Enhancing disk array performance via variable parity based load balancing

摘要

A system and method for enhancing disk array performance via variable-parity-based load balancing is described. The system and method operate on a computer storage system that includes a plurality of disk drives for storing distributed parity groups. Each distributed parity group includes storage blocks. The storage blocks include one or more data blocks and a parity block that is associated with the one or more data blocks. Each of the storage blocks is stored on a separate disk drive such that no two storage blocks from a given parity set reside on the same disk drive. The computer storage system further includes file system metadata to describe a location of each of the storage blocks. The computer storage system further includes a load-balancing module to dynamically move storage blocks of the distributed parity groups among the plurality of disk drives to balance transaction loading of the plurality of disk drives and thereby to improve throughput of the computer storage system. The load-balancing module is configured to update the file system metadata when a storage block is moved.