VMware, Inc.
Issuing efficient writes to erasure coded objects in a distributed storage system with two tiers of storage

Abstract:

Techniques for issuing efficient writes to an erasure coded storage object in a distributed storage system are provided. In one set of embodiments, a node of the system can receive a write request for updating a logical data block of the storage object, write data/metadata for the block to a record in a data log of a metadata object of the storage object (where the metadata object is stored on a performance storage tier), place the block data in a free slot of an in-memory bank, and determine whether the in-memory bank has become full. If the in-memory bank is full, the node can further allocate a segment in a capacity object of the storage object for holding contents of the in-memory bank (where the capacity object is stored on a capacity storage tier), and write the in-memory bank contents via a full stripe write to the allocated segment.