Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for caching data. A storage request module detects an input/output (“I/O”) request for a storage device cached by solid-state storage media of a cache. A direct mapping module references a single mapping structure to determine that the cache comprises data of the I/O request. The single mapping structure maps each logical block address of the storage device directly to a logical block address of the cache. The single mapping structure maintains a fully associative relationship between logical block addresses of the storage device and physical storage addresses on the solid-state storage media. A cache fulfillment module satisfies the I/O request using the cache in response to the direct mapping module determining that the cache comprises at least one data block of the I/O request.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for bad block remapping. A bad block identifier module identifies one or more data blocks on a solid-state storage element as bad blocks. A log update module writes at least a location of each bad block identified by the bad block identifier module into each of two or more redundant bad block logs. A bad block mapping module accesses at least one bad block log during a start-up operation to create in memory a bad block map. The bad block map includes a mapping between the bad block locations in the bad block log and a corresponding location of a replacement block for each bad block location. Data is stored in each replacement block instead of the corresponding bad block. The bad block mapping module creates the bad block map using one of a replacement block location and a bad block mapping algorithm.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for managing eviction of data. A cache write module stores data on a non-volatile storage device sequentially using a log-based storage structure having a head region and a tail region. A direct cache module caches data on the non-volatile storage device using the log-based storage structure. The data is associated with storage operations between a host and a backing store storage device. An eviction module evicts data of at least one region in succession from the log-based storage structure starting with the tail region and progressing toward the head region.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for managing eviction of data. A grooming cost module determines a grooming cost for a selected region of a nonvolatile solid-state cache. The grooming cost includes a cost of evicting the selected region of the nonvolatile solid-state cache relative to other regions. A grooming candidate set module adds the selected region to a grooming candidate set in response to the grooming cost satisfying a grooming cost threshold. A low cost module selects a low cost region within the grooming candidate set. A groomer module recovers storage capacity of the low cost region.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for data storage with progressive redundant array of independent drives (“RAID”). A storage request receiver module, a striping module, a parity-mirror module, and a parity progression module are included. The storage request receiver module receives a request to store data of a file or of an object. The striping module calculates a stripe pattern for the data. The stripe pattern includes one or more stripes, and each stripe includes a set of N data segments. The striping module writes the N data segments to N storage devices. Each data segment is written to a separate storage device within a set of storage devices assigned to the stripe. The parity-mirror module writes a set of N data segments to one or more parity-mirror storage devices within the set of storage devices. The parity progression module calculates a parity data segment on each parity-mirror device in response to a storage consolidation operation, and stores the parity data segments.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for efficiently mapping virtual and physical addresses. A forward mapping module uses a forward map to identify physical addresses of data of a data segment from a virtual address. The data segment is identified in a storage request. The virtual addresses include discrete addresses within a virtual address space where the virtual addresses sparsely populate the virtual address space. A reverse mapping module uses a reverse map to determine a virtual address of a data segment from a physical address. The reverse map maps the data storage device into erase regions such that a portion of the reverse map spans an erase region of the data storage device erased together during a storage space recovery operation. A storage space recovery module uses the reverse map to identify valid data in an erase region prior to an operation to recover the erase region.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for satisfying storage requests while destaging cached data. A monitor module samples a destage rate for a nonvolatile solid-state cache, a total cache write rate for the cache, and a dirtied data rate. The dirtied data rate comprises a rate at which write operations increase an amount of dirty data in the cache. A target module determines a target cache write rate for the cache based on the destage rate, the total cache write rate, and the dirtied data rate to target a destage write ratio. The destage write ratio comprises a predetermined ratio between the dirtied data rate and the destage rate. A rate enforcement module enforces the target cache write rate such that the total cache write rate satisfies the target cache write rate.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for bad block remapping. A bad block identifier module identifies one or more data blocks on a solid-state storage element as bad blocks. A log update module writes at least a location of each bad block identified by the bad block identifier module into each of two or more redundant bad block logs. A bad block mapping module accesses at least one bad block log during a start-up operation to create in memory a bad block map. The bad block map includes a mapping between the bad block locations in the bad block log and a corresponding location of a replacement block for each bad block location. Data is stored in each replacement block instead of the corresponding bad block. The bad block mapping module creates the bad block map using one of a replacement block location and a bad block mapping algorithm.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for bad block remapping. A bad block identifier module identifies one or more data blocks on a solid-state storage element as bad blocks. A log update module writes at least a location of each bad block identified by the bad block identifier module into each of two or more redundant bad block logs. A bad block mapping module accesses at least one bad block log during a start-up operation to create in memory a bad block map. The bad block map includes a mapping between the bad block locations in the bad block log and a corresponding location of a replacement block for each bad block location. Data is stored in each replacement block instead of the corresponding bad block. The bad block mapping module creates the bad block map using one of a replacement block location and a bad block mapping algorithm.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for bad block remapping. A bad block identifier module identifies one or more data blocks on a solid-state storage element as bad blocks. A log update module writes at least a location of each bad block identified by the bad block identifier module into each of two or more redundant bad block logs. A bad block mapping module accesses at least one bad block log during a start-up operation to create in memory a bad block map. The bad block map includes a mapping between the bad block locations in the bad block log and a corresponding location of a replacement block for each bad block location. Data is stored in each replacement block instead of the corresponding bad block. The bad block mapping module creates the bad block map using one of a replacement block location and a bad block mapping algorithm.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for storing data on a solid-state storage device. A method includes receiving a storage request to store data on the solid-state storage device, representing the data in an object entry in an object index maintained by a solid-state storage device controller, storing the data as one or more object data segments on the solid-state storage device, and referencing in the object entry the one or more object data segments on the solid-state storage device.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for destaging cached data. A controller detects one or more write requests to store data in a backing store. The cache controller sends the write requests to a storage controller for a nonvolatile solid-state storage device. The storage controller receives the write requests and caches the data associated with the write requests in the nonvolatile solid-state storage device by appending the data to a log of the nonvolatile solid-state storage device. The log includes a sequential, log-based structure preserved in the nonvolatile solid-state storage device. The cache controller receives at least a portion of the data from the storage controller in a cache log order and destages the data to the backing store in the cache log order. The cache log order comprises an order in which the data was appended to the log of the nonvolatile solid-state storage device.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for data storage with progressive redundant array of independent drives (“RAID”). A storage request receiver module, a striping module, a parity-mirror module, and a parity progression module are included. The storage request receiver module receives a request to store data of a file or of an object. The striping module calculates a stripe pattern for the data. The stripe pattern includes one or more stripes, and each stripe includes a set of N data segments. The striping module writes the N data segments to N storage devices. Each data segment is written to a separate storage device within a set of storage devices assigned to the stripe. The parity-mirror module writes a set of N data segments to one or more parity-mirror storage devices within the set of storage devices. The parity progression module calculates a parity data segment on each parity-mirror device in response to a storage consolidation operation, and stores the parity data segments.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for caching data on a solid-state storage device. The solid-state storage device maintains metadata pertaining to cache operations performed on the solid-state storage device, as well as storage operations of the solid-state storage device. The metadata indicates what data in the cache is valid, as well as information about what data in the nonvolatile cache has been stored in a backing store. A backup engine works through units in the nonvolatile cache device and backs up the valid data to the backing store. During grooming operations, the groomer determines whether the data is valid and whether the data is discardable. Data that is both valid and discardable may be removed during the grooming operation. The groomer may also determine whether the data is cold in determining whether to remove the data from the cache device. The cache device may present to clients a logical space that is the same size as the backing store.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for data block usage information synchronization for a non-volatile storage volume. The method includes referencing first data block usage information for data blocks of a non-volatile storage volume managed by a storage manager. The first data block usage information is maintained by the storage manager. The method also includes synchronizing second data block usage information managed by a storage controller with the first data block usage information maintained by the storage manager. The storage manager maintains the first data block usage information separate from second data block usage information managed by the storage controller.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for bad block remapping. A bad block identifier module identifies one or more data blocks on a solid-state storage element as bad blocks. A log update module writes at least a location of each bad block identified by the bad block identifier module into each of two or more redundant bad block logs. A bad block mapping module accesses at least one bad block log during a start-up operation to create in memory a bad block map. The bad block map includes a mapping between the bad block locations in the bad block log and a corresponding location of a replacement block for each bad block location. Data is stored in each replacement block instead of the corresponding bad block. The bad block mapping module creates the bad block map using one of a replacement block location and a bad block mapping algorithm.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for efficiently mapping virtual and physical addresses. A forward mapping module uses a forward map to identify physical addresses of data of a data segment from a virtual address. The data segment is identified in a storage request. The virtual addresses include discrete addresses within a virtual address space where the virtual addresses sparsely populate the virtual address space. A reverse mapping module uses a reverse map to determine a virtual address of a data segment from a physical address. The reverse map maps the data storage device into erase regions such that a portion of the reverse map spans an erase region of the data storage device erased together during a storage space recovery operation. A storage space recovery module uses the reverse map to identify valid data in an erase region prior to an operation to recover the erase region.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for sharing a device between multiple hosts. The apparatus, system, and method include an RDMA setup module and an RDMA execution module. The RDMA setup module prepares a solid-state storage controller for an RDMA operation to transfer data of a file or of an object between the solid-state storage controller and a requesting device in response to a storage request. The storage request may be substantially free of the data, and the solid-state storage controller may control a solid-state storage via a storage input/output (“I/O”) bus. The solid-state controller controls storage of data in the solid-state storage, and the requesting device is connected to the solid-state controller through a computer network. The RDMA execution module executes the RDMA operation to transfer the data between the requesting device and the solid-state storage controller.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for data storage with progressive redundant array of independent drives (“RAID”). A storage request receiver module, a striping module, a parity-mirror module, and a parity progression module are included. The storage request receiver module receives a request to store data of a file or of an object. The striping module calculates a stripe pattern for the data. The stripe pattern includes one or more stripes, and each stripe includes a set of N data segments. The striping module writes the N data segments to N storage devices. Each data segment is written to a separate storage device within a set of storage devices assigned to the stripe. The parity-mirror module writes a set of N data segments to one or more parity-mirror storage devices within the set of storage devices. The parity progression module calculates a parity data segment on each parity-mirror device in response to a storage consolidation operation, and stores the parity data segments.

Abstract: An apparatus and system are disclosed for an in-server storage area network (“SAN”). A first storage controller is included within a first server. The first storage controller controls at least one storage device. The first server includes a network interface shared by the first server and the first storage controller. A storage communication module is included that facilitates communication between the first storage controller and at least one device external to the first server, where the communication between the first storage controller and the external device is independent from the first server. An in-server SAN module is included that services a storage request using at least one of a network protocol and a bus protocol. The in-server SAN module services the storage request independent from the first server, the service request received from a client.