TECHNOLOGIES FOR VARIABLE-EXTENT STORAGE OVER NETWORK FABRICS

Technologies for variable extent storage include multiple computing devices in communication over an optical fabric. A computing device receives a key-value storage request from an application that is indicative of a key. The computing device identifies one or more non-volatile storage blocks to store a value associated with the key and issues a non-volatile memory (NVM) input/output (I/O) command indicative of the NVM storage blocks to an NVM subsystem. The key-value storage request may include a read request or a store request, and the I/O command may include a read command or a write command. The I/O command may be issued to an NVM subsystem over the optical fabric. The computing device may be embodied as a storage sled of a data center, and the application may be executed by a compute sled of the data center. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

BACKGROUND

In a typical cloud-based computing environment (e.g., a data center), multiple compute nodes may execute workloads (e.g., processes, applications, services, etc.) on behalf of customers. During execution of workloads, the compute nodes may generate or access stable data that is to be stored long-term in durable storage. Durable storage may be provided using local storage devices of the compute nodes, or using durable storage provided by one or more remote compute nodes.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1illustrates a conceptual overview of a data center100that may generally be representative of a data center or other type of computing network in/for which one or more techniques described herein may be implemented according to various embodiments. As shown inFIG. 1, data center100may generally contain a plurality of racks, each of which may house computing equipment comprising a respective set of physical resources. In the particular non-limiting example depicted inFIG. 1, data center100contains four racks102A to102D, which house computing equipment comprising respective sets of physical resources105A to105D. According to this example, a collective set of physical resources106of data center100includes the various sets of physical resources105A to105D that are distributed among racks102A to102D. Physical resources106may include resources of multiple types, such as—for example—processors, co-processors, accelerators, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), memory, and storage. The embodiments are not limited to these examples.

The illustrative data center100differs from typical data centers in many ways. For example, in the illustrative embodiment, the circuit boards (“sleds”) on which components such as CPUs, memory, and other components are placed are designed for increased thermal performance In particular, in the illustrative embodiment, the sleds are shallower than typical boards. In other words, the sleds are shorter from the front to the back, where cooling fans are located. This decreases the length of the path that air must to travel across the components on the board. Further, the components on the sled are spaced further apart than in typical circuit boards, and the components are arranged to reduce or eliminate shadowing (i.e., one component in the air flow path of another component). In the illustrative embodiment, processing components such as the processors are located on a top side of a sled while near memory, such as dual inline memory modules (DIMMs), are located on a bottom side of the sled. As a result of the enhanced airflow provided by this design, the components may operate at higher frequencies and power levels than in typical systems, thereby increasing performance. Furthermore, the sleds are configured to blindly mate with power and data communication cables in each rack102A,102B,102C,102D, enhancing their ability to be quickly removed, upgraded, reinstalled, and/or replaced. Similarly, individual components located on the sleds, such as processors, accelerators, memory, and data storage drives, are configured to be easily upgraded due to their increased spacing from each other. In the illustrative embodiment, the components additionally include hardware attestation features to prove their authenticity.

Furthermore, in the illustrative embodiment, the data center100utilizes a single network architecture (“fabric”) that supports multiple other network architectures including Ethernet and Omni-Path. The sleds, in the illustrative embodiment, are coupled to switches via optical fibers, which provide higher bandwidth and lower latency than typical twisted pair cabling (e.g., Category 5, Category 5e, Category 6, etc.). Due to the high bandwidth, low latency interconnections and network architecture, the data center100may, in use, pool resources, such as memory, accelerators (e.g., graphics accelerators, FPGAs, application-specific integrated circuits, etc.), and data storage drives that are physically disaggregated, and provide them to compute resources (e.g., processors) on an as needed basis, enabling the compute resources to access the pooled resources as if they were local. The illustrative data center100additionally receives usage information for the various resources, predicts resource usage for different types of workloads based on past resource usage, and dynamically reallocates the resources based on this information.

The racks102A,102B,102C,102D of the data center100may include physical design features that facilitate the automation of a variety of types of maintenance tasks. For example, data center100may be implemented using racks that are designed to be robotically-accessed, and to accept and house robotically-manipulatable resource sleds. Furthermore, in the illustrative embodiment, the racks102A,102B,102C,102D include integrated power sources that receive a greater voltage than is typical for power sources. The increased voltage enables the power sources to provide additional power to the components on each sled, enabling the components to operate at higher than typical frequencies.

FIG. 2illustrates an exemplary logical configuration of a rack202of the data center100. As shown inFIG. 2, rack202may generally house a plurality of sleds, each of which may comprise a respective set of physical resources. In the particular non-limiting example depicted inFIG. 2, rack202houses sleds204-1to204-4comprising respective sets of physical resources205-1to205-4, each of which constitutes a portion of the collective set of physical resources206comprised in rack202. With respect toFIG. 1, if rack202is representative of—for example—rack102A, then physical resources206may correspond to the physical resources105A comprised in rack102A. In the context of this example, physical resources105A may thus be made up of the respective sets of physical resources, including physical storage resources205-1, physical accelerator resources205-2, physical memory resources205-3, and physical compute resources205-5comprised in the sleds204-1to204-4of rack202. The embodiments are not limited to this example. Each sled may contain a pool of each of the various types of physical resources (e.g., compute, memory, accelerator, storage). By having robotically accessible and robotically manipulatable sleds comprising disaggregated resources, each type of resource can be upgraded independently of each other and at their own optimized refresh rate.

FIG. 3illustrates an example of a data center300that may generally be representative of one in/for which one or more techniques described herein may be implemented according to various embodiments. In the particular non-limiting example depicted inFIG. 3, data center300comprises racks302-1to302-32. In various embodiments, the racks of data center300may be arranged in such fashion as to define and/or accommodate various access pathways. For example, as shown inFIG. 3, the racks of data center300may be arranged in such fashion as to define and/or accommodate access pathways311A,311B,311C, and311D. In some embodiments, the presence of such access pathways may generally enable automated maintenance equipment, such as robotic maintenance equipment, to physically access the computing equipment housed in the various racks of data center300and perform automated maintenance tasks (e.g., replace a failed sled, upgrade a sled). In various embodiments, the dimensions of access pathways311A,311B,311C, and311D, the dimensions of racks302-1to302-32, and/or one or more other aspects of the physical layout of data center300may be selected to facilitate such automated operations. The embodiments are not limited in this context.

FIG. 4illustrates an example of a data center400that may generally be representative of one in/for which one or more techniques described herein may be implemented according to various embodiments. As shown inFIG. 4, data center400may feature an optical fabric412. Optical fabric412may generally comprise a combination of optical signaling media (such as optical cabling) and optical switching infrastructure via which any particular sled in data center400can send signals to (and receive signals from) each of the other sleds in data center400. The signaling connectivity that optical fabric412provides to any given sled may include connectivity both to other sleds in a same rack and sleds in other racks. In the particular non-limiting example depicted inFIG. 4, data center400includes four racks402A to402D. Racks402A to402D house respective pairs of sleds404A-1and404A-2,404B-1and404B-2,404C-1and404C-2, and404D-1and404D-2. Thus, in this example, data center400comprises a total of eight sleds. Via optical fabric412, each such sled may possess signaling connectivity with each of the seven other sleds in data center400. For example, via optical fabric412, sled404A-1in rack402A may possess signaling connectivity with sled404A-2in rack402A, as well as the six other sleds404B-1,404B-2,404C-1,404C-2,404D-1, and404D-2that are distributed among the other racks402B,402C, and402D of data center400. The embodiments are not limited to this example.

FIG. 5illustrates an overview of a connectivity scheme500that may generally be representative of link-layer connectivity that may be established in some embodiments among the various sleds of a data center, such as any of example data centers100,300, and400ofFIGS. 1, 3, and 4. Connectivity scheme500may be implemented using an optical fabric that features a dual-mode optical switching infrastructure514. Dual-mode optical switching infrastructure514may generally comprise a switching infrastructure that is capable of receiving communications according to multiple link-layer protocols via a same unified set of optical signaling media, and properly switching such communications. In various embodiments, dual-mode optical switching infrastructure514may be implemented using one or more dual-mode optical switches515. In various embodiments, dual-mode optical switches515may generally comprise high-radix switches. In some embodiments, dual-mode optical switches515may comprise multi-ply switches, such as four-ply switches. In various embodiments, dual-mode optical switches515may feature integrated silicon photonics that enable them to switch communications with significantly reduced latency in comparison to conventional switching devices. In some embodiments, dual-mode optical switches515may constitute leaf switches530in a leaf-spine architecture additionally including one or more dual-mode optical spine switches520.

In various embodiments, dual-mode optical switches may be capable of receiving both Ethernet protocol communications carrying Internet Protocol (IP packets) and communications according to a second, high-performance computing (HPC) link-layer protocol (e.g., Intel's Omni-Path Architecture's, Infiniband) via optical signaling media of an optical fabric. As reflected inFIG. 5, with respect to any particular pair of sleds504A and504B possessing optical signaling connectivity to the optical fabric, connectivity scheme500may thus provide support for link-layer connectivity via both Ethernet links and HPC links. Thus, both Ethernet and HPC communications can be supported by a single high-bandwidth, low-latency switch fabric. The embodiments are not limited to this example.

FIG. 6illustrates a general overview of a rack architecture600that may be representative of an architecture of any particular one of the racks depicted inFIGS. 1 to 4according to some embodiments. As reflected inFIG. 6, rack architecture600may generally feature a plurality of sled spaces into which sleds may be inserted, each of which may be robotically-accessible via a rack access region601. In the particular non-limiting example depicted inFIG. 6, rack architecture600features five sled spaces603-1to603-5. Sled spaces603-1to603-5feature respective multi-purpose connector modules (MPCMs)616-1to616-5.

FIG. 7illustrates an example of a sled704that may be representative of a sled of such a type. As shown inFIG. 7, sled704may comprise a set of physical resources705, as well as an MPCM716designed to couple with a counterpart MPCM when sled704is inserted into a sled space such as any of sled spaces603-1to603-5ofFIG. 6. Sled704may also feature an expansion connector717. Expansion connector717may generally comprise a socket, slot, or other type of connection element that is capable of accepting one or more types of expansion modules, such as an expansion sled718. By coupling with a counterpart connector on expansion sled718, expansion connector717may provide physical resources705with access to supplemental computing resources705B residing on expansion sled718. The embodiments are not limited in this context.

FIG. 8illustrates an example of a rack architecture800that may be representative of a rack architecture that may be implemented in order to provide support for sleds featuring expansion capabilities, such as sled704ofFIG. 7. In the particular non-limiting example depicted inFIG. 8, rack architecture800includes seven sled spaces803-1to803-7, which feature respective MPCMs816-1to816-7. Sled spaces803-1to803-7include respective primary regions803-1A to803-7A and respective expansion regions803-1B to803-7B. With respect to each such sled space, when the corresponding MPCM is coupled with a counterpart MPCM of an inserted sled, the primary region may generally constitute a region of the sled space that physically accommodates the inserted sled. The expansion region may generally constitute a region of the sled space that can physically accommodate an expansion module, such as expansion sled718ofFIG. 7, in the event that the inserted sled is configured with such a module.

FIG. 9illustrates an example of a rack902that may be representative of a rack implemented according to rack architecture800ofFIG. 8according to some embodiments. In the particular non-limiting example depicted inFIG. 9, rack902features seven sled spaces903-1to903-7, which include respective primary regions903-1A to903-7A and respective expansion regions903-1B to903-7B. In various embodiments, temperature control in rack902may be implemented using an air cooling system. For example, as reflected inFIG. 9, rack902may feature a plurality of fans919that are generally arranged to provide air cooling within the various sled spaces903-1to903-7. In some embodiments, the height of the sled space is greater than the conventional “1U” server height. In such embodiments, fans919may generally comprise relatively slow, large diameter cooling fans as compared to fans used in conventional rack configurations. Running larger diameter cooling fans at lower speeds may increase fan lifetime relative to smaller diameter cooling fans running at higher speeds while still providing the same amount of cooling. The sleds are physically shallower than conventional rack dimensions. Further, components are arranged on each sled to reduce thermal shadowing (i.e., not arranged serially in the direction of air flow). As a result, the wider, shallower sleds allow for an increase in device performance because the devices can be operated at a higher thermal envelope (e.g., 250 W) due to improved cooling (i.e., no thermal shadowing, more space between devices, more room for larger heat sinks, etc.).

MPCMs916-1to916-7may be configured to provide inserted sleds with access to power sourced by respective power modules920-1to920-7, each of which may draw power from an external power source921. In various embodiments, external power source921may deliver alternating current (AC) power to rack902, and power modules920-1to920-7may be configured to convert such AC power to direct current (DC) power to be sourced to inserted sleds. In some embodiments, for example, power modules920-1to920-7may be configured to convert 277-volt AC power into 12-volt DC power for provision to inserted sleds via respective MPCMs916-1to916-7. The embodiments are not limited to this example.

MPCMs916-1to916-7may also be arranged to provide inserted sleds with optical signaling connectivity to a dual-mode optical switching infrastructure914, which may be the same as—or similar to—dual-mode optical switching infrastructure514ofFIG. 5. In various embodiments, optical connectors contained in MPCMs916-1to916-7may be designed to couple with counterpart optical connectors contained in MPCMs of inserted sleds to provide such sleds with optical signaling connectivity to dual-mode optical switching infrastructure914via respective lengths of optical cabling922-1to922-7. In some embodiments, each such length of optical cabling may extend from its corresponding MPCM to an optical interconnect loom923that is external to the sled spaces of rack902. In various embodiments, optical interconnect loom923may be arranged to pass through a support post or other type of load-bearing element of rack902. The embodiments are not limited in this context. Because inserted sleds connect to an optical switching infrastructure via MPCMs, the resources typically spent in manually configuring the rack cabling to accommodate a newly inserted sled can be saved.

FIG. 10illustrates an example of a sled1004that may be representative of a sled designed for use in conjunction with rack902ofFIG. 9according to some embodiments. Sled1004may feature an MPCM1016that comprises an optical connector1016A and a power connector1016B, and that is designed to couple with a counterpart MPCM of a sled space in conjunction with insertion of MPCM1016into that sled space. Coupling MPCM1016with such a counterpart MPCM may cause power connector1016to couple with a power connector comprised in the counterpart MPCM. This may generally enable physical resources1005of sled1004to source power from an external source, via power connector1016and power transmission media1024that conductively couples power connector1016to physical resources1005.

Sled1004may also include dual-mode optical network interface circuitry1026. Dual-mode optical network interface circuitry1026may generally comprise circuitry that is capable of communicating over optical signaling media according to each of multiple link-layer protocols supported by dual-mode optical switching infrastructure914ofFIG. 9. In some embodiments, dual-mode optical network interface circuitry1026may be capable both of Ethernet protocol communications and of communications according to a second, high-performance protocol. In various embodiments, dual-mode optical network interface circuitry1026may include one or more optical transceiver modules1027, each of which may be capable of transmitting and receiving optical signals over each of one or more optical channels. The embodiments are not limited in this context.

Coupling MPCM1016with a counterpart MPCM of a sled space in a given rack may cause optical connector1016A to couple with an optical connector comprised in the counterpart MPCM. This may generally establish optical connectivity between optical cabling of the sled and dual-mode optical network interface circuitry1026, via each of a set of optical channels1025. Dual-mode optical network interface circuitry1026may communicate with the physical resources1005of sled1004via electrical signaling media1028. In addition to the dimensions of the sleds and arrangement of components on the sleds to provide improved cooling and enable operation at a relatively higher thermal envelope (e.g., 250 W), as described above with reference toFIG. 9, in some embodiments, a sled may include one or more additional features to facilitate air cooling, such as a heat pipe and/or heat sinks arranged to dissipate heat generated by physical resources1005. It is worthy of note that although the example sled1004depicted inFIG. 10does not feature an expansion connector, any given sled that features the design elements of sled1004may also feature an expansion connector according to some embodiments. The embodiments are not limited in this context.

FIG. 11illustrates an example of a data center1100that may generally be representative of one in/for which one or more techniques described herein may be implemented according to various embodiments. As reflected inFIG. 11, a physical infrastructure management framework1150A may be implemented to facilitate management of a physical infrastructure1100A of data center1100. In various embodiments, one function of physical infrastructure management framework1150A may be to manage automated maintenance functions within data center1100, such as the use of robotic maintenance equipment to service computing equipment within physical infrastructure1100A. In some embodiments, physical infrastructure1100A may feature an advanced telemetry system that performs telemetry reporting that is sufficiently robust to support remote automated management of physical infrastructure1100A. In various embodiments, telemetry information provided by such an advanced telemetry system may support features such as failure prediction/prevention capabilities and capacity planning capabilities. In some embodiments, physical infrastructure management framework1150A may also be configured to manage authentication of physical infrastructure components using hardware attestation techniques. For example, robots may verify the authenticity of components before installation by analyzing information collected from a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag associated with each component to be installed. The embodiments are not limited in this context.

As shown inFIG. 11, the physical infrastructure1100A of data center1100may comprise an optical fabric1112, which may include a dual-mode optical switching infrastructure1114. Optical fabric1112and dual-mode optical switching infrastructure1114may be the same as—or similar to—optical fabric412ofFIG. 4and dual-mode optical switching infrastructure514ofFIG. 5, respectively, and may provide high-bandwidth, low-latency, multi-protocol connectivity among sleds of data center1100. As discussed above, with reference toFIG. 1, in various embodiments, the availability of such connectivity may make it feasible to disaggregate and dynamically pool resources such as accelerators, memory, and storage. In some embodiments, for example, one or more pooled accelerator sleds1130may be included among the physical infrastructure1100A of data center1100, each of which may comprise a pool of accelerator resources—such as co-processors and/or FPGAs, for example—that is globally accessible to other sleds via optical fabric1112and dual-mode optical switching infrastructure1114.

In another example, in various embodiments, one or more pooled storage sleds1132may be included among the physical infrastructure1100A of data center1100, each of which may comprise a pool of storage resources that is available globally accessible to other sleds via optical fabric1112and dual-mode optical switching infrastructure1114. In some embodiments, such pooled storage sleds1132may comprise pools of solid-state storage devices such as solid-state drives (SSDs). In various embodiments, one or more high-performance processing sleds1134may be included among the physical infrastructure1100A of data center1100. In some embodiments, high-performance processing sleds1134may comprise pools of high-performance processors, as well as cooling features that enhance air cooling to yield a higher thermal envelope of up to 250 W or more. In various embodiments, any given high-performance processing sled1134may feature an expansion connector1117that can accept a far memory expansion sled, such that the far memory that is locally available to that high-performance processing sled1134is disaggregated from the processors and near memory comprised on that sled. In some embodiments, such a high-performance processing sled1134may be configured with far memory using an expansion sled that comprises low-latency SSD storage. The optical infrastructure allows for compute resources on one sled to utilize remote accelerator/FPGA, memory, and/or SSD resources that are disaggregated on a sled located on the same rack or any other rack in the data center. The remote resources can be located one switch jump away or two-switch jumps away in the spine-leaf network architecture described above with reference toFIG. 5. The embodiments are not limited in this context.

In various embodiments, one or more layers of abstraction may be applied to the physical resources of physical infrastructure1100A in order to define a virtual infrastructure, such as a software-defined infrastructure1100B. In some embodiments, virtual computing resources1136of software-defined infrastructure1100B may be allocated to support the provision of cloud services1140. In various embodiments, particular sets of virtual computing resources1136may be grouped for provision to cloud services1140in the form of SDI services1138. Examples of cloud services1140may include—without limitation—software as a service (SaaS) services1142, platform as a service (PaaS) services1144, and infrastructure as a service (IaaS) services1146.

In some embodiments, management of software-defined infrastructure1100B may be conducted using a virtual infrastructure management framework1150B. In various embodiments, virtual infrastructure management framework1150B may be designed to implement workload fingerprinting techniques and/or machine-learning techniques in conjunction with managing allocation of virtual computing resources1136and/or SDI services1138to cloud services1140. In some embodiments, virtual infrastructure management framework1150B may use/consult telemetry data in conjunction with performing such resource allocation. In various embodiments, an application/service management framework1150C may be implemented in order to provide quality of service (QoS) management capabilities for cloud services1140. The embodiments are not limited in this context.

Referring now toFIG. 12, in an illustrative embodiment, a system1200for variable-extent storage includes a storage sled204-1in communication with multiple other sleds204(e.g., one or more compute sleds204-4and memory sleds204-3as shown) over an optical fabric1202. The system1200may be implemented in accordance with the data centers100,300,400,1100described above with reference toFIGS. 1, 3, 4, and 11. In use, as described further below, the storage sled204-1may receive key-value storage requests from applications executed by other entities of the system1200(e.g., by one or more compute sleds204-4). The key-value storage requests include requests to store a particular value associated with a key and requests to read the value associated with a key. In response to receiving a key-value storage request, the storage sled204-1identifies one or more storage blocks for the value (e.g., newly allocated blocks or existing blocks) and then issues a non-volatile memory (NVM) I/O command to an NVM subsystem to perform the requested operation. The storage blocks may be stored at one or more SSDs1228of the storage sled204-1or may be stored at SSDs1228of other storage sleds204-1also connected to the optical fabric1202. The system1200may also create and store a protection code or other protection data (e.g., an erasure code, RAID, LRC) to help ensure data integrity. Thus, the system1200may provide applications with a simple, variable-extent interface to manage stable data stored by the system1200. Additionally, by storing the data in storage blocks spread among multiple SSDs1228, the system1200may allow data transfers to fully utilize the large amounts of bandwidth available over the optical fabric1202. Also, by performing the variable-extent storage operations using processor resources of the storage sleds204-1, the system1200may reduce usage of processor resources of the compute sleds204-4or other compute nodes. Reducing compute node processor usage may make more compute capacity available to customers of the data center, improve power efficiency, or otherwise improve data center operations.

As shown inFIG. 12, the storage sled204-1illustratively includes a processor1220, an input/output subsystem1222, a memory1224, a communication subsystem1226, and multiple solid state drives (SSDs)1228. Of course, the storage sled204-1may include other or additional components, such as those commonly found in rack-mounted server (e.g., various input/output devices), in other embodiments. Additionally, in some embodiments, one or more of the illustrative components may be incorporated in, or otherwise form a portion of, another component. For example, the memory1224, or portions thereof, may be incorporated in the processor1220in some embodiments.

The processor1220may be embodied as any type of processor capable of performing the functions described herein. The processor1220may be embodied as a single or multi-core processor(s), digital signal processor, microcontroller, or other processor or processing/controlling circuit. Similarly, the memory1224may be embodied as any type of volatile or non-volatile memory or data storage capable of performing the functions described herein. In operation, the memory1224may store various data and software used during operation of the storage sled204-1such as operating systems, applications, programs, libraries, and drivers. The memory1224is communicatively coupled to the processor1220via the I/O subsystem1222, which may be embodied as circuitry and/or components to facilitate input/output operations with the processor1220, the memory1224, and other components of the storage sled204-1. For example, the I/O subsystem1222may be embodied as, or otherwise include, memory controller hubs, input/output control hubs, platform controller hubs, integrated control circuitry, firmware devices, communication links (i.e., point-to-point links, bus links, wires, cables, light guides, printed circuit board traces, etc.) and/or other components and subsystems to facilitate the input/output operations. In some embodiments, the I/O subsystem1222may form a portion of a system-on-a-chip (SoC) and be incorporated, along with the processor1220, the memory1224, and other components of the storage sled204-1, on a single integrated circuit chip.

The communication subsystem1228may be configured to use any one or more communication technology (e.g., wired or wireless communications) and associated protocols (e.g., Ethernet, Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi®, WiMAX, etc.) to effect such communication. In particular, the communication subsystem1228may include one or more optical transceiver modules, silicon photonics devices, or other components used to communicate with other devices over the optical fabric1202.

Each of the SSDs1228may be embodied as any type of solid-state, non-volatile storage device or devices configured for short-term or long-term storage of data such as, for example, memory devices and circuits, memory cards, solid-state drives, or other data storage devices. As shown, the illustrative storage sled204-1includes eight SSDs1228-1to1228-8. In other embodiments, each storage sled204-1may include a different number of SSDs1228, and in some embodiments the SSDs1228may be hot-pluggable, replaceable, or otherwise configurable.

As shown, each storage sled204-1may also include one or more peripheral devices1230. The peripheral devices1230may include any number of additional input/output devices, interface devices, sensors, and/or other peripheral devices. For example, in some embodiments, the peripheral devices1230may include a display, touch screen, graphics circuitry, keyboard, mouse, speaker system, microphone, network interface, and/or other input/output devices, interface devices, and/or peripheral devices.

Referring now toFIG. 13, a top perspective view of an illustrative storage sled204-1is shown. As illustrated, the storage sled204-1includes a top side1302. The storage sled204-1includes two processors1220and a communications subsystem1226positioned on the top side1302. The storage sled204-1further includes a storage cage1304positioned at one end of the storage sled204-1that includes the physical storage resources205-1. The illustrative storage sled204-1includes sixteen SSDs1228mounted to slots in the storage cage1304. As shown, the storage cage1304extends above and below the top side1302of the storage sled204-1.

Referring now toFIG. 14, a bottom perspective view of the illustrative storage sled204-1is shown. As illustrated, the storage sled204-1also includes a bottom side1402. The storage sled204-1includes memory1224positioned within slots on the bottom side1402. In some examples, the memory1224may include multiple DIMMs. For these examples, each DIMM may include volatile and/or non-volatile types of memory.FIG. 14also illustrates the storage cage1304positioned at the end of the storage sled204-1that includes the SSDs1228. As shown, the storage cage1304extends above and below the bottom side1402of the storage sled204-1.

Referring now toFIG. 15, in an illustrative embodiment, the storage sled204-1establishes an environment1500during operation. The illustrative environment1500includes a variable extent storage layer1502, a data durability layer1504, and a block storage layer1506. The various components of the environment1500may be embodied as hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. As such, in some embodiments, one or more of the components of the environment1500may be embodied as circuitry or collection of electrical devices (e.g., variable extent storage circuitry1502, data durability circuitry1504, and/or block storage circuitry1506). It should be appreciated that, in such embodiments, one or more of the variable extent storage circuitry1502, the data durability circuitry1504, and/or the block storage circuitry1506may form a portion of the processor1220, the I/O subsystem122, the SSDs1228, and/or other components of the storage sled204-1. Additionally, in some embodiments, one or more of the illustrative components may form a portion of another component and/or one or more of the illustrative components may be independent of one another.

The variable extent storage layer1502is configured to receive a key-value storage request from an application, data services layer, or other higher-level client. The key-value storage request is indicative of a key. The variable extent storage layer1502is further configured to identify one or more non-volatile storage data blocks to store a value associated with the key. The key-value storage request may be embodied as a store request that is further indicative of the value associated with the key or as a read request. The variable extent storage layer1502may be further configured to send the value associated with the key to the application in response to a read request.

The data durability layer1504may be configured to add a protection code to the value in response to receiving a store request. The data durability layer1504may be configured to verify a protection code associated with the value in response to a read request.

The block storage layer1506is configured to issue a non-volatile memory (NVM) I/O command to an NVM subsystem. The I/O command is indicative of the one or more non-volatile storage data blocks for the value associated with the key. The block storage layer1506may be configured to issue the NVM I/O command to an NVM subsystem of the storage sled204-1or to issue the NVM I/O command to an NVM over fabric subsystem via an optical fabric1202interface of the storage sled204-1. The block storage layer1506may be further configured to access the one or more non-volatile storage data blocks in response to issuing the NVM I/O command. The block storage layer1506is further configured to receive a response from the NVM subsystem in response to the NVM I/O command being performed by the NVM subsystem. In some embodiments, those functions may be performed by one or more sub-components, such as a local NVM subsystem layer1508and/or an NVM over fabric layer1510.

Referring now toFIG. 16, in use, the storage sled204-1may execute a method1600for storing variable-extent data. It should be appreciated that, in some embodiments, the method1600may be embodied as various instructions stored on a computer-readable media, which may be executed by the processor1220, the I/O subsystem1222, and/or other components of the storage sled204-1to cause the storage sled204-1to perform the method1600. The computer-readable media may be embodied as any type of media capable of being read by the storage sled204-1including, but not limited to, the memory1224, an SSD1228, firmware devices, and/or other media. Additionally or alternatively, it should be appreciated that, in some embodiments, the operations of the method1600may be performed by one or more components of the environment1500of the storage sled204-1as shown inFIG. 15.

The method1600begins in block1602, in which the storage sled204-1receives a store request from an application. The store request identifies a key and an associated value to store for the key. The key may be embodied as an identifier, a string, a filename, or any other data that may be used to uniquely identify the associated value. Similarly, the value may be embodied as any string, stream, binary blob, or other data that is to be stored. The value may have variable extent—that is, the value may have a variable length and is not required to include any particular length, block size, page size, or other amount of data. As described above, the storage sled204-1receives the store request from an application. The application may be embodied as any application, thread, virtual machine, or other workload executed by the system1200. In particular, the application may be embodied as a workload executed by a compute sled204-4, an accelerator sled204-2, and/or other sled204of the system1200. In some embodiments, the application may include cloud-based client applications (e.g., web applications, database applications, etc.), middleware, libraries, system services, data services, or other higher-level clients (e.g., active data services, file interfaces, block interfaces, or other storage interfaces).

In block1604, the storage sled204-1identifies one or more storage blocks to store the value associated with the supplied key. Each of the storage blocks may be embodied as any fixed-sized storage unit of an SSD1228. For example, each storage block may be a logical block that is identified by a logical block address (LBA) of an SSD1228. The storage sled204-1may use any appropriate algorithm to allocate or otherwise manage storage blocks for each key. In particular, the storage sled204-1may allocate new storage blocks to store the value, identify existing storage blocks associated with the value to be overwritten, or otherwise identify the storage blocks. The storage blocks may be striped or otherwise spread across multiple SSDs1228of the storage sled204-1. In some embodiments, as described further below, the storage blocks may be stored by one or more SSDs1228included in a different storage sled204-1that is accessible via the optical fabric1202.

In block1606, in some embodiments, the storage sled204-1may add a protection code to the value. The protection code may be embodied as any checksum, hash, error correcting code, or other code that may be used to verify the integrity of the value and/or correct bit errors that may occur in the value. The protection code may be appended to the end of the value or stored in a separate location. Additionally, in some embodiments the protection code may be added by a different entity of the system1200. For example, the protection code may be added by a non-volatile memory (NVM) subsystem, as described below, or the protection code may be added by the application. If added by the application, the protection code may be included in the value and thus transparent to the storage sled204-1.

In block1608, the storage sled204-1issues one or more write commands to an NVM subsystem to store the value in the identified NVM storage blocks. Issuing the write command may cause the NVM subsystem to perform one or more direct memory access operations, remote direct memory access operations, fabric data transfers, or other operations to read the value from the application (e.g., from the memory of a compute sled204-4and/or memory sled204-3). In some embodiments, in block1610the storage sled204-1may issue the write command(s) to a local NVM subsystem of the storage sled204-1, such as an NVM Express (NVMe) subsystem. The local NVM subsystem may receive the write commands over a local interconnect provided by the I/O subsystem1222such as PCI Express and perform the write operation as described below. In some embodiments, in block1612the storage sled204-1may issue the write command(s) to an NVM-over-fabric subsystem such as an NVM Express over Fabrics (NVMf) subsystem. The storage sled204-1may issue the write commands to an NVMf subsystem established by the storage sled204-1and/or to an NVMf subsystem established by a different storage sled204-1via the optical fabric1202. In some embodiments, in block1614, the NVM subsystem may add a protection code to the value, as described above.

In some embodiments, in block1616, the storage sled204-1may store the value in one or more storage blocks contained by local storage devices of the storage sled204-1(e.g., the SSDs1228). As described above, a local NVM subsystem (such as an NVMe subsystem and/or an NVMf subsystem) of the storage sled204-1may write the value into one or more storage blocks of the SSDs1228in response to receiving the write command(s).

In block1618, the storage sled204-1receives a response from the NVM subsystem. For example, the storage sled204-1may receive a completion from an NVMe subsystem and/or a response capsule from an NVMf subsystem. The response may indicate whether the write command completed successfully. The storage sled204-1may also provide a response to the application to indicate that the store request was completed successfully or that an error occurred. After performing the store request, the method1600loops back to block1602to process additional store requests.

Referring now toFIG. 17, in use, the storage sled204-1may execute a method1700for reading variable-extent data. It should be appreciated that, in some embodiments, the method1700may be embodied as various instructions stored on a computer-readable media, which may be executed by the processor1220, the I/O subsystem1222, and/or other components of the storage sled204-1to cause the storage sled204-1to perform the method1700. The computer-readable media may be embodied as any type of media capable of being read by the storage sled204-1including, but not limited to, the memory1224, an SSD1228, firmware devices, and/or other media. Additionally or alternatively, it should be appreciated that, in some embodiments, the operations of the method1700may be performed by one or more components of the environment1500of the storage sled204-1as shown inFIG. 15.

The method1700begins in block1702, in which the storage sled204-1receives a read request from an application. The read request identifies a key, which, as described above, may be embodied as an identifier, a string, a filename, or any other data that may be used to uniquely identify an associated value. As described above, the storage sled204-1receives the read request from an application, which may be embodied as any application, thread, virtual machine, or other workload executed by the system1200. In particular, the application may be embodied as a workload executed by a compute sled204-4, an accelerator sled204-2, and/or other sled204of the system1200. As described above, the application may include cloud-based client applications (e.g., web applications, database applications, etc.), middleware, libraries, and/or system services (e.g., active data services, filesystems, or other storage interfaces).

In block1704, the storage sled204-1identifies one or more storage blocks to store the value associated with the supplied key. Each of the storage blocks may be embodied as any fixed-sized storage unit of an SSD1228. For example, each storage block may be a logical block that is identified by a logical block address (LBA) of an SSD1228. The storage sled204-1may use any appropriate algorithm to locate or otherwise manage storage blocks for each key. In particular, the storage sled204-1may identify existing storage blocks associated with the key that store the value to be read, identify that no such value exists, or perform other retrieval operations. As described above, the storage blocks may be striped or otherwise spread across multiple SSDs1228of the storage sled204-1. In some embodiments, as described further below, the storage blocks may be stored by one or more SSDs1228included in a different storage sled204-1that is accessible via the optical fabric1202.

In block1706, the storage sled204-1issues one or more read commands to an NVM subsystem to read the value in the identified NVM storage blocks. In some embodiments, in block1708the storage sled204-1may issue the read command(s) to a local NVM subsystem of the storage sled204-1, such as an NVM Express (NVMe) subsystem. The local NVM subsystem may receive the read commands over a local interconnect provided by the I/O subsystem1222such as PCI Express and perform the read operation as described below. In some embodiments, in block1710the storage sled204-1may issue the read command(s) to an NVM-over-fabric subsystem such as an NVM Express over Fabrics (NVMf) subsystem. The storage sled204-1may issue the read commands to an NVMf subsystem established by the storage sled204-1and/or to an NVMf subsystem established by a different storage sled204-1via the optical fabric1202. In some embodiments, in block1712, the NVM subsystem may verify a protection code associated with the value. The protection code may be embodied as any checksum, hash, error correcting code, or other code that may be used to verify the integrity of the value and/or correct bit errors that may occur in the value. As described above, the protection code may have earlier been added by the NVM subsystem, the storage sled204-1, the application, or other entity of the system1200.

In some embodiments, in block1714, the storage sled204-1may read the value stored in one or more storage blocks contained by local storage devices of the storage sled204-1(e.g., the SSDs1228). As described above, a local NVM subsystem (such as an NVMe subsystem and/or an NVMf subsystem) of the storage sled204-1may read the value from one or more storage blocks of the SSDs1228in response to receiving the read command(s).

In block1716, the storage sled204-1receives a response from the NVM subsystem. For example, the storage sled204-1may receive a completion from an NVMe subsystem and/or a response capsule from an NVMf subsystem. The response may indicate whether the read command completed successfully, and may include the value that was read and/or a reference to the value. The storage-sled204-1may receive the value associated with the key via one or more direct memory access operations, remote direct memory access operations, fabric data transfers, or other operations. In some embodiments, in block1718, the storage sled204-1may verify a protection code associated with the value.

In block1720, the storage sled204-1sends the value read from the storage blocks to the application. For example, the storage sled204-1may send the value data over the optical interconnect1202using any remote direct memory access operations, fabric data transfers, or other data transfer operations. In some embodiments, the storage sled204-1may also send status information that indicates whether the read was performed successfully and/or other status information to the application. After performing the read request, the method1700loops back to block1702to process additional read requests.

EXAMPLES

Example 1 includes a computing device for data storage, the computing device comprising: a variable extent storage layer to (i) receive a key-value storage request from an application, wherein the key-value storage request is indicative of a key and (ii) identify one or more non-volatile storage data blocks to store a value associated with the key; and a block storage layer to (i) issue a non-volatile memory input/output (I/O) command to a non-volatile memory subsystem, wherein the I/O command is indicative of the one or more non-volatile storage data blocks, and (ii) receive a response from the non-volatile memory subsystem in response to performance of the non-volatile memory I/O command by the non-volatile memory subsystem.

Example 2 includes the subject matter of Example 1, and wherein to issue the non-volatile memory I/O command comprises to issue the non-volatile memory I/O command to a non-volatile memory subsystem of the computing device.

Example 3 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1 and 2, and wherein to issue the non-volatile memory I/O command comprises to issue the non-volatile memory I/O command to a non-volatile memory over fabric subsystem via an optical fabric interface of the computing device.

Example 4 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-3, and wherein the block storage subsystem is further to access the one or more non-volatile storage data blocks in response to issuance of the non-volatile memory I/O command.

Example 5 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-4, and wherein to access the one or more non-volatile storage data blocks comprises to access one or more solid-state storage devices of the computing device that include the non-volatile storage data blocks.

Example 6 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-5, and wherein: the key-value storage request comprises a store request that is further indicative of the value associated with the key; and the non-volatile memory I/O command comprises a non-volatile memory write command that is further indicative of the value.

Example 7 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-6, and further comprising a data durability layer to add a protection code to the value in response to receipt of the store request.

Example 8 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-7, and wherein: the key-value storage request comprises a read request; the non-volatile memory I/O command comprises a non-volatile memory read command; and the response is indicative of the value associated with the key.

Example 9 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-8, and wherein the variable extent storage layer is further to send the value associated with the key to the application in response to receipt of the response from the non-volatile memory subsystem.

Example 10 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-9, and further comprising a data durability layer to verify a protection code associated with the value in response to receipt of the response from the non-volatile memory subsystem.

Example 11 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-10, and wherein: the computing device comprises a storage sled of a data center, wherein the storage sled comprises a processor and a plurality of solid-state storage devices; and the application comprises a workload executed by a compute sled of the data center.

Example 12 includes a method for data storage, the method comprising: receiving, by a computing device, a key-value storage request from an application, wherein the key-value storage request is indicative of a key; identifying, by the computing device, one or more non-volatile storage data blocks to store a value associated with the key; issuing, by the computing device, a non-volatile memory input/output (I/O) command to a non-volatile memory subsystem, wherein the I/O command is indicative of the one or more non-volatile storage data blocks; and receiving, by the computing device, a response from the non-volatile memory subsystem in response to performance of the non-volatile memory I/O command by the non-volatile memory subsystem.

Example 13 includes the subject matter of claim12, and wherein issuing the non-volatile memory I/O command comprises issuing the non-volatile memory I/O command to a non-volatile memory subsystem of the computing device.

Example 14 includes the subject matter of any of claims12and13, and wherein issuing the non-volatile memory I/O command comprises issuing the non-volatile memory I/O command to a non-volatile memory over fabric subsystem via an optical fabric interface of the computing device.

Example 15 includes the subject matter of any of claims12-14, and further comprising accessing, by the computing device, the one or more non-volatile storage data blocks in response to issuing the non-volatile memory I/O command.

Example 16 includes the subject matter of any of claims12-15, and wherein accessing the one or more non-volatile storage data blocks comprises accessing one or more solid-state storage devices of the computing device that include the non-volatile storage data blocks.

Example 17 includes the subject matter of any of claims12-16, and wherein: receiving the key-value storage request comprises receiving a store request, wherein the store request is further indicative of the value associated with the key; and issuing the non-volatile memory I/O command comprises issuing a non-volatile memory write command to the non-volatile memory subsystem, wherein the non-volatile memory write command is further indicative of the value.

Example 18 includes the subject matter of any of claims12-17, and further comprising adding, by the computing device, a protection code to the value in response to receiving the store request.

Example 19 includes the subject matter of any of claims12-18, and wherein: receiving the key-value storage request comprises receiving a read request; issuing the non-volatile memory I/O command comprises issuing a non-volatile memory read command to the non-volatile memory subsystem; and receiving the response from the non-volatile memory subsystem further comprises receiving a response that is indicative of the value associated with the key.

Example 20 includes the subject matter of any of claims12-19, and further comprising sending, by the computing device, the value associated with the key to the application in response to receiving the response from the non-volatile memory subsystem.

Example 21 includes the subject matter of any of claims12-20, and further comprising verifying, by the computing device, a protection code associated with the value in response to receiving the response from the non-volatile memory subsystem.

Example 22 includes the subject matter of any of claims12-21, and wherein: the computing device comprises a storage sled of a data center, wherein the storage sled comprises a processor and a plurality of solid-state storage devices; and the application comprises a workload executed by a compute sled of the data center.

Example 24 includes one or more machine readable storage media comprising a plurality of instructions stored thereon that in response to being executed result in a computing device performing the method of any of Examples 12-22.

Example 25 includes a computing device comprising means for performing the method of any of Examples 12-22.

Example 26 includes a computing device for data storage, the computing device comprising: means for receiving a key-value storage request from an application, wherein the key-value storage request is indicative of a key; means for identifying one or more non-volatile storage data blocks to store a value associated with the key; means for issuing a non-volatile memory input/output (I/O) command to a non-volatile memory subsystem, wherein the I/O command is indicative of the one or more non-volatile storage data blocks; and means for receiving a response from the non-volatile memory subsystem in response to performance of the non-volatile memory I/O command by the non-volatile memory subsystem.

Example 27 includes the subject matter of claims26, and wherein the means for issuing the non-volatile memory I/O command comprises means for issuing the non-volatile memory I/O command to a non-volatile memory subsystem of the computing device.

Example 28 includes the subject matter of any of claims26and27, and wherein the means for issuing the non-volatile memory I/O command comprises means for issuing the non-volatile memory I/O command to a non-volatile memory over fabric subsystem via an optical fabric interface of the computing device.

Example 29 includes the subject matter of any of claims26-28, and further comprising means for accessing the one or more non-volatile storage data blocks in response to issuing the non-volatile memory I/O command.

Example 30 includes the subject matter of any of claims26-29, and wherein the means for accessing the one or more non-volatile storage data blocks comprises means for accessing one or more solid-state storage devices of the computing device that include the non-volatile storage data blocks.

Example 31 includes the subject matter of any of claims26-30, and wherein: the means for receiving the key-value storage request comprises means for receiving a store request, wherein the store request is further indicative of the value associated with the key; and the means for issuing the non-volatile memory I/O command comprises means for issuing a non-volatile memory write command to the non-volatile memory subsystem, wherein the non-volatile memory write command is further indicative of the value.

Example 32 includes the subject matter of any of claims26-31, and further comprising means for adding a protection code to the value in response to receiving the store request.

Example 33 includes the subject matter of any of claims26-32, and wherein: the means for receiving the key-value storage request comprises means for receiving a read request; the means for issuing the non-volatile memory I/O command comprises means for issuing a non-volatile memory read command to the non-volatile memory subsystem; and the means for receiving the response from the non-volatile memory subsystem further comprises means for receiving a response that is indicative of the value associated with the key.

Example 34 includes the subject matter of any of claims26-33, and further comprising means for sending the value associated with the key to the application in response to receiving the response from the non-volatile memory subsystem.

Example 35 includes the subject matter of any of claims26-34, and further comprising means for verifying a protection code associated with the value in response to receiving the response from the non-volatile memory subsystem.

Example 36 includes the subject matter of any of claims26-35, and wherein: the computing device comprises a storage sled of a data center, wherein the storage sled comprises a processor and a plurality of solid-state storage devices; and the application comprises a workload executed by a compute sled of the data center.