OSDI 2000 Abstract
Trading Capacity for Performance in a Disk Array1
Xiang Yu, Benjamin Gum, Yuqun Chen, Randolph Y. Wang, and Kai Li, Princeton
University; Arvind Krishnamurthy, Yale University; and Thomas E.
Anderson, University of Washington
Abstract
A variety of performance-enhancing techniques, such as striping, mirroring, and rotational data replication, exist in the
disk array literature. Given a fixed budget of disks, one must intelligently choose what combination of these techniques
to employ. In this paper, we present a way of designing disk arrays that can flexibly and systematically reduce seek
and rotational delay in a balanced manner. We give analytical models that can guide an array designer towards optimal
configurations by considering both disk and workload characteristics. We have implemented a prototype disk array that
incorporates the configuration models. In the process, we have also developed a robust disk head position prediction
mechanism without any hardware support. The resulting prototype demonstrates the effectiveness of the configuration
models.
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