Resource management for data storage services

• US 20060129770A1
• Filed: 12/10/2004
• Published: 06/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Plaza, Rosa Tesller, Martin, Howard Newton
• Granted Patent: US 8,205,058 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments

Abstract

Provided are a method, system, and an article of manufacture, wherein resources corresponding to at least one copy pool are acquired, and wherein the at least one copy pool has been defined for a first primary storage pool of a storage hierarchy. The acquired resources are retained, in response to determining that data cannot be written to the first primary storage pool. The data is written to the at least one copy pool, in response to writing the data to a second primary storage pool of the storage hierarchy.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

acquiring resources corresponding to at least one copy pool that has been defined for a first primary storage pool of a storage hierarchy;

retaining the acquired resources, in response to determining that data cannot be written to the first primary storage pool; and

writing the data to the at least one copy pool, in response to writing the data to a second primary storage pool of the storage hierarchy.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one copy pool is a first copy pool, and wherein a second copy pool has been defined for the second primary storage pool, the method further comprising:

avoiding a release of the resources corresponding to the first copy pool, in response to the writing of the data to the first copy pool, wherein no resources are acquired for the second copy pool.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the acquired resources are a first set of resources, the method further comprising:

receiving a request to write the data to the first primary storage pool, prior to the acquiring of the first set of resources corresponding to the at least one copy pool;

acquiring a second set of resources corresponding to the first primary storage pool;

releasing the second set of resources and acquiring a third set of resources corresponding to the second primary storage pool, in response to determining that the data cannot be written to the first primary storage pool;

writing the data to the second primary storage pool in association with the writing of the data to the at least one copy pool; and

releasing the first set of resources, and the third set of resources.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first primary storage pool is a disk pool, and wherein the second primary storage pool is a tape pool.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second primary storage pool is lower in the storage hierarchy in comparison to the first primary storage pool, and wherein the data is preferred to be written to a highest available primary storage pool in the storage hierarchy.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the resources are a first set of resources, the method further comprising:

acquiring a second set of resources corresponding to the first primary storage pool;

determining whether the data can be written to the first primary storage pool;

writing the data to the first primary storage pool, in response to determining that the data can be written to the first primary storage pool;

writing the data to the at least one copy pool, in response to the writing of the data to the first primary storage pool; and

releasing the first set of resources and the second set of resources.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the acquiring, the retaining, and the writing of the data to the at least one copy pool are performed by a storage manager in a storage server in communication with a client that sends the data to the storage server.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein simultaneous write has been enabled in the storage server.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the resources corresponding to the at least one copy pool are acquired by locking hardware resources used to access the at least one copy pool, wherein the hardware resources used to access the at least one copy pool are retained at least until the data has been written to the at least one copy pool.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is written to the at least one copy pool and the second primary storage pool substantially simultaneously.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one copy pool is a first copy pool, wherein a second copy pool has been defined for the second primary storage pool, and wherein the operations further comprise:

avoiding a release of the resources corresponding to the first copy pool, in response to the writing of the data to the first copy pool, wherein no resources are acquired for the second copy pool.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the acquired resources are a first set of resources, and wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a request to write the data to the first primary storage pool, prior to the acquiring of the first set of resources corresponding to the at least one copy pool;

acquiring a second set of resources corresponding to the first primary storage pool;

releasing the second set of resources and acquiring a third set of resources corresponding to the second primary storage pool, in response to determining that the data cannot be written to the first primary storage pool;

writing the data to the second primary storage pool in association with the writing of the data to the at least one copy pool; and

releasing the first set of resources, and the third set of resources.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the resources are a first set of resources, and wherein the operations further comprise:

acquiring a second set of resources corresponding to the first primary storage pool;

determining whether the data can be written to the first primary storage pool;

writing the data to the first primary storage pool, in response to determining that the data can be written to the first primary storage pool;

writing the data to the at least one copy pool, in response to the writing of the data to the first primary storage pool; and

releasing the first set of resources and the second set of resources.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the acquiring, the retaining, and the writing of the data to the at least one copy pool are performed by a storage manager in a storage server in communication with a client that sends the data to the storage server.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein simultaneous write has been enabled in the storage server.

11. A system, comprising:

memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is capable of performing operations, the operations comprising;

(i) acquiring resources corresponding to at least one copy pool that has been defined for a first primary storage pool of a storage hierarchy;

(ii) retaining the acquired resources, in response to determining that data cannot be written to the first primary storage pool; and

(iii) writing the data to the at least one copy pool, in response to writing the data to a second primary storage pool of the storage hierarchy.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the first primary storage pool is a disk pool, and wherein the second primary storage pool is a tape pool.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the second primary storage pool is lower in the storage hierarchy in comparison to the first primary storage pool, and wherein the data is preferred to be written to a highest available primary storage pool in the storage hierarchy.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the resources corresponding to the at least one copy pool are acquired by locking hardware resources used to access the at least one copy pool, wherein the hardware resources used to access the at least one copy pool are retained at least until the data has been written to the at least one copy pool.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the data is written to the at least one copy pool and the second primary storage pool substantially simultaneously.

21. An article of manufacture, wherein the article of manufacture is capable of causing operations, the operations comprising:

acquiring resources corresponding to at least one copy pool that has been defined for a first primary storage pool of a storage hierarchy;

retaining the acquired resources, in response to determining that data cannot be written to the first primary storage pool; and

writing the data to the at least one copy pool, in response to writing the data to a second primary storage pool of the storage hierarchy.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the at least one copy pool is a first copy pool, and wherein a second copy pool has been defined for the second primary storage pool, the operations further comprising:

avoiding a release of the resources corresponding to the first copy pool, in response to the writing of the data to the first copy pool, wherein no resources are acquired for the second copy pool.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the acquired resources are a first set of resources, the operations further comprising:

receiving a request to write the data to the first primary storage pool, prior to the acquiring of the first set of resources corresponding to the at least one copy pool;

acquiring a second set of resources corresponding to the first primary storage pool;

releasing the second set of resources and acquiring a third set of resources corresponding to the second primary storage pool, in response to determining that the data cannot be written to the first primary storage pool;

writing the data to the second primary storage pool in association with the writing of the data to the at least one copy pool; and

releasing the first set of resources, and the third set of resources.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the first primary storage pool is a disk pool, and wherein the second primary storage pool is a tape pool.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the second primary storage pool is lower in the storage hierarchy in comparison to the first primary storage pool, and wherein the data is preferred to be written to a highest available primary storage pool in the storage hierarchy.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the resources are a first set of resources, the operations further comprising:

acquiring a second set of resources corresponding to the first primary storage pool;

determining whether the data can be written to the first primary storage pool;

writing the data to the first primary storage pool, in response to determining that the data can be written to the first primary storage pool;

writing the data to the at least one copy pool, in response to the writing of the data to the first primary storage pool; and

releasing the first set of resources and the second set of resources.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the acquiring, the retaining, and the writing of the data to the at least one copy pool are performed by a storage manager in a storage server in communication with a client that sends the data to the storage server.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 27, wherein simultaneous write has been enabled in the storage server.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the resources corresponding to the at least one copy pool are acquired by locking hardware resources used to access the at least one copy pool, wherein the hardware resources used to access the at least one copy pool are retained at least until the data has been written to the at least one copy pool.

30. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the data is written to the at least one copy pool and the second primary storage pool substantially simultaneously.