Abstract: Techniques perform I/O management. The techniques involve: in response to receiving an I/O request for a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), determining a stripe of the RAID related to the I/O request; determining metadata corresponding to the stripe, the metadata indicating validity of current data in a corresponding data block of the RAID, the data block comprising one or more stripes; in response to the metadata indicating that the current data is valid, executing the I/O request by accessing the RAID; and in response to the metadata indicating that the current data is invalid, responding to the I/O request with zero data as the current data. Accordingly, disk access is reduced, metadata cache efficiency is increased, I/O performance is improved and the RAID reliability is enhanced.

Abstract: A storage management technique involves: receiving from a requesting node a write request for writing target data into a first target storage space in a redundant array of independent disks (RAID); if a storage device associated with the first target storage space does not fail, acquiring first data stored in the first target storage space and a first parity value corresponding to the requesting node and stored in a parity storage space; determining a target parity value based on the target data, the first data, and the first parity value; and updating a stripe with the target data and the target parity value. Accordingly, locks caused by updating the parity value can be avoided, so that different nodes can perform parallel write to different storage spaces in the same stripe in the RAID.

Abstract: A storage management technique involves: receiving from a requesting node a write request for writing target data into a first target storage space in a redundant array of independent disks (RAID); if a storage device associated with the first target storage space does not fail, acquiring first data stored in the first target storage space and a first parity value corresponding to the requesting node and stored in a parity storage space; determining a target parity value based on the target data, the first data, and the first parity value; and updating a stripe with the target data and the target parity value. Accordingly, locks caused by updating the parity value can be avoided, so that different nodes can perform parallel write to different storage spaces in the same stripe in the RAID.

Abstract: In creating an extent array in a storage system, in response to receiving a request to generate an extent array using idle extents in storage devices, a width of an extent stripe is determined, and a size of the extent array is designated by the storage system. A first extent group and a second extent group are respectively selected from the storage devices based on the width to form a first extent stripe and a second extent stripe, and a first extent at a given position in the first extent group and a second extent at a given position in the second extent group are respectively located in different storage devices. Based on the first extent stripe and the second extent stripe, an address mapping representing the extent array is generated. The address mapping includes association between extent identifiers of extents and extent indexes of the extents.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution of evaluating a rebuilding performance of a redundant array of independent disks. In some embodiments, there is provided a computer-implemented method, comprising: simulating, based on a first group of redundant arrays of independent disks, a rebuilding process for a second group of redundant arrays of independent disks; obtaining a first performance metric of the simulated rebuilding process; and identifying a factor associated with the rebuilding performance of the second group of redundant arrays of independent disks based on the first performance metric.

Abstract: Techniques for rebuilding a failed drive of a plurality of drives are provided. The techniques include: (a) determining a number of empty data stripes that have been allocated from the plurality of drives; (b) applying a set of decision criteria to the determined number to yield a decision, wherein applying the set of decision criteria yields a first decision at a first time and a differing second decision at a second time; (c) in response to the first decision at the first time, deallocating an empty data stripe that was allocated from the plurality of drives to yield a plurality of data extents on disparate drives of the plurality of drives and continuing to rebuild the failed drive onto at least one of the plurality of data extents; and (d) in response to the second decision at the second time, pausing rebuilding the failed drive until applying the set of decision criteria yields the first decision.

Abstract: Techniques for managing a storage unit involve: determining space usage indicators of a storage system including disks, each disk is divided into disk slices, and at least part of the disk slices are organized into a storage unit. The techniques further involve: determining a target priority of a data migration task based on the space usage indicators, wherein the data migration task is used to migrate data in a group of disk slices allocated to at least one storage unit to another group of disk slices. The techniques further involve: if the target priority is different from a current priority of the data migration task, adjusting the current priority of the data migration task to the target priority, and determining system resources for the data migration task based on the target priority. Accordingly, a priority of a data migration task can be dynamically adjusted to accommodate different scenarios.

Abstract: Techniques perform storage management. The techniques involve: in response to a target request for a target redundant array of independent disks (RAID), determining that data in a first storage block associated with the target RAID needs to be moved or copied, wherein the target request includes one of the following: a restriping request, a type conversion request, or a rebalancing request; creating an intermediate RAID associated with an idle second storage block; and copying the data in the first storage block to a corresponding storage space in the intermediate RAID to write at least part of the data in the second storage block. Based on this mode, RAID restriping, type conversion, or rebalancing can be implemented efficiently.

Abstract: a method and an apparatus for maintaining reliability of a mapped redundant array of independent disks. The method comprises: determining a first data loss probability, the first data loss probability indicating reliability of a traditional redundant array of independent disks; determining a second data loss probability, the second data loss probability indicating reliability of the mapped redundant array of independent disks; and determining, based on the first and second data loss probabilities, a condition for maintaining the reliability of the mapped redundant array of independent disks. Compared with the prior art, embodiments of the present disclosure can effectively predict the reliability of a mapped RAID through comparison with a traditional RAID, so as to be capable of determining a reliability relationship between the traditional RAID and the mapped RAID. In this way, the reliability of the traditional RAID will not be degraded when being expanded into the mapped RAID.

Abstract: In response to failure of a data storage drive, data previously stored on the failed drive is rebuilt on a replacement data storage drive by executing drive rebuild jobs on a first set of processor cores. While the data previously stored on the failed data storage drive is being rebuilt, a second set of processor cores is used to process host I/O (Input/Output) requests. The host I/O requests processed by the second set of processor cores may be a first set of host I/O requests processed during the data rebuild. When a current total number of outstanding host I/O requests exceeds a threshold maximum number of outstanding host I/O requests, at least one processor core in the first set of processor cores may be used to process a second set of host I/O requests while the data previously stored on the failed data storage drive is being rebuilt.

Abstract: Techniques manage a storage system. In accordance with such techniques, an access request for target data is received; a storage position of the target data is determined, the storage position indicating one of a storage device and a cache; a target element corresponding to the target data is determined from a first replacement list and a second replacement list associated with the first replacement list based on the storage position, the first replacement list including at least a counting element, the counting element indicating an access count of data in the storage device, the second replacement list including a low-frequency access element, the low-frequency access element indicating a cache page with a low access frequency in the cache; and a position of the target element in a replacement list where the target element exist is updated. Therefore, the overall performance of the storage system can be improved.

Abstract: Techniques involve: determining corresponding valid metadata rates of a plurality of metadata blocks stored in a metadata storage area of a storage system, the valid metadata rate of each metadata block indicating a ratio of valid metadata in the metadata block to all metadata in the metadata block; selecting a predetermined number of metadata blocks having a valid metadata rate lower than a first valid metadata rate threshold from the plurality of metadata blocks; storing valid metadata in the predetermined number of metadata blocks into at least one metadata block following the plurality of metadata blocks in the metadata storage area; and making the valid metadata in the predetermined number of metadata blocks invalid. Accordingly, such techniques can improve the efficiency of the storage system.

Abstract: Techniques for providing information involve: obtaining, from a first device for updating information, a first copy of the updated information, where a second copy of the information prior to the updating is cached in a first buffer acting as an active buffer and the second copy is provided in response to receiving a first request for providing the information from a second device; caching the first copy in a second buffer acting as a standby buffer; in response to the first copy being cached in the second buffer, switching the second buffer to the active buffer and switching the first buffer to the standby buffer; and in response to receiving a second request for providing the information from the second device, providing, to the second device, the first copy cached in the active buffer. Such techniques can ensure the consistency of the provided information without a lock.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method, device and a computer program product for managing a storage system. The storage system includes a disk array. A method includes determining, based on a first number of disks in the disk array, a second number of spare disks for the disk array. The method further includes creating a spare disk array with the second number of spare disks. The method further includes, in response to a first disk in the disk array failing, allocating a spare logic storage unit from the spare disk array for rebuilding the first disk. In addition, the method further includes rebuilding the first disk with the spare logic storage unit.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computer system for receiving, by a computing device, a request to create a heterogeneous storage object. A first storage object of the heterogeneous storage object may be created with a first RAID type. A second storage object of the heterogeneous storage object may be created with a second RAID type. The heterogeneous storage object may be persisted to a data store.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computer system for identifying a bit for an allocation unit. It may be determined if data has been modified on the allocation unit while degraded. A rebuild of the allocation unit may be executed when the bit is a first value. The rebuild of the allocation unit may be skipped when the bit is a second value.

Abstract: Techniques manage a cache. Such techniques involve creating a primary cache by a cache management module in a storage system. Such techniques further involve: in response to the primary cache being created, sending a first request to a hardware management module to obtain first information about a first virtual disk. Such techniques further involve: in response to receiving the first information from the hardware management module, creating a secondary cache using the first virtual disk. Such techniques further involve: in response to an available capacity of the primary cache being below a predetermined threshold, flushing at least one cache page in the primary cache to the secondary cache. In certain techniques, it is possible to use spare extents in the disk array to create the secondary cache to increase a total capacity of the cache in the system, thereby improving the access performance of the system.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to method and apparatus for scaling out storage devices, and scaled-out storage devices by establishing a cross-device link between a first storage device and a second storage device; exchanging configuration information of at least one of the first storage device and the second storage via the cross-device link; creating, in the first storage device, a shadow object corresponding to a real object in the second storage device; and creating, in the second storage device, a shadow object corresponding to a real object in the first storage device; wherein each shadow object can expose feature and/or state of a corresponding real object to users without implementing a functioning logic of the corresponding real object.

Abstract: A technique provides a RAID resiliency set from a plurality of storage devices. The technique involves identifying a minimum sub-RRS width based on a predefined RAID level to be enforced on the RRS. The technique further involves, based on the minimum sub-RRS width, allocating segments from the plurality of storage devices to create a maximum number of sub-RRSs. The technique further involves forming the RRS from the created maximum number of sub-RRSs.

Abstract: Techniques for storage management involve: determining expected usage time of a first storage disk in a set of storage disks, at least a part of the set of storage disks being configured to form at least one redundant array of independent disks (RAID); moving data in a first storage block, associated with a first RAID in the at least one RAID, in the first storage disk to a second storage block in a second storage disk in the set of storage disks based on a determination that the expected usage time is less than a predetermined threshold value; and replacing the first storage block with the second storage block, so that the second storage block is associated with the first RAID. Based on this manner, the stability of a storage system can be improved.