Configuring Memory for a Raid Storage System

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus having a memory operable with a virtualised RAID controller to determine an optimum I/O configuration by testing performance characteristics of a plurality of I/O operations.

1 . An apparatus having a memory operable with a virtualized RAID controller to determine an optimum I/O configuration by testing performance characteristics of a plurality of I/O operations wherein each of said I/O operations comprise writing a block of data to the RAID controller, and wherein said I/O configuration includes a data length and a data alignment, wherein each of the I/O operations comprises a different combination of a data size parameter and a block parameter.  
   
   
       2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said memory is a cache.  
   
   
       3 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said memory is an input buffer.  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said memory is an output buffer.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said performance characteristic is a response time.  
   
   
       6 . A method for operating an apparatus having a memory operable with a virtualized RAID controller, comprising the steps of: 
 performing a plurality of I/O operations wherein said I/O operations include writing a block of data to the RAID controller;    testing a performance characteristic of said plurality of I/O operations; and    responsive to said step of testing, setting an optimal I/O configuration for subsequent I/O operations wherein said I/O configuration includes a data length and a data alignment, wherein each of the I/O operations comprises a different combination of a data size parameter and a block parameter.    
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein said method is carried out when the RAID controller is otherwise idle.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 6  wherein said memory is a cache.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 6  wherein said memory is an input buffer.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 6  wherein said memory is an output buffer.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 6  wherein said performance characteristic is a response time.  
   
   
       12 . A computer program product comprising computer program code stored on a computer readable storage medium which, when executed on a data processing system, instructs the data processing system to carry out the method as claimed in  claim 6 .  
   
   
       13 . A computer program product embodied on a computer readable medium comprising instructions that carry out a method comprising: 
 compiling a set of different combinations of a data size parameter and a block parameter;    performing I/O operations for members of the set of different combinations;    measuring and recording performance of each of the I/O operations;    identifying the I/O operation and corresponding combination of the set of different combinations as having the best performance; and    configuring a storage appliance in accordance with a combination identified as having the best performance.    
   
   
       14 . A computer program product of  claim 6  wherein said I/O operations include writing a block of data to a RAID controller.  
   
   
       15 . A computer program product of  claim 14  wherein said method is carried out when the RAID controller is otherwise idle.  
   
   
       16 . A computer program product of  claim 13  wherein said performance characteristic is a response time.  
   
   
       17 . A computer program product of  claim 13 , wherein the performance is recorded to a storage device.  
   
   
       18 . A computer program product of  claim 13 , wherein the I/O operations comprise write operations.  
   
   
       19 . A computer program product of  claim 13 , wherein the performance is recorded to a storage device of the storage appliance.  
   
   
       20 . A computer program product of  claim 13 , wherein the I/O operations are performed for each member of the set of different combinations.