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Stochastic modeling and optimization of garbage collection algorithms in solid-state drive systems

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Abstract

Markov chains and mean-field analysis are powerful tools and widely used for performance analysis in large-scale computer and communication systems. In this paper, we consider the application of Markov modeling and mean-field analysis to solid-state drives (SSDs). SSDs are now widely deployed in mobiles, desktops, and data centers due to their high I/O performance and low energy consumption. In particular, we focus on characterizing the performance–durability tradeoff of garbage collection (GC) algorithms in SSDs. Specifically, we first develop a stochastic Markov chain model to capture the I/O dynamics of large-scale SSDs, then adapt mean-field analysis to derive the asymptotic steady state, based on which we are able to easily analyze the performance–durability tradeoff of a large family of GC algorithms. We further prove the model convergence and generalize the model for all types of workload. Inspired by this model, we also propose a randomized greedy algorithm (RGA) which has a single tunable parameter to trade between performance and durability. Using trace-driven simulation on DiskSim with SSD add-ons, we demonstrate how RGA can be parameterized to realize the performance–durability tradeoff.

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Acknowledgments

The work of Yongkun Li was supported in part by National Nature Science Foundation of China under Grant No. 61303048, and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities under Grant No. WK0110000040. The work of Patrick P. C. Lee was partially supported by the seed grants from the CUHK MoE-Microsoft Key Laboratory of Human-centric Computing and Interface Technologies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Computer Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China

    Yongkun Li

  2. The Chinese University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Hong Kong

    Yongkun Li, Patrick P. C. Lee & John C. S. Lui

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  1. Yongkun Li
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  2. Patrick P. C. Lee
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  3. John C. S. Lui
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Correspondence to Yongkun Li.

Additional information

An earlier conference version of the paper appeared in ACM SIGMETRICS 2013 [36]. In this journal version, we present all proofs, revise the presentation of mean-field model, analyze write amplification, and provide more rigorous arguments for our discussion throughout the paper.

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Li, Y., Lee, P.P.C. & Lui, J.C.S. Stochastic modeling and optimization of garbage collection algorithms in solid-state drive systems. Queueing Syst 77, 115–148 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11134-014-9405-y

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