Allocating data storage space of peripheral data storage devices using implied allocation based on user parameters

• US 5,018,060 A
• Filed: 01/26/1989
• Issued: 05/21/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Gelb, Jack P., Tyrrell, John C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Coleman, Eric
• Application Number:
  US07/301,970
• Time in Patent Office: 845 Days
• Field of Search: 364/200 MS File, 364/900 MS File
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/221 Column-oriented storage; Management thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2003/0697 device management, e.g. handlers, drivers, I/O schedulers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99956 File allocation

Abstract

Units of data (data sets, data bases, etc.) are allocated data storage space in a data storage system based on implicit analysis of the unit of data. A plurality of data classes, each defining predetermined characterisitics of diverse units of data, are established for the data storage system. A plurality of storage classes, each defining predetermined sets of storage performance and availability requirements are established for the data storage system. A plurality of management classes, each defining respective diverse sets of life cycle attributes for units of data are established for the data storage system. A plurality of storage groups, each defining diverse predetermined performance device and management available in the data storage system but independently of the individual storage devices of the data storage system are established. The devices are selectively assigned to different ones of the established storage groups. Each received spaced allocation requested has its parameters (source, type of data, etc.) matched with the data, storage and management classes for assignment of one each of those classes to the unit of data related to the allocation request. A storage group is also assigned. The matching of the different classes and group are independent of one another. Allocation is based upon the resulting class and group selection.

Claims

1. In a machine-effected method for enabling the managing of data storage space for allocating such space for data to be stored in a data storage system and for enabling management of such data stored in said data storage system;

the machine-executed steps of;

storing in said data storage system storage machine-sensible indicia representing a plurality of storage class definitions, each o said storage class definitions including predetermined ones of the machine-sensible indicia representing data storage performance and availability parameters;

storing in said data storage system management machine-sensible indicia representing a plurality of management class definitions with ones of the management machine-sensible indicia representing each management class definition including ones of the management machine-sensible indicia respectively indicating management parameters for handling units of data stored in the data storage system such as life cycle processing which are independent of said performance and availability parameters;

storing in said data storage system group machine-sensible-indicia representing a storage group definition each of which includes group machine-sensible indicia representing lists a plurality of data storing volume including operations to be performed on data stored in volumes which are in the respective storage groups;

storing in said data storage system select machine-sensible indicia representing a plurality of automatic class selection routines for respectively selecting a one of said storage and management classes and one of the storage groups for each separate unit of data to be stored in the data storage system wherein each of the automatic class selection routines access the respective machine-sensible indicia represented definitions stored in the data storage system during each said class selection.

2. In the machine-effected method set forth in claim 1, including the machine-effected steps of:

establishing predetermined user data set machine-sensible indications for a unit of data to be stored in the data storage system;

automatically comparing said predetermined user data st machine-sensible indications of the unit of data with said storage class definitions and automatically selecting a one of said storage classes independently of said management class definitions; and

after automatically selecting a one each of said storage and management classes, automatically selecting a one of the storage groups independently of the storage class selection.

3. In the machine-effected method set forth in claim 2, including the machine-executed steps of:

after automatically selecting said one of the storage machine-sensible indicia represented storage groups, automatically allocating data storage space on at least one of the volumes which is a member of the selected storage group, such automatic allocation being substantially independent of the automatic class selections; and

automatically storing said unit of data in said selected volume.

4. In the machine-effected method set forth in claim 2, including the machine-executed steps of:

storing in said data storage system machine-sensible indicia representing a plurality of data class definitions each of said class definitions defining respective diverse definitions of data characteristics which are independent of the definitions in said storage and management class definitions; and

automatically managing the life cycle of the stored data using the parameters of the management class independently of said predetermined user data set indications.

5. In the machine-effected method set forth in claim 4, including the machine-executed steps of:

automatically managing some of said data using said storage and management classes and manually managing other of said data using controls not including said storage and management classes wherein human users of the data participate in the management of said other data.

6. In the machine-effected method set forth in claim 5, further including the machine-executed steps of:

automatically managing the life cycle of each unit of data stored in the data storage system using only the respective management class selected for the units of data.

7. In the machine-effected method set forth in claim 5, further including the machine-executed step of:

storing in said data storage system machine-sensible indicia representing a control directory for all units of data assigned to said data, storage and management classes and storage groups and only including identification of said automatically selected storage and management classes and the volume(s) of data allocated for storing the respective units of data and an identification of the respective unit of data.

8. In apparatus for enabling automatic management of a data storage system and units of data stored therein, including, in combination:

first means indicating a set of data classes each having diverse identifications of data unit properties;

second means indicating a set of storage classes each having diverse identifications of storage performance and availability parameters;

third means indicating a set of management classes each having diverse data unit life cycle management rules;

fourth means indicating a set storage groups having a list of data storing volumes and a set of parameters for managing the data storing volumes, including data backup operations;

fifth means for receiving from a user a definition of a data unit which includes data parameters;

sixth means coupled to said first through fifth means for selecting one of the classes from said first through third means for the data unit definition and a one of the storage groups having a volume from which data storing space for the data unit may be allocated in the future; and

seventh means coupled to the sixth means for storing the selections along with the identification of the data unit.

9. In apparatus for storing data units, each data unit having a name, externally to a host processor, including, in combination:

class definition means for defining a plurality of classes of definitions in sets of such classes with each set identifying independent and diverse parameters relating to the storage of the data units in the apparatus;

class selection means operatively associated with the class definition means for selecting a one of the defined classes from each set of such classes for each data unit to be stored in the apparatus;

storage group means for defining a plurality of groups of volumes each of the groups being a storage group;

said class selection means operatively associated with the storage group means for selecting a one of the storage groups after said class selection which storage group best meets the parameters set forth in the selected classes and having means for storing the selections along with the data unit name in said apparatus; and

operating means coupled to the stored selections for receiving the data units and operating the apparatus in accordance with the stored parameters in the respective selected classes and storage groups.

10. In the apparatus set forth in claim 9, further including, in combination:

all of the means being programmed defined with said class selection and operating means being programs executable in the host processor and class definition means and said storage group means being control data structures; and

terminal means connected to the apparatus and being operatively associable with all of the means aforementioned for altering the data structures and programs such that the automatic management of the apparatus is manually alterable via said terminal.