Patent Description:
Currently, an all flash array (All Flash Array, AFA) usually includes a storage controller (Storage Controller) and a solid state drive (solid state drive, SSD) just bunch of flash SSD (Just Bunch of Flash SSD, JBOF). The storage controller is configured to execute a data processing request sent by a host (Host). The data processing request may include an IO request, an erasure code (Erasure Code, EC) request, a garbage collection (Garbage Collecting, GC) request, and the like. The storage controller may process to-be-processed data based on the data processing request, and save processed data into the JBOF; or send data read from the JBOF to the host as processed data.

input/output operations per second (Input/Output Operations Per Second, IOPS) of an SSD in the JBOF are relatively large, and IOPS and read/write performance per gigabyte (GB) of the JBOF are several times IOPS and read/write performance of a conventional hard disk drive (Hard Disk Drive, HDD).

However, as a demand for a client capacity grows unceasingly, a quantity of data processing requests that need to be simultaneously executed by the storage controller is increasing, but a processor in the storage controller has a limited computing capability, thereby limiting a quantity of data processing requests that can be simultaneously executed by the storage controller, reducing a speed of executing the data processing request by the storage controller, and increasing a delay of executing the data request by the storage controller.

Document <CIT> discloses erase coding in a distributed flash storage system.

Embodiments of the present invention are defined by the independent claims. Additional features of embodiments of the invention are presented in the dependent claims. In the following, parts of the description and drawings referring to former embodiments which do not necessarily comprise all features to implement embodiments of the claimed invention are not represented as embodiments of the invention but as examples useful for understanding the embodiments of the invention.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram of a storage system based on an all-flash array. As shown in the figure, the storage system includes at least one host <NUM>, at least one storage controller <NUM>, a switch <NUM>, and at least one JBOF <NUM>. Each of the at least one host may be connected to the at least one storage controller, and the at least one storage controller may communicate with any one of the at least one JBOF by using the switch. For example, the storage controller may access storage space of the JBOF, or process data in the storage space of the JBOF.

The host (Host) may apply for any one of the at least one JBOF as a target end (Target). In other words, the host may access the target end by sending a data processing request, to read data from the target end, or write data into storage space of the target end.

Specifically, the data processing request may be an administration command (Admin Command) or an IO request. The host may control the target end by using the administration command, and may further access the storage space of the target end by using the IO request.

For example, the target end may be a non-volatile memory express (Non-Volatile Memory express, NVMe) SSD. The host may control the NVMe SSD by using an NVMe command (NVMe Command), or may access the NVMe SSD by using an IO request encapsulated into an NVMe command.

The storage controller (Storage Controller, SC), also referred to as a storage processing controller (Storage Processor Controller, SPC), is configured to: receive a data processing request sent by the host, and process data in the storage space of the target end based on the data processing request, or read data from the storage space of the target end, or write data in the data processing request into the target end. The storage controller includes at least one CPU (for example, a high-performance CPU with an X86 architecture) and at least one buffer. The CPU is configured to compute the data processing request, and the buffer may be configured to buffer data carried in the data processing request (for example, a write request).

It should be noted that the buffer may be a power backup memory buffer (Power Backup Memory Buffer, PBMB) or a non-volatile memory (Non-volatile Memory, NVM). The PBMB is configured to buffer data.

The switch (Switch) is configured to forward the data processing request in the storage controller to the JBOF, or is configured to aggregate the data carried in the data processing request and forward the data to the JBOF.

It should be understood that in different types of network architectures, the switch may be different types of switches that have a forwarding and sharing capability, for example, may be an Ethernet switch, an InfiniBand (InfiniBand, IB) switch, or a peripheral component interconnect express (Peripheral Component Interconnect express, PCIe) switch. A specific type of the switch is not limited in this embodiment of this application.

The JBOF is a storage device with a plurality of SSDs installed on a baseplate. Logically, a plurality of physical SSDs are connected in series to provide relatively large storage space for data storage.

Based on the storage system described above, a process of processing an IO request when the data processing request is an IO request is described below with reference to <FIG>.

<FIG> is a schematic flowchart of a method for writing data into a JBOF by an AFA-based storage system. The method shown in <FIG> includes the following steps.

A host sends a write request to a storage controller.

Specifically, an implementation of step <NUM> may be that the host saves, into a submission queue of the storage controller in a remote direct memory access (Remote Direct Memory Access, RDMA) manner, the write request encapsulated into an NVMe command, so that the storage controller can extract the write request from the submission queue.

The storage controller decapsulates the write request, and buffers the write request in a local PBMB.

The storage controller returns an acknowledgement (Acknowledgement, ACK) to the host to indicate completion of an operation of the write request.

Specifically, the storage controller may encapsulate the ACK into an NVMe command, and save the encapsulated command into a completion queue of the storage controller, so that the host obtains the ACK from the completion queue to determine that the operation of the write request succeeds.

It should be noted that, for the host, after the storage controller returns the ACK for a service request, the host may consider that an operation procedure of the write request ends. Subsequent operations, for example, the storage controller processes data in the write request and saves the processed data into storage space of the JBOF, are invisible to the host, in other words, the host does not care about a subsequent operation performed by the storage controller after returning the ACK.

The storage controller writes the data in the write request into the JBOF by using a switch.

<FIG> is a schematic flowchart of a method for reading data from a JBOF by an AFA-based storage system. The method shown in <FIG> includes the following steps.

A host sends a read request to a storage controller.

Specifically, the host saves, into a submission queue of the host, the read request encapsulated into an NVMe command, and saves the read request into a submission queue of the storage controller in an RDMA manner, so that the storage controller extracts the read request from the submission queue of the storage controller.

The storage controller decapsulates the read request.

Specifically, the storage controller decapsulates the read request extracted from the submission queue, to generate a read request that can be directly processed by an SSD in the JBOF.

The storage controller sends a decapsulated read request to the JBOF by using a switch, and reads to-be-read data from the JBOF.

The storage controller returns the to-be-read data to the host.

In the prior art, computing processes required by the foregoing write process and the foregoing read process, and computing required by another data processing process need to occupy computing resources of a CPU in the storage controller. However, as a demand for a client capacity grows unceasingly, a quantity of data processing requests that need to be simultaneously executed in the storage controller is increasing, and even if the SSD in the JBOF has high IOPS performance and can meet a current demand for the client capacity, a processor in the storage controller cannot simultaneously provide enough computing resources for a large quantity of data processing requests. Consequently, a quantity of IO requests that can be simultaneously sent to the JBOF is limited, and a quantity of IO requests processed per second by the SSD may fail to be met. In other words, a current computing capability of the processor in the storage controller cannot meet the demand for the client capacity, and further limits the performance of the SSD in the JBOF to some extent.

However, it can be learned from the data read/write process in the AFA-based storage system described above that, when the host writes data into the JBOF, and after the storage controller writes data into the PBMB, the host may obtain an I/O write success returned by the storage controller. In this case, the host may consider that the write process ends, and the host does not care about a subsequent process of writing data into the JBOF by the storage controller. In the data read process, because data needs to be read from the JBOF during each time reading, a path required by the host to obtain data is longer than a path used by the host to write data. To be specific, because the path for reading data is relatively long, the host waits for a relatively long time. A read request is relatively sensitive to a delay and is a delay-sensitive data processing request. In the data write process, the host needs to wait for a relatively short time, and a write request may be understood as a delay-insensitive data processing request.

To resolve a problem that the storage controller has limited resources, in this embodiment of this application, data processing requests are classified into a delay-sensitive data processing request and a delay-insensitive data processing request based on transmission delay requirements of the data processing requests. Based on transmission delay requirements of the two types of data processing requests, a method and an apparatus for transmitting a data processing request are provided. The delay-sensitive data processing request may be a data processing request with a relatively high transmission delay requirement, and the delay-insensitive data processing request may be a data processing request with a relatively low transmission delay requirement.

To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, an AFA-based storage system applicable to the embodiments of this application is first briefly described. <FIG> is a schematic block diagram of an AFA-based storage system according to an embodiment of this application. It should be understood that the AFA storage system shown in <FIG> may be an architecture improved from the AFA storage system shown in <FIG>, and main improvements are made to structures of the storage controller and the JBOF in the AFA storage system. For brevity, the storage controller and the JBOF are mainly described below. For another unit related to the AFA storage system, refer to the foregoing descriptions.

The AFA storage system shown in <FIG> includes at least one storage controller <NUM>, a switch <NUM>, and at least one JBOF <NUM>. The storage controller includes a command queue identifier driver (Initiator Driver) unit and block device management software, and each of the at least one JBOF includes a dispatch engine (Dispatch Engine), a first processing unit, and a second processing unit.

The command queue identifier driver (Initiator Driver) unit in the storage controller is configured to create a submission queue (Submission Queue, SQ) of the storage controller. The submission queue is used to transmit a data processing request from the storage controller to the JBOF, and the submission queue may include a plurality of types, for example, a delay-sensitive type and a delay-insensitive type. Different types of submission queues are used to store different types of data processing requests. For example, a delay-insensitive submission queue is used to store a delay-insensitive data processing request, and a delay-sensitive submission queue is used to store a delay-sensitive data processing request.

The command queue identifier driver unit is further configured to determine whether a type of the data processing request is a delay-sensitive type or a delay-insensitive type.

It should be noted that, to transmit the data processing request from the storage controller to a submission queue of the JBOF, the JBOF further needs to create, in the JBOF, a submission queue corresponding to the submission queue of the storage controller. To be specific, the submission queue of the storage controller and the submission queue of the JBOF logically constitute a submission queue used to transmit the data processing request from the storage controller to the JBOF. The submission queue of the storage controller may occupy a storage resource in a memory of the storage controller, and the submission queue of the JBOF may occupy storage space in a buffer in the JBOF.

The JBOF may further include a unit for creating a submission queue, and different types of submission queues are created in a same manner in which the storage controller creates a submission queue.

The command queue driver unit may be further configured to create a completion queue (Completion Queue, CQ), and the completion queue is used to store a feedback result for a completed data processing request. The command queue driver unit may be further configured to create different types of completion queues for feedback results for different types of data processing requests. For example, a delay-insensitive completion queue is used to store a feedback for the delay-insensitive data processing request, and a delay-sensitive completion queue is used to store a feedback for the delay-sensitive data processing request.

Storage space management software in the storage controller is configured to convert a data processing request received from a host into a data processing request that can be directly processed by the JBOF. For example, when the storage space management software may be block device management software, the block device management software may translate a storage address in the data processing request received from the host into a storage address that includes a storage block, so that the JBOF can directly process the data processing request.

It should be understood that the storage space management software may be block device management software or character device management software, and this is not specifically limited in this embodiment of this application.

The dispatch engine in the JBOF is configured to send, based on the type that is of the data processing request and that is determined by the command queue identifier driver unit, different types of data processing requests to processing units configured to process different types of data processing requests. To be specific, the dispatch engine may send the delay-sensitive data processing request to the first processing unit, and send the delay-insensitive data processing request to the second processing unit.

It should be understood that the dispatch engine may be implemented by an FPGA or an ASIC, or may be implemented by software.

It should be further understood that the dispatch engine further includes a port connected to the switch, for example, an Ethernet network interface that supports an RDMA, and is configured to receive, by using the switch, a data processing request sent by the command queue identifier driver unit.

The first processing unit is configured to process the delay-sensitive data processing request and/or a hardware offloading data processing request.

Specifically, the hardware offloading data processing request may be understood as a data processing request that does not need to be processed by hardware in the storage controller. A hardware processing process required by the data processing request may be implemented by hardware in the first processing unit. In other words, the hardware offloading data processing request may be a data processing request for offloading a hardware processing process in the storage controller.

If the data processing request is a delay-sensitive data processing request, the first processing unit may directly forward the data processing request to the JBOF. If the data processing request is a hardware offloading data processing request, the first processing unit may convert, by using processing performance of the first processing unit, the delay-sensitive data processing request into a data processing request that can be directly processed by the JBOF. For example, when the first processing unit is an FPGA, the first processing unit may convert, by using advantages of a low delay and hardware processing of the FPGA, the delay-sensitive data processing unit into the data processing request that can be directly processed by the JBOF, and then return a result to the storage controller.

From another aspect, the delay-sensitive data processing request may be alternatively a data processing request that can be directly processed by the JBOF, and the background offloading data processing request may be alternatively a data processing request that cannot be directly processed by the JBOF.

It should be understood that the first processing unit may be implemented by a field-programmable gate array (Field-Programmable Gate Array, FPGA) or an application specific integrated circuit (Application Specific Integrated Circuit, ASIC) designed for a specific purpose.

It should be noted that if the delay-sensitive data processing request received by the first processing unit can be directly processed by an SSD in the JBOF, the first processing unit may directly forward the delay-sensitive data processing request to the JBOF. In other words, the first processing unit may transparently transmit the delay-sensitive data processing request to the JBOF, and the JBOF executes the delay-sensitive data processing request.

It should be further understood that the first processing unit and the dispatch engine may be integrated into one physical component, or may be separately disposed in two different physical components. This is not specifically limited in this embodiment of this application.

The second processing unit is configured to process the delay-insensitive data processing request, and may process, in a data processing manner indicated by the data processing request, data carried in the data processing request, or process, in a data processing method indicated by the data processing request, data stored in the storage space of the JBOF. For example, the second processing unit performs EC computing on the data carried in the data processing request, or performs a GC operation on the storage space of the JBOF.

It should be understood that the second processing unit may include at least one low-cost CPU (or low-performance CPU). For example, the CPU may be an advanced reduced instruction set computer machines (Advanced Reduced Instruction Set Computer Machines, ARM) core or a microprocessor without interlocked piped stages (Microprocessor without interlocked piped stages, MIPS) core.

A low-cost CPU is disposed in the JBOF as the second processing unit, to help a CPU in a storage processing control unit process the second processing unit, so that pressure on the CPU in the storage processing control unit is reduced, and costs required for improving an architecture of the JBOF are also reduced to some extent.

It may be learned that, compared with the JBOF in <FIG>, the JBOF in <FIG> is added with functions such as offloading data processing requests based on types of the data processing requests and a computing process required for executing the delay-insensitive data processing request, which are more intelligent than functions of the JBOF in <FIG>. Therefore, the JBOF in <FIG> is also referred to as an intelligent JBOF (intelligent Bunch of Flash, JBOF). In other words, the following JBOF that has the functions such as offloading data processing requests based on types of the data processing requests and the computing process required for executing the delay-insensitive data processing request may be referred to as an iBOF.

It should be understood that functional units in the JBOF may be integrated in one system on chip (System on Chip, SoC), and the SoC may include one CPU that may be used as the second processing unit, or may include one FPGA or ASIC that may be used as the dispatch engine and the first processing unit. The JBOF may be alternatively implemented by detached hardware. To be specific, the CPU used as the second processing unit and the FPGA or ASIC used as the dispatch engine and the first processing unit are two pieces of independent hardware.

It should be further understood that <FIG> and <FIG> show only one possible AFA storage system. The embodiments of this application may further be applicable to another AFA storage system. It should be understood that for brevity, for a function of each unit in the following AFA storage system, refer to the foregoing descriptions.

For example, <FIG> is a schematic block diagram of an AFA storage system based on a hyper-converged technology according to another embodiment of this application. The AFA storage system based on the hyper-converged (Hyper-Converged Infrastructure, HCI) technology shown in <FIG> includes at least one HCI host <NUM>, at least one JBOF <NUM>, and a switch <NUM>.

The HCI host <NUM> may be understood as a mixture of a host and an SPC, in other words, a new host formed when the host and the SPC are deployed together in a hyper-converged form. It should be understood that the HCI host <NUM> only changes a deploying manner between the host and the SPC, but each function that can be originally implemented by the host and the SPC described above may still be implemented.

The JBOF <NUM> is the intelligent JBOF mentioned above, and the JBOF may be connected to the HCI host by using the switch.

Optionally, the JBOF and the HCI host may be alternatively directly connected by using a communications cable (for example, a bus) without using the switch. A specific connection manner between the JBOF and the HCI host is not limited in this embodiment of this application.

For another example, <FIG> is a schematic block diagram of an AFA storage system according to another embodiment of this application. The AFA storage system shown in <FIG> includes at least one host <NUM> and at least one JBOF <NUM>.

The host <NUM> includes all function modules in the foregoing storage controller, for example, command queue identifier software, and may implement functions of the storage controller in addition to original functions of the host. The host is located in a different unit device from the JBOF, and the host and the JBOF may be directly connected by using a communications cable (for example, a bus) without using the switch.

Optionally, the JBOF and the host may be alternatively connected by using the switch. A specific connection manner between the JBOF and the HCI host is not limited in this embodiment of this application.

It should be noted that in the foregoing description, data processing requests are classified into a delay-sensitive data processing request and a delay-insensitive data processing request only from a perspective of transmission delays of the data processing requests. In this embodiment of this application, the data processing requests may be further classified into a bypass type and a background computing type based on manners of processing the data processing requests by the JBOF. A bypass data processing request may be understood as a data processing request that does not need to be processed by a computing unit of the JBOF, and a background computing data processing request is a data processing request that needs to be processed by the computing unit of the JBOF. In other words, the delay-sensitive data processing request and the hardware offloading data processing request may be bypass data processing requests, and the delay-insensitive data processing request may be a background computing data processing request. Correspondingly, the first processing unit may also be referred to as a hardware bypass engine (Hardware Bypass Engine), and the second processing unit may also be referred to as a background software processor (Background Software Processor).

A method for transmitting a data processing request in an embodiment of this application is described below with reference to any AFA storage system in the foregoing descriptions by using a manner in which the JBOF classifies data processing requests based on processing manners of the data processing requests as an example.

<FIG> is a schematic flowchart of a method for transmitting a data processing request according to an embodiment of this application. The method shown in <FIG> includes the following steps.

A solid-state drive cluster JBOF obtains a data processing request sent by a storage controller, where the data processing request is used to access a target solid-state drive SSD in the JBOF.

Specifically, that the data processing request is used to access the target SSD in the JBOF may be understood as: processing data in the target SSD in a data processing manner indicated by the data processing request, or storing the processed data into the target SSD in a data processing manner indicated by the data processing request.

The data processing manner indicated by the data processing request may include data reading/writing, an EC operation, a GC operation, and the like.

It should be understood that the storage controller may be any device that has a function of the storage controller, for example, may be the storage controller in <FIG>, may be the HCI host in <FIG>, or may be the host in <FIG>. A specific embodiment of the storage controller is not limited in this embodiment of this application.

It should be further understood that the SSD may be an NVMe SSD, or may be a serial advanced technology attachment (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment, SATA) SSD. This is not specifically limited in this embodiment of this application.

Optionally, the data processing request may be a request encapsulated based on an interface protocol. For example, the data processing request may be an NVMe command encapsulated based on an NVMe (NVMe over fabric, NVMeof) protocol and transmitted in a network.

Optionally, the obtaining a data processing request may include: extracting the data processing request from a submission queue shared by the storage controller and the JBOF.

The JBOF determines a type of the data processing request, where the type of the data processing request includes a bypass type and a background computing type.

Specifically, the bypass data processing request is a data processing request that does not need to be processed by a software computing unit of the JBOF, or a data processing request that needs to be processed by hardware of the JBOF, or a computing resource required for processing the bypass data processing request may be provided by a computing unit (for example, a high-performance CPU in the storage controller) in the storage controller.

The background computing data processing request is a data processing request that needs to be processed by the computing unit of the JBOF, or a computing resource required for processing the background computing data processing request may be provided by a computing unit (for example, a low-performance CPU) in the JBOF.

Optionally, in an embodiment, step <NUM> includes: If the data processing request comes from a bypass submission queue of the storage controller, the JBOF determines that the type of the data processing request is the bypass type; or if the data processing request comes from a background computing submission queue of the storage controller, the JBOF determines that the type of the data processing request is the background computing type.

Optionally, in an embodiment, step <NUM> includes: If the data processing request is a write request, the JBOF determines that the type of the data processing request is the background computing type; or if the data processing request is a read request, the JBOF determines that the type of the data processing request is the bypass type.

Specifically, the type of the data processing request may further be directly determined based on a data processing manner indicated by the data processing request. For example, a write request is a delay-insensitive data processing request, and may be classified into a background computing data processing request; and a read request is a delay-sensitive data processing request, and may be classified into a background computing data processing request.

The type of the data processing request is directly determined based on whether the data processing request is a read request or a write request, to reduce a change in a format of a conventional data processing request or a format of a submission command queue, and to some extent, reduce costs in terms of software or hardware that are caused by the change. For example, a command queue identifier driver disposed in the storage controller may be not changed in this solution, and the data processing request is sent, in a conventional manner for transmitting a data processing request, to a dispatch engine in the JBOF for offloading.

It should be noted that the foregoing solution in which no command queue identifier driver is disposed in the storage controller is applicable to a solution in which a data processing request includes only a write request and a read request.

If the type of the data processing request is the bypass type, the JBOF directly forwards the data processing request to the target SSD.

It should be noted that a computing process required by the bypass data processing request may be executed by a CPU in the storage controller, in other words, the SSD in the JBOF may be directly accessed by using the bypass data processing request.

For example, when the bypass data processing request is a read request, a computing process required for determining a storage address in which data to be read by the read request is located may be computed by the CPU in the storage controller. The JBOF may directly read the data from the storage address determined by the CPU in the storage controller.

In this embodiment of this application, data processing requests are classified into a bypass data processing request and a background computing data processing request. A computing resource occupied by a data processing manner indicated by the background computing data processing request may be no longer provided by the CPU in the storage controller, and may be provided by the computing unit in the JBOF. To some extent, a computing resource used by the CPU in the storage controller to execute the background computing data processing request is released, so that the CPU in the storage controller can simultaneously process more bypass data processing requests, thereby improving a speed of executing the data processing request by a bypass storage controller, and reducing a delay of executing the bypass data processing request by the storage controller.

Optionally, in an embodiment, step <NUM> includes: The JBOF extracts the data processing request from a bypass submission queue of the JBOF, where the type of the data processing request is the bypass type; and the JBOF directly forwards the data processing request to the target SSD.

It should be noted that the bypass submission queue of the JBOF and the bypass submission queue of the storage controller jointly transmit the data processing request from the storage controller to the JBOF. Specifically, the storage controller may save the bypass data processing request into the bypass submission queue of the storage controller, and then save the bypass data processing request in the bypass submission queue of the storage controller into the bypass submission queue of the JBOF through a network, to transmit the bypass data processing request from the storage controller to the JBOF. Logically, the bypass submission queue of the JBOF and the bypass submission queue of the storage controller jointly form a bypass submission queue, to transmit the bypass data processing request from the storage controller to the JBOF.

It should further be understood that the bypass submission queue of the JBOF and the bypass submission queue of the storage controller that jointly form a bypass submission queue correspond to each other. In other words, the JBOF may determine, based on indication information of the bypass submission queue of the storage controller in which a received bypass data processing request is located, the bypass submission queue of the JBOF into which the bypass data processing request is saved.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the method further includes: If the type of the data processing request is a hardware offloading data processing request in the bypass type, a hardware processing unit in the JBOF processes the hardware offloading data processing request, and sends the processed hardware offloading data processing request to the target SSD.

If the type of the data processing request is the background computing type, the JBOF sends the data processing request to the computing unit in the JBOF, and sends the data processing request processed by the computing unit to the target SSD.

It should be noted that the computing unit in the JBOF may be any apparatus that has a computing function in the JBOF, for example, the second processing unit.

For example, when the data processing request is an EC request, n pieces of raw data obtained from the storage controller may be encoded by using a computing unit CPU disposed in the JBOF, to finally obtain n+m pieces of data, where n and m are positive integers. The computing unit in the JBOF writes the finally obtained n+m pieces of data into the SSD in the JBOF by using a write request.

It should further be understood that, when the n+m pieces of data are written into the SSD in the JBOF by using the write request, a disk selection operation that needs to be performed may also be performed by the computing unit in the JBOF, or may be performed by the CPU in the storage controller, or may be performed by another apparatus that may have a disk selection function. This is not specifically limited in this embodiment of this application. In other words, the computing unit in the JBOF may provide a computing resource only for computing (for example, an EC operation) at a data level, and may further provide a computing resource for computing (for example, a disk selection operation) at a data management level.

For another example, when the data processing request is a GC request, a data read/write operation, computing, and a block erasure operation in the SSD that are required for performing a GC operation may be performed by the computing unit in the JBOF.

Optionally, in an embodiment, step <NUM> includes: The JBOF extracts the data processing request from a background computing submission queue of the JBOF, where the type of the data processing request is the background computing type; and the JBOF sends the data processing request to the computing unit in the JBOF, and sends the data processing request processed by the computing unit to the target SSD.

It should be noted that the background computing submission queue of the JBOF and the background computing submission queue of the storage controller jointly transmit the background computing data processing request from the storage controller to the JBOF. Specifically, the storage controller may save the background computing data processing request into the background computing submission queue of the storage controller, and then save the background computing data processing request in the background computing submission queue of the storage controller into the background computing submission queue of the JBOF through a network, to transmit the background computing data processing request from the storage controller to the JBOF. Logically, the background computing submission queue of the JBOF and the background computing submission queue of the storage controller jointly form a background computing submission queue, to transmit the background computing data processing request from the storage controller to the JBOF.

It should further be understood that the background computing submission queue of the BOF and the background computing submission queue of the storage controller that jointly form a background computing submission queue correspond to each other. In other words, the JBOF may determine, based on indication information of the background computing submission queue of the storage controller in which a received background computing data processing request is located, the background computing submission queue of the JBOF into which the background computing data processing request is saved.

A storage controller receives a data processing request, where the data processing request is used to access a target solid-state drive SSD in a solid-state drive cluster JBOF controlled by the storage controller.

Optionally, the obtaining a data processing request may include: extracting the data processing request from a submission queue shared by the storage controller and a host.

It should be noted that the submission queue shared by the storage controller and the host may include a submission queue of the storage controller and a submission queue of the host. In other words, the submission queue shared by the storage controller and the host is a logical concept, and the submission queue of the storage controller and the submission queue of the host are physical concepts. The submission queue shared by the storage controller and the host is used to transmit the data processing request that needs to be executed by the storage controller from a host end to a storage controller end.

The storage controller determines a type of the data processing request, where the type of the data processing request includes a bypass type and a background computing type.

Optionally, the storage controller determines the type of the data processing request according to a preset rule, and the preset rule is used to indicate types corresponding to different data processing requests.

It should be noted that the different data processing requests may be data processing requests that indicate different data processing manners, for example, a read request and a write request. The different data processing requests may further indicate data processing requests sent by different hosts, for example, data processing requests sent by hosts with different priorities may belong to different types. This is not specifically limited in this embodiment of this application.

If the type of the data processing request is the bypass type, the storage controller processes the data processing request, and places the processed data processing request in a bypass submission queue of the storage controller.

If the type of the data processing request is the background computing type, the storage controller places the data processing request in a background computing submission queue of the storage controller.

Specifically, a type of a submission queue is used to indicate the type of the data processing request, and it may be understood that the type of the submission queue corresponds to the type of the data processing request. The type of the submission queue includes a bypass submission queue and a background computing submission queue. A data processing request stored in the bypass submission queue may be a bypass data processing request, and a data processing request stored in the background computing submission queue may be a background computing submission queue.

It should be noted that the submission queue of the storage controller may be created by the storage controller. The storage controller may add indication information to a submission queue creation command, and the indication information is used to indicate a type of the submission queue. After receiving the submission queue creation command, the JBOF may determine the type of the created submission queue based on the indication information in the submission queue creation command.

In this embodiment of this application, data processing requests are classified into a bypass data processing request and a background computing data processing request. A computing resource occupied by a data processing manner indicated by the background computing data processing request may be no longer provided by a CPU in the storage controller, and may be provided by a computing unit in the JBOF. To some extent, a computing resource used by the CPU in the storage controller to execute the background computing data processing request is released, so that the CPU in the storage controller can simultaneously process more bypass data processing requests, thereby improving a speed of executing the data processing request by a bypass storage controller, and reducing a delay of executing the bypass data processing request by the storage controller.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the method further includes: If the type of the data processing request is a read request, the storage controller determines a storage address, in the JBOF, of data to be read by the read request.

Based on the AFA-based storage system shown in <FIG>, a method for transmitting a data processing request in an embodiment of this application is described in detail below with reference to <FIG> and <FIG> by using an example in which the data processing request is encapsulated into an NVMe command for transmission.

<FIG> is a schematic flowchart of a method for transmitting an NVMe command according to an embodiment of this application. The method shown in <FIG> includes the following steps.

A command queue identifier driver in a storage controller creates two types of submission queues in the storage controller, where the submission queue is used to transmit an NVMe command stored in the submission queue to a JBOF.

Specifically, indication information indicating a queue type may be added to a field (for example, a field double word <NUM> (Double Word <NUM>, Dword <NUM>)) in a submission queue creation command (Submission queue creation command). For a specific adding manner, refer to Table <NUM>. When a value of a bit in the submission queue creation command is 00b, the bit is used to indicate that a queue type of the submission queue is a bypass type and the bypass submission queue is used to store a bypass NVMe command; and when a value of a bit in the submission queue creation command is 01b, the bit is used to indicate that a queue type of the submission queue is a background computing NVMe command.

It should be noted that one of the foregoing two types of submission queues may correspond to at least one submission queue.

Accordingly, the JBOF may also use the submission queue creation command to create different types of submission queues in the JBOF. The submission queue of the JBOF and the submission queue of the storage controller jointly transmit a data processing request from the storage controller to the JBOF.

The command queue identifier driver in the storage controller separately creates context information for different types of submission queues, where the context information includes storage addresses occupied by the different types of submission queues and storage addresses occupied by completion queues corresponding to the different submission queues.

The command queue identifier driver in the storage controller initializes a bypass submission queue and a bypass completion queue.

Specifically, the command queue identifier driver in the storage controller sends the context information of the bypass submission queue to the JBOF, to create, in the JBOF, a bypass submission queue corresponding to a bypass submission queue of the storage controller.

The command queue identifier driver in the storage controller initializes a background computing submission queue and a background computing completion queue.

Specifically, the command queue identifier driver in the storage controller sends the context information of the background computing submission queue to the JBOF, to create, in the JBOF, a background computing submission queue corresponding to a background computing submission queue of the storage controller.

A method for transmitting an NVMe command in an embodiment of this application is described below with reference to <FIG> by using an example in which an NVMe command is an IO request. <FIG> is a schematic flowchart of a method for transmitting an NVMe command according to an embodiment of this application. The method shown in <FIG> includes the following steps.

An application in a storage controller sends an NVMe command to a command queue identifier driver in the storage controller by using an NVMe block device.

The command queue identifier driver in the storage controller determines a type of the NVMe command.

Specifically, if the NVMe command is a bypass type, step <NUM> is performed; and if the NVMe command is a background computing type, step <NUM> is performed.

The command queue identifier driver in the storage controller saves the NVMe command into a bypass submission queue.

The command queue identifier driver in the storage controller saves the NVMe command into a background computing submission queue.

A dispatch engine in a JBOF extracts the NVMe command from a submission queue, and determines that a type of the submission queue in which the NVMe command is located is a bypass type or a background computing type.

Specifically, if the type of the submission queue in which the NVMe command is located is the bypass type, step <NUM> is performed; and if the type of the submission queue in which the NVMe command is located is the background computing type, step <NUM> is performed.

The dispatch engine in the JBOF sends the NVMe command to a hardware bypass engine in the JBOF, and the hardware bypass engine accesses an NVMe SSD by using the NVMe command.

The dispatch engine in the JBOF sends the NVMe command to a background software processor in the JBOF, and the background software processor processes, in a manner indicated by the NVMe command, data stored in an NVMe SSD or data carried in the NVMe command.

Specifically, the background software processor processes the NVMe command, unloads a background task performed by the storage controller, generates a new IO request, and uses the new IO request to access the NVMe SSD by using the block device.

The NVMe SSD executes IO requests sent by the hardware bypass engine and the background software processor.

The method for transmitting a data processing request in the embodiments of this application is described in detail above with reference to <FIG>. An apparatus for transmitting a data processing request in the embodiments of this application is briefly described below with reference to <FIG>. It should be understood that apparatuses shown in <FIG> may implement the foregoing methods. For brevity, details are not described herein again.

<FIG> is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus for transmitting a data processing request according to an embodiment of this application. An apparatus <NUM> for transmitting a data processing request shown in <FIG> includes an obtaining unit <NUM>, a determining unit <NUM>, and a processing unit <NUM>.

The obtaining unit is configured to obtain a data processing request sent by a storage controller, where the data processing request is used to access a target solid-state drive SSD in the JBOF.

The determining unit is configured to determine a type of the data processing request obtained by the obtaining unit, where the type of the data processing request includes a bypass type and a background computing type.

The processing unit is configured to: if the type of the data processing request is the bypass type, directly forward the data processing request to the target SSD.

The processing unit is further configured to: if the type of the data processing request is the background computing type, send the data processing request to a computing unit in the JBOF, and send the data processing request processed by the computing unit to the target SSD.

It should be noted that the determining unit may be the dispatch engine shown in <FIG>.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the determining unit is specifically configured to: if the data processing request comes from a bypass submission queue of the storage controller, determine that the type of the data processing request is the bypass type; or if the data processing request comes from a background computing submission queue of the storage controller, determine that the type of the data processing request is the background computing type.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the processing unit is further specifically configured to: extract the data processing request from a bypass submission queue of the JBOF, where the type of the data processing request is the bypass type; directly forward the data processing request to the target SSD; extract the data processing request from a background computing submission queue of the JBOF, where the type of the data processing request is the background computing type; and send the data processing request to the computing unit in the JBOF, and send the data processing request processed by the computing unit to the target SSD.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the determining unit is specifically configured to: if the data processing request is a write request, determine that the type of the data processing request is the background computing type; or if the data processing request is a read request, determine that the type of the data processing request is the bypass type.

In an optional embodiment, the obtaining unit <NUM> may be a transceiver <NUM>, the determining unit <NUM> and the processing unit <NUM> may be a processor <NUM>, and the data verification apparatus may further include an input/output interface <NUM> and a memory <NUM>, which are specifically shown in <FIG>.

<FIG> is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus for transmitting a data processing request according to another embodiment of this application. A data verification apparatus <NUM> shown in <FIG> may include a memory <NUM>, a processor <NUM>, an input/output interface <NUM>, and a transceiver <NUM>. The memory <NUM>, the processor <NUM>, the input/output interface <NUM>, and the transceiver <NUM> are connected by using an internal connection path. The memory <NUM> is configured to store an instruction. The processor <NUM> is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory <NUM>, to control the input/output interface <NUM> to receive input data and information, output data such as an operation result, and the like, and to control the transceiver <NUM> to send a signal.

The transceiver <NUM> is configured to obtain a data processing request sent by a storage controller, where the data processing request is used to access a target solid-state drive SSD in the JBOF.

The processor <NUM> is configured to determine a type of the data processing request obtained by the obtaining unit, where the type of the data processing request includes a bypass type and a background computing type.

The processor <NUM> is configured to: if the type of the data processing request is the bypass type, directly forward the data processing request to the target SSD.

The processing unit <NUM> is further configured to: if the type of the data processing request is the background computing type, send the data processing request to a computing unit in the JBOF, and send the data processing request processed by the computing unit to the target SSD.

It should be understood that, in this embodiment of this application, the processor <NUM> may be a universal central processing unit (Central Processing Unit, CPU), a microprocessor, an application specific integrated circuit (Application Specific Integrated Circuit, ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits, and is configured to execute a related program, to implement the technical solution provided in this embodiment of this application.

It should be further understood that the transceiver <NUM> is also referred to as a communications interface, and a transceiver apparatus such as a transceiver is used to implement communication between a terminal <NUM> and another device or a communications network.

The memory <NUM> may include a read-only memory and a random access memory, and provide an instruction and data for the processor <NUM>. A part of the processor <NUM> may further include a non-volatile random access memory. For example, the processor <NUM> may further store information of a device type.

In an implementation process, steps in the foregoing methods can be implemented by using an integrated logical circuit of hardware in the processor <NUM>, or by using instructions in a form of software. The methods for transmitting a data processing request disclosed in the embodiments of this application may be directly performed by a hardware processor, or may be performed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module may be located in a mature storage medium in the art, such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, or the like. The storage medium is located in the memory <NUM>, and the processor <NUM> reads information in the memory <NUM> and completes the steps in the foregoing methods in combination with hardware of the processor. To avoid repetition, details are not described herein again.

It should be understood that, the processor in this embodiment of the present invention may be a central processing unit (central processing unit, CPU), or may be another general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (digital signal processor, DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (application specific integrated circuit, ASIC), a field programmable gate array (field programmable gate array, FPGA) or another programmable logical device, a discrete gate or a transistor logical device, a discrete hardware component, or the like. The general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like.

<FIG> is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus for transmitting a data processing request according to an embodiment of this application. An apparatus <NUM> for transmitting a data processing request shown in <FIG> includes a receiving unit <NUM>, a determining unit <NUM>, and a processing unit <NUM>.

The receiving unit is configured to receive a data processing request, where the data processing request is used to access a target solid-state drive SSD in a solid-state drive cluster JBOF controlled by the storage controller.

The determining unit is configured to determine a type of the data processing request received by the receiving unit, where the type of the data processing request includes a bypass type and a background computing type.

The processing unit is configured to: if the type of the data processing request is the bypass type, process the data processing request, and place the processed data processing request in a bypass submission queue of the storage controller.

The processing unit is further configured to: if the type of the data processing request is the background computing type, place the data processing request in a background computing submission queue of the storage controller.

In an optional embodiment, the receiving unit <NUM> may be a transceiver <NUM>, the processing unit <NUM> and the determining unit <NUM> may be a processor <NUM>, and the data verification apparatus may further include an input/output interface <NUM> and a memory <NUM>, which are specifically shown in <FIG>.

<FIG> is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus for transmitting a data processing request according to another embodiment of this application. An apparatus <NUM> for transmitting a data processing request shown in <FIG> may include: a memory <NUM>, a processor <NUM>, an input/output interface <NUM>, and a transceiver <NUM>. The memory <NUM>, the processor <NUM>, the input/output interface <NUM>, and the transceiver <NUM> are connected by using an internal connection path. The memory <NUM> is configured to store an instruction. The processor <NUM> is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory <NUM>, to control the input/output interface <NUM> to receive input data and information, output data such as an operation result, and the like, and to control the transceiver <NUM> to send a signal.

The transceiver <NUM> is configured to receive a data processing request, where the data processing request is used to access a target solid-state drive SSD in a solid-state drive cluster JBOF controlled by the storage controller.

The processor <NUM> is configured to determine a type of the data processing request received by the receiving unit, where the type of the data processing request includes a bypass type and a background computing type.

The processor <NUM> is configured to: if the type of the data processing request is the bypass type, process the data processing request, and place the processed data processing request in a bypass submission queue of the storage controller.

The processor <NUM> is further configured to: if the type of the data processing request is the background computing type, place the data processing request in a background computing submission queue of the storage controller. It should be understood that, in this embodiment of this application, the processor <NUM> may be a universal central processing unit (Central Processing Unit, CPU), a microprocessor, an application specific integrated circuit (Application Specific Integrated Circuit, ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits, and is configured to execute a related program, to implement the technical solution provided in this embodiment of this application.

It should be understood that in the embodiments of this application, "B corresponding to A" indicates that B is associated with A, and B may be determined based on A. However, it should further be understood that determining B based on A does not mean that B is determined based on A only, and B may also be determined based on A and/or other information.

For example, the described apparatus embodiments are merely examples.

All or some of the foregoing embodiments may be implemented by using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When software is used to implement the embodiments, all or some of the embodiments may be implemented in a form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on the computer, all or some of the procedures or functions according to the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, a computer network, or another programmable apparatus. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or may be transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center in a wired (for example, a coaxial cable, an optical fiber, or a digital subscriber line (Digital Subscriber Line, DSL)) or wireless (for example, infrared, radio, microwave, or the like) manner. The computer-readable storage medium may be any usable medium accessible by a computer, or a data storage device, such as a server or a data center, integrating one or more usable media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (for example, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (for example, a digital versatile disc (Digital Video Disc, DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (for example, a solid-state drive (Solid-state drive, SSD)), or the like.

Claim 1:
A method for transmitting a data processing request, implemented by a just a bunch of flash, JBOF, and comprising:
obtaining, by a computing unit of the JBOF, the data processing request, wherein the data processing request indicates an erasure coding, EC, operation and comprises data to be stored in a solid-state drive, SSD, in the JBOF;
implementing, by the computing unit, the EC operation to the data to obtain EC data;
sending, by the computing unit, the EC data to target SSDs in the JBOF;
storing, by the target SSDs, the EC data.