DATA STORAGE SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20120173838A1
• Filed: 03/08/2012
• Published: 07/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: NOLL, Dietmar, REICHERT, Christoph
• Granted Patent: US 8,862,833 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0608 Saving storage space on storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0631 by allocating resources to storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0665 at area level, e.g. provisioning of virtual or logical volumes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0683 Plurality of storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0685 Hybrid storage combining heterogeneous device types, e.g. hierarchical storage, hybrid arrays

Abstract

Various embodiments storing volumes of data in a data storage system, including one or more data storage containers, the data storage containers being thin-provisioned to provide virtual data storage capacity which is greater than a real data storage capacity of the data storage hardware are provided. In one embodiment, by way of example only, a real data storage capacity of the data storage system for accommodating new volumes is determined. Over-allocation information relating to one or more data storage containers is determined. Extrapolated future anticipated use of one or more containers of the data storage system from historical data storage use information is determined. One or more candidate data storage containers on the basis of information from the determining the real data storage capacity, over-allocation information, and the extrapolated future anticipated use is selected. Additional system and computer program product embodiments are disclosed and provide related advantages.

Claims

1. A method of storing one or more volumes of data in a data storage system, including one or more data storage containers, provided by data storage hardware, the one or more data storage containers being thin-provisioned to provide virtual data storage capacity which is greater than a real data storage capacity of the data storage hardware, wherein the method includes:

determining a real data storage capacity of the data storage system for accommodating the one or more new volumes;

determining over-allocation information relating to the one or more data storage containers;

determining extrapolated future anticipated use of the one or more containers of the data storage system from historical data storage use information; and

selecting one or more candidate data storage containers on the basis of information from the determining the real data storage capacity, over-allocation information, and the extrapolated future anticipated use.

2. The method of claim 1, further including, selecting one or more candidate containers for the one or more new volumes, based upon results from the determining and the selecting being compared with at least one of one or more data storage thresholds and with policy rules defining operation of the data storage system.

3. The method according to claim 2, further including, performing one of:

finding one or more containers which have sufficient virtual data storage capacity for the one or more new volumes,

finding one or more containers which have sufficient real data storage capacity or the one or more new volumes,

finding one or more containers which are below their over-allocation capacity with regard to thin partitioning, and

finding one or more containers in respect to the one or more containers whose data storage utilization does not exceed thresholds and best practice values.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein information regarding utilization of the data storage capacity of the system is stored in persistent memory for use in selection of the one or more candidate containers for storing the one or more new volumes.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein operating the distributed cluster storage network comprises operating a storage virtualization controller.

6. An data storage system for storing one or more volumes of data, the system including one or more data storage containers provided by data storage hardware, the one or more data storage containers being thin-provisioned to provide virtual data storage capacity which is greater than a real data storage capacity of the data storage hardware, wherein the data storage system includes at least one of:

a processor device operable in the data storage system, and

a memory management arrangement, in communication with the processor device, wherein the processor device and the memory management arrangement is adapted for performing one of;

determining a real data storage capacity of the data storage system for accommodating the one or more new volumes,

determining over-allocation information relating to the one or more data storage containers,

determining extrapolated future anticipated use of the one or more containers of the data storage system from historical data storage use information, and

selecting one or more candidate data storage containers on the basis of information from the determining the real data storage capacity, over-allocation information, and the extrapolated future anticipated use.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor device and the memory management arrangement is further adapted for selecting one or more candidate containers for the one or more new volumes, based upon results from the determining and the selecting being compared with at least one of one or more data storage thresholds and with policy rules defining operation of the data storage system.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor device and the memory management arrangement is further adapted for performing one of:

finding one or more containers which have sufficient virtual data storage capacity for the one or more new volumes,

finding one or more containers which have sufficient real data storage capacity or the one or more new volumes,

finding one or more containers which are below their over-allocation capacity with regard to thin partitioning, and

finding one or more containers in respect to the one or more containers whose data storage utilization does not exceed thresholds and best practice values.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein information regarding utilization of the data storage capacity of the system is stored in persistent memory for use in selection of the one or more candidate containers for storing the one or more new volumes.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein operating the distributed cluster storage network comprises operating a storage virtualization controller.

11. A computer program product of storing one or more volumes of data in a data storage system, including one or more data storage containers, provided by data storage hardware, the one or more data storage containers being thin-provisioned to provide virtual data storage capacity which is greater than a real data storage capacity of the data storage hardware, a host computer system and a storage subsystem by a processor device, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

a first executable portion for determining a real data storage capacity of the data storage system for accommodating the one or more new volumes;

a second executable portion for determining over-allocation information relating to the one or more data storage containers;

a third executable portion for determining extrapolated future anticipated use of the one or more containers of the data storage system from historical data storage use information; and

a fourth executable portion for selecting one or more candidate data storage containers on the basis of information from the determining the a real data storage capacity, over-allocation information, and the extrapolated future anticipated use.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, further including a fifth executable portion for selecting one or more candidate containers for the one or more new volumes, based upon results from the determining and the selecting being compared with at least one of one or more data storage thresholds and with policy rules defining operation of the data storage system.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, further including a fifth executable portion for performing one of:

finding one or more containers which have sufficient virtual data storage capacity for the one or more new volumes,

finding one or more containers which have sufficient real data storage capacity or the one or more new volumes,

finding one or more containers which are below their over-allocation capacity with regard to thin partitioning, and

finding one or more containers in respect to the one or more containers whose data storage utilization does not exceed thresholds and best practice values.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein information regarding utilization of the data storage capacity of the system is stored in persistent memory for use in selection of the one or more candidate containers for storing the one or more new volumes.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein operating the distributed cluster storage network comprises operating a storage virtualization controller.