Dynamically changeable virtual mapping scheme

• US 20020087544A1
• Filed: 12/29/2000
• Published: 07/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Storage Technologies Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Milligan, Charles A., Gladstone, Edward T., Selkirk, Stephen S., Merritt, Perry, Lenehan, James B., Willis, Kenneth
• Granted Patent: US 6,912,537 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0608 Saving storage space on storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0667 at data level, e.g. file, record or object virtualisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

A system is provided to support dynamically changeable virtual mapping schemes in a data processing system. The present invention separates processing of data unit requirements from the selection of which storage subsystems to use for storage by using a storage methodologies inventory. A stored data management subsystem contains one or more hosts. A plurality of data storage elements is functionally coupled to the one or more hosts. The plurality of data storage elements is organized using a plurality of layers of mapping tables. The plurality of layers of mapping tables provides unique identification of location of the data such that individual data entries in a mapping table is variable and self-defining with respect to the amount of data managed.

Claims

1. A stored data management subsystem, the stored data management subsystem comprising:

one or more hosts; and

a plurality of data storage elements functionally coupled to the one or more hosts, wherein the plurality of data storage elements is organized using a plurality of layers of mapping tables, the plurality of layer of mapping tables provides unique identification of a location of data such that individual data entries in a mapping table is variable and self-defining with respect to the amount of data managed.

2. The stored data management system of claim 1, wherein the layers of mapping tables are variable and self-defining.

3. The stored data management system of claim 1, wherein the layers of mapping tables are implemented individually.

4. The stored data management system of claim 3, wherein the individual layers of mapping tables are variable.

5. The stored data management system of claim 1, wherein information within the mapping table is by demand.

6. The stored data management system of claim 1, wherein a range of data is managed and is correlated to an addressed mapping table within the plurality of mapping tables.

7. The stored data management system of claim 6, wherein the correlation is an algorithm.

8. The stored data management system of claim 6, wherein the correlation is a pointer system.

9. The stored data management system of claim 6, wherein the correlation is a pointer to correlation logic.

10. The stored management system of claim 6, wherein the correlation is a tree structure.

11. The stored data management system of claim 6, wherein the range of data is managed independent of the layer of mapping tables being accessed within the plurality of layers of mapping tables.