Method, system, and article of manufacture for managing storage pools

• US 20040044827A1
• Filed: 08/29/2002
• Published: 03/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kishi, Gregory Tad, Carlson, Wayne Charles, Gibble, Kevin Lee, Fisher, James Arthur
• Granted Patent: US 6,954,768 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0631 by allocating resources to storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0686 Libraries, e.g. tape libraries, jukebox
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99956 File allocation

Abstract

Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture for pooling of storage. Volume attributes are assigned to a plurality of physical volumes. Pool attributes are assigned to a plurality of storage pools, wherein the pool attributes include policies for borrowing and returning the plurality of physical volumes to and from the plurality of storage pools. One of the plurality of physical volumes is allocated to one of the plurality of storage pools based on the volume attributes of the one of the plurality of physical volumes and the pool attributes of the one of the plurality of storage pools.

Claims

1. A method for pooling of storage, the method comprising:

assigning volume attributes to a plurality of physical volumes;

assigning pool attributes to a plurality of storage pools, wherein the pool attributes include policies for borrowing and returning the plurality of physical volumes to and from the plurality of storage pools; and

allocating one of the plurality of physical volumes to one of the plurality of storage pools based on the volume attributes of the one of the plurality of physical volumes and the pool attributes of the one of the plurality of storage pools.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein assigning the volume attributes further comprises:

selecting a first physical volume from the plurality of physical volumes;

indicating in a first field of the volume attributes for the first physical volume a home pool for the physical volume, wherein the home pool is selected from the plurality of storage pools, and wherein the first physical volume can be returned to the home pool when the first physical volume is empty; and

indicating in a second field of the volume attributes for the first physical volume a current pool for the first physical volume, wherein the current pool is selected from the plurality of storage pools in which the first physical volume is present.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein assigning the volume attributes further comprises:

selecting a first physical volume from the plurality of physical volumes; and

assigning the first physical volume permanently to a first pool selected from the plurality of storage pools at a time of selecting the first physical volume.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein assigning the pool attributes further comprises:

selecting a first storage pool from the plurality of storage pools;

indicating in one or more fields of the pool attributes of the first storage pool a preference order for different types of physical volumes to be borrowed to the first storage pool; and

indicating in one field of the pool attributes of the first storage pool a policy for returning physical volumes from the first storage pool to a scratch storage pool, wherein the scratch storage pool is from the plurality of storage pools.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning a scratch pool from the plurality of storage pools, wherein the scratch pool contains empty physical volumes selected from the plurality of physical volumes and

assigning an active pool from the plurality of storage pools, wherein the active pool can borrow physical volumes from the scratch pool, and wherein physical volumes in the active pool may have data written into the physical volumes in the active pool.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

borrowing a first physical volume into the active pool from the scratch pool;

filling the first physical volume with data while the first physical volume is in the active pool; and

emptying the first physical volume of data.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

returning the emptied first physical volume to the scratch pool from the active pool.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

reusing the emptied first physical volume in the active pool.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning a first physical volume to a first pool, wherein the first pool is selected from the plurality of storage pools;

filling the first physical volume with data while the first physical volume is in the first pool;

emptying the first physical volume while the first physical volume is in the first pool subsequent to filling the first physical volume; and

reusing the emptied first physical volume in the first pool.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of physical volumes and the plurality of storage pools are coupled to a physical library, wherein the physical library is coupled to a virtual tape server, wherein the virtual tape server is coupled to a cache and a plurality of hosts, wherein one of the plurality of hosts can direct data to a specific storage pool, and wherein the volume attributes and the pool attributes of the plurality of storage pools in the physical library are coupled to the virtual tape server.

11. A system for pooling of storage, the system comprising:

a plurality of physical volumes;

a plurality of storage pools;

means for assigning volume attributes to the plurality of physical volumes;

means for assigning pool attributes to the plurality of storage pools, wherein the pool attributes include policies for borrowing and returning the plurality of physical volumes to and from the plurality of storage pools; and

means for allocating one of the plurality of physical volumes to one of the plurality of storage pools based on the volume attributes of the one of the plurality of physical volumes and the pool attributes of the one of the plurality of storage pools.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for assigning volume attributes further performs:

selecting a first physical volume from the plurality of physical volumes;

indicating in a first field of the volume attributes for the first physical volume a home pool for the physical volume, wherein the home pool is selected from the plurality of storage pools, and wherein the first physical volume can be returned to the home pool when the first physical volume is empty; and

indicating in a second field of the volume attributes for the first physical volume a current pool for the first physical volume, wherein the current pool is selected from the plurality of storage pools in which the first physical volume is present.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for assigning volume attributes further performs:

selecting a first physical volume from the plurality of physical volumes; and

assigning the first physical volume permanently to a first pool selected from the plurality of storage pools at a time of selecting the first physical volume.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for assigning pool attributes further performs:

selecting a first storage pool from the plurality of storage pools;

indicating in one or more fields of the pool attributes of the first storage pool a preference order for different types of physical volumes to be borrowed to the first storage pool; and

indicating in one field of the pool attributes of the first storage pool a policy for returning physical volumes from the first storage pool to a scratch storage pool, wherein the scratch storage pool is from the plurality of storage pools.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

means for assigning a scratch pool from the plurality of storage pools, wherein the scratch pool contains empty physical volumes selected from the plurality of physical volumes and

means for assigning an active pool from the plurality of storage pools, wherein the active pool can borrow physical volumes from the scratch pool, and wherein physical volumes in the active pool may have data written into the physical volumes in the active pool.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

means for borrowing a first physical volume into the active pool from the scratch pool;

means for filling the first physical volume with data while the first physical volume is in the active pool; and

means for emptying the first physical volume of data.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

means for returning the emptied first physical volume to the scratch pool from the active pool.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

means for reusing the emptied first physical volume in the active pool.

19. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

means for assigning a first physical volume to a first pool, wherein the first pool is selected from the plurality of storage pools;

means for filling the first physical volume with data while the first physical volume is in the first pool;

means for emptying the first physical volume while the first physical volume is in the first pool subsequent to filling the first physical volume; and

means for reusing the emptied first physical volume in the first pool.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of physical volumes and the plurality of storage pools are coupled to a physical library, wherein the physical library is coupled to a virtual tape server, wherein the virtual tape server is coupled to a cache and a plurality of hosts, wherein one of the plurality of hosts can direct data to a specific storage pool, and wherein the volume attributes and the pool attributes of the plurality of storage pools in the physical library are coupled to the virtual tape server.

21. An article of manufacture for pooling of storage, wherein the article of manufacture causes operations, the operations comprising:

assigning volume attributes to a plurality of physical volumes;

assigning pool attributes to a plurality of storage pools, wherein the pool attributes include policies for borrowing and returning the plurality of physical volumes to and from the plurality of storage pools; and

allocating one of the plurality of physical volumes to one of the plurality of storage pools based on the volume attributes of the one of the plurality of physical volumes and the pool attributes of the one of the plurality of storage pools.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein assigning the volume attributes further comprises:

selecting a first physical volume from the plurality of physical volumes;

indicating in a first field of the volume attributes for the first physical volume a home pool for the physical volume, wherein the home pool is selected from the plurality of storage pools, and wherein the first physical volume can be returned to the home pool when the first physical volume is empty; and

indicating in a second field of the volume attributes for the first physical volume a current pool for the first physical volume, wherein the current pool is selected from the plurality of storage pools in which the first physical volume is present.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein assigning the volume attributes further comprises:

selecting a first physical volume from the plurality of physical volumes; and

assigning the first physical volume permanently to a first pool selected from the plurality of storage pools at a time of selecting the first physical volume.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein assigning the pool attributes further comprises:

selecting a first storage pool from the plurality of storage pools;

indicating in one or more fields of the pool attributes of the first storage pool a preference order for different types of physical volumes to be borrowed to the first storage pool; and

indicating in one field of the pool attributes of the first storage pool a policy for returning physical volumes from the first storage pool to a scratch storage pool, wherein the scratch storage pool is from the plurality of storage pools.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 21, the operations further comprising:

assigning a scratch pool from the plurality of storage pools, wherein the scratch pool contains empty physical volumes selected from the plurality of physical volumes and

assigning an active pool from the plurality of storage pools, wherein the active pool can borrow physical volumes from the scratch pool, and wherein physical volumes in the active pool may have data written into the physical volumes in the active pool.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 25, the operations further comprising:

borrowing a first physical volume into the active pool from the scratch pool;

filling the first physical volume with data while the first physical volume is in the active pool; and

emptying the first physical volume of data.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 26, the operations further comprising:

returning the emptied first physical volume to the scratch pool from the active pool.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 26, the operations further comprising:

reusing the emptied first physical volume in the active pool.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 21, the operations further comprising:

assigning a first physical volume to a first pool, wherein the first pool is selected from the plurality of storage pools;

filling the first physical volume with data while the first physical volume is in the first pool;

emptying the first physical volume while the first physical volume is in the first pool subsequent to filling the first physical volume; and

reusing the emptied first physical volume in the first pool.

30. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the plurality of physical volumes and the plurality of storage pools are coupled to a physical library, wherein the physical library is coupled to a virtual tape server, wherein the virtual tape server is coupled to a cache and a plurality of hosts, wherein one of the plurality of hosts can direct data to a specific storage pool, and wherein the volume attributes and the pool attributes of the plurality of storage pools in the physical library are coupled to the virtual tape server.