Abstract: A new snapshot of a storage volume is created by instructing computing nodes to suppress write requests. Once pending write requests from the computing nodes are completed, storage nodes create a new snapshot for the storage volume by allocating a new segment to the new snapshot and finalizes and performs garbage collection with respect to segments allocated to the previous snapshot. The snapshots may be represented by a storage manager in a hierarchy. Deleted snapshots may be flagged as such in the hierarchy and deletion may be implemented only in memory on a storage node, which is then restored from the hierarchy in the event of a crash. A snapshot is removed from the hierarchy when all segments previously are freed by garbage collection. A hybrid storage node may perform both computing and storage services. Data may be written with tags indicating encoding protocols used to encode the data.

Abstract: A new snapshot of a storage volume is created by instructing computing nodes to suppress write requests. Once pending write requests from the computing nodes are completed, storage nodes create a new snapshot for the storage volume by allocating a new segment to the new snapshot and finalizes and performs garbage collection with respect to segments allocated to the previous snapshot. The snapshots may be represented by a storage manager in a hierarchy. Deleted snapshots may be flagged as such in the hierarchy and deletion may be implemented only in memory on a storage node, which is then restored from the hierarchy in the event of a crash. A snapshot is removed from the hierarchy when all segments previously are freed by garbage collection. A hybrid storage node may perform both computing and storage services. Data may be written with tags indicating encoding protocols used to encode the data.

Abstract: A new snapshot of a storage volume is created by instructing computing nodes to suppress write requests. Once pending write requests from the computing nodes are completed, storage nodes create a new snapshot for the storage volume by allocating a new segment to the new snapshot and finalizes and performs garbage collection with respect to segments allocated to the previous snapshot. The snapshots may be represented by a storage manager in a hierarchy. Deleted snapshots may be flagged as such in the hierarchy and deletion may be implemented only in memory on a storage node, which is then restored from the hierarchy in the event of a crash. A hybrid storage node may perform both computing and storage services. An IO module determines whether IOPs reference a locally-mounted storage device or a remote storage device. The IO module issues a library call for local IOPs using a shared memory in kernel space.

Abstract: A new snapshot of a storage volume is created by instructing computing nodes to suppress write requests. Once pending write requests from the computing nodes are completed, storage nodes create a new snapshot for the storage volume by allocating a new segment to the new snapshot and finalizes and performs garbage collection with respect to segments allocated to the previous snapshot. The snapshots may be represented by a storage manager in a hierarchy. Deleted snapshots may be flagged as such in the hierarchy and deletion may be implemented only in memory on a storage node, which is then restored from the hierarchy in the event of a crash. A snapshot is removed from the hierarchy when all segments previously are freed by garbage collection. A hybrid storage node may perform both computing and storage services. Data may be written with tags indicating encoding protocols used to encode the data.

Abstract: A new snapshot of a storage volume is created by instructing computing nodes to suppress write requests. Once pending write requests from the computing nodes are completed, storage nodes create a new snapshot for the storage volume by allocating a new segment to the new snapshot and finalizes and performs garbage collection with respect to segments allocated to the previous snapshot. The snapshots may be represented by a storage manager in a hierarchy. Deleted snapshots may be flagged as such in the hierarchy and deletion may be implemented only in memory on a storage node, which is then restored from the hierarchy in the event of a crash. A hybrid storage node may perform both computing and storage services. An IO module determines whether IOPs reference a locally-mounted storage device or a remote storage device. The IO module issues a library call for local IOPs using a shared memory in kernel space.

Abstract: A new snapshot of a storage volume is created by instructing computing nodes to suppress write requests. Once pending write requests from the computing nodes are completed, storage nodes create a new snapshot for the storage volume by allocating a new segment to the new snapshot and finalizes and performs garbage collection with respect to segments allocated to the previous snapshot. The snapshots may be represented by a storage manager in a hierarchy. Deleted snapshots may be flagged as such in the hierarchy and deletion may be implemented only in memory on a storage node, which is then restored from the hierarchy in the event of a crash. A snapshot is removed from the hierarchy when all segments previously are freed by garbage collection. A hybrid storage node may perform both computing and storage services. Data may be written with tags indicating encoding protocols used to encode the data.

Abstract: A cache system for a storage device includes a solid state drive (SSD), a random access memory (RAM), and a cache control device. The cache control device is configured to: retrieve data from the storage device in response to a request to read data from the storage device, store at least some of the data in one or both of (i) the SSD and (ii) the RAM, when storing the at least some of the data to the RAM, write to the RAM non-sequentially with respect to a memory space of the RAM, and when storing the at least some of the data in the SSD, write to the SSD sequentially with respect to a memory space of the SSD. The cache control device comprises an SSD interface device configured to allocate memory for storing data in the SSD sequentially with respect to the memory space of the SSD.

Abstract: A cache system for a storage device includes a solid state drive (SSD), a random access memory (RAM), and a cache control device. The cache control device is configured to: retrieve data from the storage device in response to a request to read data from the storage device, store at least some of the data in one or both of (i) the SSD and (ii) the RAM, when storing the at least some of the data to the RAM, write to the RAM non-sequentially with respect to a memory space of the RAM, and when storing the at least some of the data in the SSD, write to the SSD sequentially with respect to a memory space of the SSD. The cache control device comprises an SSD interface device configured to allocate memory for storing data in the SSD sequentially with respect to the memory space of the SSD.

Abstract: A cache system for a storage device includes (i) one or more solid state drives (SSDs), (ii) one or more random access memories (RAMs), and (iii) a cache control device. The cache control device caches at least some of first data that is to be written to the storage device, and caches at least some of second data that is retrieved from the storage device. When caching first data or second data in one of the one or more RAMs, the cache control device writes to the one RAM non-sequentially with respect to a memory space of the one RAM. When caching first data or second data in one of the one or more SSDs, the cache control device writes to the one SSD sequentially with respect to a memory space of the one SSD.