BACKGROUND

Storage systems have components whose responsibility is to map a user-visible logical address space to an internal physical address space, and implement various features such as snapshots, data compression, data deduplication, etc. Such mapping and features may rely on different types of metadata to be implemented. This metadata (e.g., Tops, Mids, Leafs, Virtual Logical Blocks (VLBs) pointing to Physical Large Blocks (PLBs), etc.) are typically stored persistently as, e.g., 4k blocks on drives and different metadata blocks reference each other by their block-addresses.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF DISCLOSURE

In one example implementation, a method, performed by one or more computing devices, may include but is not limited to virtualizing, by a computing device, a physical metadata space into a virtual metadata space. A translation table from the virtual metadata space to the physical metadata space may be implemented. Metadata in the physical metadata space may be cached based upon the virtual metadata space. The metadata in the physical metadata space may be moved without updating references associated with the metadata in the physical metadata space.

One or more of the following example features may be included. The translation table may be implemented on a boot-tier at a static address. Modifications to the translation table may be tracked in a metadata log for destaging to the boot-tier. The physical metadata space may be implemented as a log-structured store. The physical metadata space may be implemented on a parity RAID configuration. Destaging of the metadata from the metadata log may be written to a new segment. The translation table may be updated to track mapping of the new segment.

In another example implementation, a computing system may include one or more processors and one or more memories configured to perform operations that may include but are not limited to virtualizing, by a computing device, a physical metadata space into a virtual metadata space. A translation table from the virtual metadata space to the physical metadata space may be implemented. Metadata in the physical metadata space may be cached based upon the virtual metadata space. The metadata in the physical metadata space may be moved without updating references associated with the metadata in the physical metadata space.

One or more of the following example features may be included. The translation table may be implemented on a boot-tier at a static address. Modifications to the translation table may be tracked in a metadata log for destaging to the boot-tier. The physical metadata space may be implemented as a log-structured store. The physical metadata space may be implemented on a parity RAID configuration. Destaging of the metadata from the metadata log may be written to a new segment. The translation table may be updated to track mapping of the new segment.

In another example implementation, a computer program product may reside on a computer readable storage medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon which, when executed across one or more processors, may cause at least a portion of the one or more processors to perform operations that may include but are not limited to virtualizing, by a computing device, a physical metadata space into a virtual metadata space. A translation table from the virtual metadata space to the physical metadata space may be implemented. Metadata in the physical metadata space may be cached based upon the virtual metadata space. The metadata in the physical metadata space may be moved without updating references associated with the metadata in the physical metadata space.

One or more of the following example features may be included. The translation table may be implemented on a boot-tier at a static address. Modifications to the translation table may be tracked in a metadata log for destaging to the boot-tier. The physical metadata space may be implemented as a log-structured store. The physical metadata space may be implemented on a parity RAID configuration. Destaging of the metadata from the metadata log may be written to a new segment. The translation table may be updated to track mapping of the new segment.

The details of one or more example implementations are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other possible example features and/or possible example advantages will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims. Some implementations may not have those possible example features and/or possible example advantages, and such possible example features and/or possible example advantages may not necessarily be required of some implementations.

