, when guaranteeing the desired input / output speed as shown by the dotted line, performance cannot be guaranteed in the address range that is larger than the address X that is the boundary value corresponding to the desired speed (that is, the inner circumference side)! / I understand that. Therefore, on the basis of this address range, the area where the performance can be guaranteed and the area where the performance cannot be guaranteed are divided, and the above-described striping range is set.

If data that does not depend on input / output performance is retained, an arbitrary number of strips may be allocated to an area of a required capacity without applying such area division based on speed. In addition, when using a disk unit such as an optical disk in which the number of revolutions varies greatly depending on the address position and noise is generated, the number of striping can be limited within a predetermined address range according to its characteristics. Divide the area and set the striping range! /.

[0026] By assigning areas as described above, the performance of the entire disk array 9 is

The distribution is as shown in FIG. 7, and the desired input / output speed can always be guaranteed. In this example, Assuming that disk unit 9 0 and disk unit 9-1 have the same performance! The value of H in Fig. 7 is about twice that of C in Fig. 6, and I is about twice that of G in Fig. 6, which is larger than the desired input / output speed.

[0027] Although the methods used in various file systems can be applied as they are for file management, the virtual addresses and ranges assigned by the file system are determined by the striping management unit of the area management unit. 71 is converted to a disk device and physical address and range where data is actually allocated, and returned to the input / output management unit 5. Based on this data, an input / output instruction is issued from the input / output management unit 5 to the disk input / output control unit 8.

Next, the procedure of initialization processing when the input / output management unit 5 performs data input / output will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.

First, the input / output management unit 5 instructs and reads the area management metadata from the disk devices 90 and 91. This metadata specifies address correspondences for handling multiple disks as one logical disk, and specifies the disk number of each area, the address range in the disk, and so on. Similarly, the input / output management unit 5 reads the striping management metadata. This data defines how each area is combined to form a logical address space.

[0029] The input / output management unit 5 checks whether or not the area management data and the striping management metadata are in a formatted state by reading the data of the disk devices 90 and 91 ( Sl l).

If not formatted, the input / output management unit 5 measures the input / output speeds of the disk devices 9-0 and 9-1 by the method described above (S12), and based on the result, the disk array The area division of 9 is determined, area management metadata and striping management metadata data are generated and recorded together in the disk array 9 (S13). If it is already formatted, do nothing.

Next, the input / output management unit 5 reads the area management metadata and the striping management metadata on the disk devices 90 and 91, and sends the area management metadata to the area management metadata storage unit 74. , Striving management metadata, striving management metadata storage Set to product 72. Metadata used by other file systems is held in the input / output management unit 5 (S14).

By the processing sequence as described above, the address translation mechanism managed by the area management unit 7 is determined during the initialization process, and thereafter, the input / output management unit 5 executes data input / output. Next, the effect of the disk array control device 10 will be described.

The first effect is that the required performance can be guaranteed over the entire surface of the disk because effective striping can be performed in an area where the performance decreases, such as the inner circumference of a magnetic disk device.

The reason is that the performance was guaranteed by taking measures such as the ability to estimate the performance in advance and always operating multiple disks in consideration of the degradation of the performance on the inner circumference side. This is because in the present invention, it is possible to improve the performance by performing the striving operation only in a region where the performance is lower than the required performance without such consideration.

The second effect is expected to reduce power consumption without operating more disks than necessary.

The reason is that according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to allocate an area according to a required bandwidth requested by a file and to assign a number of striving according to a required rate! /. Therefore, when the required rate is low, it is possible to control the number of disks to be operated by reducing the number of striping. Yes, there is no required rate and non-real-time processing is possible! /, In the address range where data etc. is recorded, control is performed so that only one disk is operated and other disk devices are stopped without performing the striping. Is possible. As a result, it is possible to achieve a reduction in power consumption and quietness of the entire system.

The third effect is expected to be noise suppression by changing the operation according to the characteristics of the disk device.

The reason is that in optical disk devices, etc., the ability to improve performance by changing the rotational speed of the disk according to the address position of the disk, etc. Therefore, noise is generated depending on the access position. If the performance is improved by performing a striving, noise will be generated for the number of disks, which is a problem. On the other hand, in the embodiment of the present invention, since the number of striping can be changed depending on the address position, noise becomes a problem. When using an address range, it is possible to control so that accesses to multiple disks do not occur simultaneously by reducing the number of strips. As a result, system noise can be reduced.

Next, the configuration and operation of the disk array control apparatus 11 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 9 shows a configuration diagram of the disk array controller 11.

The disk array controller 11 includes a program execution unit 4 that instructs data input / output, an input / output management unit 5 that performs data input / output management, a time measurement unit 6 that performs time measurement, and area management. An area management unit 7 to be performed, a disk input / output control unit 8, and a disk array 9 including disk devices 90, 91, 9-2, and 9-3. Of these, the program execution unit 4 has means for generating and reproducing data for recording and reproduction. When recording and reproducing video, the video / audio compression / decompression unit 1 and the memory management unit as shown in FIG. 2 and video processing means such as buffer unit 3 can be installed.

In the present embodiment, the description has been made assuming that four magnetic disk devices are used as the disk device. However, the present invention is also applicable to the case where an optical disk device or five or more disk devices are used. Similarly, it is also possible to manage the disk device by dividing it into four or more areas, which describes an example in which the disk device is divided into four areas.

The input / output operations of the disk array controller 11 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 12. Since the basic operation is the same as that of the disk array control apparatus 10, only the differences in operation and configuration will be described.

The configuration of the disk array control device 11 will be described. As shown in FIG. 9, in this embodiment, the disk array 9 is composed of three or more disk devices such as disk devices 9-0, 9-1, 9, 2, and 9-3. . Each disk device can be accessed from the disk input / output control unit 8, and an input / output operation is performed based on an instruction from the input / output management unit 5. The area management unit 7 manages the area of each disk device as in the first embodiment.

[0035] The area management unit 7 and area management in the area management unit 7 are basically applied in the same manner as in the first embodiment. However, the difference is that the striping management metadata is updated as necessary. Therefore, the algorithm of the input / output operation performed by the input / output management unit 5 will be described below with reference to FIG.

In the data input / output operation, first, it is checked in the input / output management unit 5 whether the area management metadata and the striping management metadata are read (S21). For example, the area management metadata has a data structure that holds management information as shown in FIG. 4, and the striping management metadata has a data structure that holds management information as shown in FIG. 3, for example. It is. If these metadata are not read, the metadata is read (S22).

Next, it is determined whether the input / output operation is a write operation (S23). In the case of a read operation, the data area is read based on the address conversion of the area management unit 7 (S24).

[0038] When the input / output operation is writing, the input / output management unit 5 obtains the required input / output bandwidth from the file attribute, and the required bandwidth is insufficient for accessing the current disk device. If the area is insufficient, the I / O management unit 5 requests the required bandwidth amount from the area management unit 7 (S26), and the area management unit 7 can guarantee the required bandwidth and striping. The number is assigned from the unused area inquired to the area management unit (S27). The number of strips can be controlled to select the minimum number of strips that can guarantee the required bandwidth. It is also possible to issue an instruction from the input / output management unit 5 so that the disk device is operated by the assigned number of striving and the other disk devices are stopped.

[0039] Based on the result, the input / output management unit 5 updates the management metadata for striping (S28). The input / output management unit 5 performs a write operation on these reserved areas or the striping area (S29). Further, the input / output management unit 5 updates the area management metadata and the striping management metadata (S30) and ends the process.

[0040] When a general-purpose file system is implemented in these processing sequences, it is managed by the area management unit 7! /, Guarantees the bandwidth! /, Manages the area for each striping area, and the required rate, etc. It is necessary to build a file system that can manage attributes. However, the area By assigning multiple allocation algorithms according to the rate, it is possible to implement an allocation algorithm for multiple areas with different required bandwidth attributes, so the required bandwidth determination (S25) and allocation operation (S29) can be managed by a general-purpose file system. It is easy to implement in the structure.

[0041] Also, in the input / output management unit 5, when the required bandwidth is not designated for file input / output, allocation of the striving area is not performed, and area allocation is executed from an area that is not striped. . If the striping area to which the required bandwidth is already allocated is sufficient, area allocation is executed from that area.

Next, an example in which a plurality of striving areas are assigned based on the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 11 and FIG. In Fig. 11, the striving areas are # 1, # 2, and # 3, respectively, when the number of striping is 3, 2, and 4. Also, by allocating the areas in ascending order, the bandwidth guarantee rate of the actual allocated area is variable according to the area shown in FIG.

[0043] According to the disk array controller 11, in addition to the same effects as the disk array controller 10, a striping area with an appropriate bandwidth is created according to the characteristics of the file input to the disk array 9, and the IJ can be hit.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0045] In the disk array control apparatus, the input / output speed of the disk apparatus varies depending on the address, and the input / output management unit determines that the sum of the input / output speeds at the address to which data is input / output has a predetermined threshold value. The I / O may be performed by performing a stribing operation on the number of disk devices selected to exceed the number.

In this way, since the number of disk devices to which data is striped is determined according to the required input / output speed, a stable data input / output speed can be guaranteed. In the first disk array controller, the disk device has a lower processing speed toward the inner circumference side of the disk, and addresses are assigned in ascending order from the outer circumference side to the inner circumference side. The number of units may be determined based on the magnitude relationship between the input / output target address and a predetermined boundary value!

In this way, when a disk array is configured with a magnetic disk device or an optical disk device that performs CAV control, the disk device that is used for striping based on the address position. The number of devices can be determined.

[0046] The first disk array control device includes an area management metadata storage unit that stores area management metadata stored in advance in association with addresses and input / output speeds. The input / output speed may be acquired by referring to the metadata. The area management metadata storage unit may be provided in the input / output management unit or in the disk device.

In this way, it is not necessary to calculate the input / output speed at the input / output target address each time data is input / output, and the processing can be speeded up.

[0047] The first disk array control device may include a time measuring unit that measures input / output speeds at a plurality of addresses of the disk device and generates area management metadata.

In this way, the number of disk devices can be determined more accurately based on the actually measured input / output speed at each address position.

[0048] In the first disk array control device, the input / output management unit may become a target of the strobing, and stop the spindle of the disk device.

In this way, the power consumption and quietness of the disk array can be reduced.

[0049] An area management unit that logically divides and manages the storage area of each disk device based on the processing speed, and / or an input / output speed that exceeds a predetermined threshold Then, select one partial area of one disk unit and select that partial area, or select one partial area from each of multiple disk devices, and then stripe the partial areas to enter data. An input / output management unit that performs output may be provided.

[0050] With this, it is possible to input / output data by selecting a necessary number of partial areas according to a required input / output band. Therefore, a stable data input / output speed can be guaranteed, and at the same time, efficient disk device operation management and data allocation can be realized.

[0051] In the second disk array control device, an area management metadata storage unit that stores a maximum value and a minimum value of processing speed in each partial area in association with area specifying information for specifying the partial area; Select one partial area from multiple disk units. A storage management metadata storage unit for storing and storing the storage region identification information for identifying the selected region and the area identification information of each partial region included in the region. The unit may refer to the area management metadata storage unit and the striving management metadata storage unit to select a driving area where an input / output speed equal to or higher than a threshold value can be obtained.

In this way, since the striving area is created in advance and the input / output speed of each striving area is stored, it is possible to quickly select an appropriate strobing area when an input / output request is made. it can.

[0052] In the second disk array control device, the input / output management unit receives an input of a threshold value when writing to the disk device, and is input to an existing striping area. In some cases, an input / output speed exceeding the threshold value can be obtained! /, In some cases, it can be incorporated into an existing striving area so that an input speed exceeding the input threshold value can be obtained! Alternatively, a new striving area may be generated from the partial area, the striving area may be written, and information regarding the new striving area may be written to the striving management metadata storage unit.

In this way, it is possible to select an appropriate striping area according to the characteristics of the data input to the disk device, and it is also possible to cope with a case where the input / output speed is insufficient in the existing striping area. .

The disk array control method according to the embodiment of the present invention changes the number of disk devices used for the striping according to the address of the storage area to which at least one data of a plurality of disk devices is to be input / output. Thus, input / output may be performed.

[0054] With this, the number of disk devices to which data is to be striped is determined according to the data input / output address, so that it is possible to achieve efficient management of the disk device operation and data arrangement. That is, data can be striped to an appropriate number of disk devices according to the required transfer speed, power consumption, quietness, and the like.

[0055] In the first disk array control method, the disk devices have different input / output speeds depending on addresses, and in the input / output management step, the sum of the input / output speeds at the addresses to be input / output data is calculated. Before the number of units selected to exceed a predetermined threshold The above input / output may be performed by strobing the disk device. In this way, since the number of disk devices to which data is striped is determined according to the required input / output speed, a stable data input / output speed can be guaranteed. In the first disk array control method, the disk device has a lower processing speed toward the inner circumference side of the disk, and addresses are assigned in ascending order from the outer circumference side to the inner circumference side. The number of units may be determined based on the magnitude relationship between the input / output target address and a predetermined boundary value!

In this way, when a disk array is configured with a magnetic disk device or an optical disk device that performs CAV control, the number of disk devices used for the striping can be determined based on the address position.

In the first disk array control method, in the input / output management step, the input / output speed may be acquired by referring to area management metadata stored in advance in association with addresses and input / output speeds. The area management metadata may be stored in the input / output management unit or in the disk device.

[0056] The first disk array control method may include a time measurement step of measuring input / output speeds at a plurality of addresses of the disk device and generating area management metadata.

[0057] In the first disk array control method described above, the spindle of a disk device that is not subject to the striping may be stopped.

The disk array control method according to the embodiment of the present invention includes an area management step for managing a storage area of each disk device by logically dividing into a plurality of partial areas based on the processing speed, and a predetermined threshold value or more. One part of one disk unit so that I / O speed can be obtained It has an input / output management process that selects an area for that partial area, or selects one partial area from each of a plurality of disk devices and performs a data input / output by striving to those partial areas. Anyway.

[0059] According to the second disk array control method, it is possible to input / output data by selecting a required number of partial areas according to a required input / output bandwidth. As a result, stable data input / output speeds can be guaranteed, and at the same time efficient disk device operation management and data allocation can be achieved.

[0060] In the second disk array control method! /, In the input / output management step, the maximum value and the minimum value of the processing speed in each partial area are associated with the area specifying information for specifying the partial area. Corresponding area management metadata to the identification information for identifying the striping area where one partial area is selected from multiple disk devices and the area identification information for each partial area included in the striping area Refer to the attached striving management metadata, and select a striving area that provides an input / output speed that is above the threshold.

[0061] In the input / output management process, when writing to the disk device, the input of a threshold value is received, and there is no input / output speed exceeding the threshold value input to the existing striping area. Is built into an existing striving area so that an input speed exceeding the input threshold can be obtained, and a new striving area is created from the les, les, and sub-areas, and writing to the striving area is performed. Line! /, Information about the new striving area may be written in the striving management metadata storage.

[0062] The input / output speed of the disk device is different depending on the address, and in the input / output management process, the sum of the input / output speeds at the address that is the target of data input / output is a predetermined threshold value. The number of the disk devices selected so as to exceed the maximum number of disk devices may be stripped to perform the input / output.

In this way, since the number of disk devices to which data is striped is determined according to the required input / output speed, a stable data input / output speed can be guaranteed.

[0063] In the first disk array control program, the disk device has a lower processing speed toward the inner circumference of the disk, and addresses are assigned in ascending order from the outer circumference to the inner circumference. In the management process, the number of units may be determined based on the magnitude relationship between the input / output target address and a predetermined boundary value.

[0064] In the first disk array control program, the computer may execute time measurement processing for measuring input / output speeds at a plurality of addresses of the disk device and generating area management metadata. The area management metadata can be stored in the I / O management unit! /, Or can be stored in the disk unit! /.

[0065] The computer may execute time measurement processing for measuring input / output speeds at a plurality of addresses of the disk device and generating area management metadata.

[0066] In the first disk array control program, the input / output management process may be the target of the striping! /, NA! /, And the disk device spindle may be stopped! /.

[0067] In the input / output management process, area management metadata in which the maximum value and the minimum value of the processing speed in each partial area are associated with area specifying information for specifying the partial area, and a plurality of disk devices, respectively. Stroke area that identifies the selected partial area Refer to the sliding management metadata that correlates the living area identification information and the area identification information of each partial area included in the striding area, and select a riding area that can obtain an input / output speed equal to or higher than the threshold. Even if you do it.

[0068] In the second disk array control program, in the input / output management process, when writing to the disk device, an input / output exceeding the threshold input to the existing striping area is received upon input of the threshold. There is nothing that can get speed! / In some cases, V is not built into the existing striving area so that an input speed exceeding the input threshold value can be obtained. Alternatively, the writing may be performed on the striving area, and the information on the new striving area may be written in the striving management metadata storage unit.

[0069] The above embodiment is an example, and the present invention is not limited to the scope of the illustrated embodiment, but can be variously modified within the scope of the claims.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments (and examples), the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments (and examples). Various changes that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention.

[0071] This application (claimed on August 28, 2006, claiming priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-230914 filed on August 28, 2006), the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein.

Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a disk array control apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a detailed configuration diagram of the area management unit in FIG.

[Fig.3] An example of striping management metadata.

[Fig.4] Example of area management metadata. FIG. 5] is an explanatory diagram of area arrangement on the magnetic disk device.

6] It is an explanatory diagram of a typical read speed characteristic of the magnetic disk device.

7] It is an explanatory diagram of input / output characteristics when the striping control is performed based on the area layout.

8 is a flowchart of initialization processing in the input / output management unit of FIG.

FIG. 9] A configuration diagram of the disk array control apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a flowchart of file input / output processing in the input / output management unit of FIG. 9. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an application example of the striping control of the magnetic disk device.

12] It is an explanatory diagram of input / output characteristics of an application example of the striping control of the magnetic disk device.

1 Video / audio compression / decompression unit

2 Memory management

3 Buffer part

4 Program execution part

5 I / O manager

6 Time measurement part

7 Area Management Department

8 Disk I / O controller

9 Disk array

9- —0 9— 1 9— 2 9— 3 Disk unit

10 11 Disk array controller

71 Striving management

72 Striving management metadata

73 Area Management Department

74 Area management unit Metadata storage unit

Claims

The scope of the claims

[1] A device that controls a disk array consisting of multiple disk devices!

An input / output management unit is provided for performing the input / output by changing the number of the disk devices used for the striping according to the address of a storage area to which data is to be input / output, at least one of the plurality of disk devices. A disk array control device.

[2] The disk device has a different input / output speed depending on the address,

The input / output management unit performs the input / output by performing a stripe on the number of the disk devices selected so that a total of input / output speeds at the address to which data is input / output exceeds a predetermined threshold. The disk array control device according to claim 1, wherein the disk array control device is characterized.

[3] The disk device has a lower processing speed toward the inner peripheral side of the disk, and the addresses are assigned in the ascending order from the outer peripheral side to the inner peripheral side,

3. The disk array control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the input / output management unit determines the number based on a magnitude relationship between an address to be input / output and a predetermined boundary value.

[4] An area management metadata storage unit that stores area management metadata stored in advance in association with the address and the input / output speed,

3. The disk array control device according to claim 2, wherein the input / output management unit obtains the input / output speed with reference to the area management metadata.

5. The disk array control device according to claim 4, wherein the area management metadata storage unit is provided in the input / output management unit.

6. The disk array control device according to claim 4, wherein the area management metadata storage unit is provided in the disk device.

7. A time measuring unit for measuring the input / output speed at a plurality of addresses of the disk device and generating the area management metadata is provided. The disk array control device according to 1.

[8] The input / output management unit stops a spindle of! /, NA! /, And the disk device as a target of the striving, according to any one of claims 1 to 7. Note Disk array control device.

[9] In a device that controls a disk array consisting of multiple disk devices with different input / output speeds depending on the address,

An area management unit that logically divides and manages a storage area of each of the disk devices based on the processing speed;

In order to obtain an input / output speed equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, one of the partial areas of one of the disk devices is selected and the partial area is selected, or each of the disk devices is selected from one of the disk devices. A disk array control device comprising an input / output management unit that selects partial areas and performs a data input / output by striving to the partial areas.

[10] An area management metadata storage unit that stores the maximum value and the minimum value of the processing speed in each partial area in association with area specifying information that specifies the partial area;

Storing area specifying information for specifying a striping area in which one partial area is selected from each of the plurality of disk devices and the area specifying information for each partial area included in the striping area are stored in association with each other. And a storage management metadata storage unit,

The input / output management unit refers to an area management metadata storage unit and a striving management metadata storage unit, and selects the striving region in which an input / output speed equal to or higher than the threshold is obtained. The disk array control device according to 1.

[11] The input / output management unit receives the threshold when writing to the disk device,

In the case where the input / output speed exceeding the input threshold is not obtained in the existing striving area, the existing striation is obtained so that the input speed exceeding the input threshold is obtained. ! /, N! /, Create a new striving area from the partial area, write to the strobing area! / ヽ, and provide information on the new striving area. 10. The disk array control device according to claim 9, wherein the disk array control device is written in the striping management metadata storage unit.

[12] How to control a disk array consisting of multiple disk units! /

A storage area for inputting / outputting data, at least one of the plurality of disk devices A disk array control method comprising: an input / output management step for performing the input / output by changing the number of the disk devices used for the striping according to the address of the disk.

[13] The disk device has a different input / output speed depending on the address,

In the input / output management step, the input / output speed at the address to which data is input / output is striped to the selected number of the disk devices so that the input / output speed exceeds a predetermined threshold value, and the input / output is performed. The disk array control method according to claim 12, wherein:

[14] The disk device has a lower processing speed toward the inner peripheral side of the disk, and the addresses are assigned in the ascending order from the outer peripheral side to the inner peripheral side,

14. The disk array control method according to claim 13, wherein in the input / output management step, the number is determined based on a magnitude relationship between an address to be input / output and a predetermined boundary value.

[15] The input / output speed may be acquired in the input / output management step by referring to area management metadata stored in advance in association with the address and the input / output speed. The disk array control method described.

16. The disk array control method according to claim 15, wherein the area management metadata is stored in a storage device provided in a device that executes the input / output management step.

17. The disk array control method according to claim 15, wherein the area management metadata is stored in the disk device.

18. The time measurement process of measuring the input / output speed at a plurality of addresses of the disk device and generating the area management metadata. The disk array control method described in 1.

[19] The disk array control according to any one of [12] to [18], wherein the spindle of the disk device is stopped! Method.

[20] In a method of controlling a disk array consisting of a plurality of disk devices having different input / output speeds depending on addresses,

The storage area of each disk device is logically divided into a plurality of parts based on the processing speed. An area management process for dividing and managing areas;

In order to obtain an input / output speed equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, one of the partial areas of one of the disk devices is selected and the partial area is selected, or each of the disk devices is selected from one of the disk devices. A disk array control method comprising an input / output management step of selecting partial areas and striving to the partial areas to input / output data.

[21] In the input / output management step,

Area management metadata in which the maximum value and the minimum value of the processing speed in each partial area are associated with area specifying information for specifying the partial area;

Striping that associates the striping area specifying information for identifying the striping area in which one partial area is selected from the plurality of disk devices with the area specifying information for each partial area included in the striping area. 21. The disk array control method according to claim 20, wherein the staging area in which an input / output speed equal to or higher than the threshold is obtained with reference to management metadata is selected.

[22] In the input / output management step, when writing to the disk device, the threshold value is input,

In the case where the input / output speed exceeding the input threshold is not obtained in the existing striving area, the existing striation is obtained so that the input speed exceeding the input threshold is obtained. ! /, N! /, Create a new striving area from the partial area, write to the strobing area! / ヽ, and provide information on the new striving area. 21. The disk array control method according to claim 20, wherein the disk array control method writes to the striping management metadata storage unit.

[23] In a program for controlling a disk array consisting of a plurality of disk devices,

On the computer,

The input / output management process for performing the input / output is executed by changing the number of the disk devices used for the striping according to the address of the storage area to which data is to be input / output, at least one of the plurality of disk devices. A disk array control program.

[24] The disk device has a different input / output speed depending on the address, In the input / output management process, the input / output speed at the address that is the target of data input / output is striped to the selected number of the disk devices so that the input / output speed exceeds a predetermined threshold value, and the input / output is performed. 24. The disk array control program according to claim 23.

[25] The disk device has a lower processing speed toward the inner peripheral side of the disk, and the addresses are assigned in the ascending order from the outer peripheral side to the inner peripheral side,

25. The disk array control program according to claim 24, wherein, in the input / output management process, the number is determined based on a magnitude relationship between an address to be input / output and a predetermined boundary value.

26. The input / output management process according to claim 24, wherein in the input / output management process, the input / output speed is acquired by referring to area management metadata stored in advance in association with the address and the input / output speed. The disk array control program described.

27. The disk array control program according to claim 26, wherein the area management metadata is stored in a storage device provided in a device that executes the input / output management process.

28. The disk array control program according to claim 26, wherein the area management metadata is stored in the disk device.

[29] Any one of [26] to [28], wherein the input / output speed is measured at a plurality of addresses of the disk device, and the computer is caused to execute time measurement processing for generating the area management metadata. The disk array control program according to any one of the above.

30. The input / output management process according to any one of claims 23 to 29, wherein the spindle of the disk device is stopped! The disk array control program described in 1.

[31] In a program that controls a disk array consisting of multiple disk units with different I / O speeds depending on the address,

On the computer,

The storage area of each disk device is logically divided into a plurality of parts based on the processing speed. Area management processing divided into areas and managed,

In order to obtain an input / output speed equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, one of the partial areas of one of the disk devices is selected and the partial area is selected, or each of the disk devices is selected from one of the disk devices. A disk array control program that executes an input / output management process that selects partial areas and performs a data input / output by striving to those partial areas.

[32] In the input / output management process,

Striping that associates the striping area specifying information for identifying the striping area in which one partial area is selected from the plurality of disk devices with the area specifying information for each partial area included in the striping area. 32. The disk array control program according to claim 31, wherein the storage area is selected with reference to management metadata so that the input / output speed equal to or higher than the threshold is obtained.

[33] In the input / output management process, when writing to the disk device, the threshold value is input,

In the case where the input / output speed exceeding the input threshold is not obtained in the existing striving area, the existing striation is obtained so that the input speed exceeding the input threshold is obtained. ! /, N! /, Create a new striving area from the partial area, write to the strobing area! / ヽ, and provide information on the new striving area. 32. The disk array control program according to claim 31, wherein the disk array control program is written in the striping management metadata storage unit.