Method, system and program products for reducing data movement within a computing environment by bypassing copying data between file system and non-file system buffers in a server

• US 6,910,082 B1
• Filed: 11/18/1999
• Issued: 06/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Marcotte, Scott Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Rupal
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLETT, STEPHAN F
• Application Number:
  US09/442,906
• Time in Patent Office: 2,042 Days
• Field of Search: 709/214, 709/216, 709/246, 711/138, 711/165
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/526 Mutual exclusion algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes

Abstract

Data movement within a computing environment is at the very least reduced. Data is transmitted between a file system of the computing environment and a transmission medium of that environment. The transmission includes bypassing non-file system buffers in performing the transmission. For example, when data is sent to the file system to be written to one or more storage media, the file system swaps one or more buffers of the file system with the one or more buffers containing the data. The swapping does not require the copying of data. Further, for a read operation, the file system calls a routine, which is provided with one or more pointers to the data that is to be sent to a requester of the data.

Claims

1. A method of reducing data movement within a computing environment, said method comprising:

transmitting data between a file system of a server of said computing environment and a transmission medium of said computing environment, said transmitting being responsive to a request for transmission received by the server, wherein said server includes at least one file system buffer and at least one server buffer, said at least one server buffer residing outside the file system of the server,

wherein said transmitting comprises at least one of;

receiving, during a write operation, said data by said file system from a sender coupled to the transmission medium, said receiving comprising swapping one or more buffers of the at least one file system buffer with said one or more buffers of the at least one server buffer; and

sending, during a read operation, said data from said file system over said transmission medium to a receiver of said data, said sending comprising executing, by the file system, a callback function referenced by said request to send said data directly over the transmission medium from the one or more buffers of the at least one file system buffer, and

wherein said swapping and said executing the callback function facilitate reducing data movement in said server by bypassing copying the data between one or more buffers of the at least one server buffer and the one or more buffers of the at least one file system buffer in performing the transmission, said copying the data being bypassed without the server having advance notice of a pattern of access of the data in the file system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmitting comprises sending data from a sender of said computing environment over said transmission medium to said file system to be written to one or more storage media coupled to said file system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmitting comprises sending data from said file system over said transmission medium to a receiver of said data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said sending comprises using a routine identified by said receiver to send said data, wherein said routine is provided one or more pointers to said data to be sent to said receiver.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said sending comprises providing to said receiver one or more pointers to said data.

6. A system of reducing data movement within a computing environment, said system comprising:

means for transmitting data between a file system of a server of said computing environment and a transmission medium of said computing environment, said transmitting being responsive to a request for transmission received by the server, wherein said server includes at least one file system buffer and at least one server buffer, said at least one server buffer residing outside the file system of the server,

wherein said means for transmitting comprises at least one of;

means for receiving, during a write operation, said data by said file system from a sender coupled to the transmission medium, said means for receiving comprising means for swapping one or more buffers of the at least one file system buffer with said one or more buffers of the at least one server buffer; and

means for sending, during a read operation, said data from said file system over said transmission medium to a receiver of said data, said means for sending comprising means for executing, by the file system, a callback function referenced by said request to send said data directly over the transmission medium from the one or more buffers of the at least one file system buffer; and

wherein said means for swapping and said means for executing the callback function facilitate reducing data movement in said server by bypassing copying the data between one or more buffers of the at least one server non-file system buffer and the one or more buffers of the at least one file system buffer in performing the transmission, said copying the data being bypassed without the server having advance notice of a pattern of access of the data in the file system.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said means for transmitting comprises means for sending data from a sender of said computing environment over said transmission medium to said file system to be written to one or more storage media coupled to said file system.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein said means for transmitting comprises means for sending data from said file system over said transmission medium to a receiver of said data.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said means for sending comprises means for using a routine identified by said receiver to send said data, wherein said routine is provided one or more pointers to said data to be sent to said receiver.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein said means for sending comprises means for providing to said receiver one or more pointers to said data.

11. At least one program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying at least one program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method of reducing data movement within a computing environment, said method comprising:

transmitting data between a file system of a server of said computing environment and a transmission medium of said computing environment, said transmitting being responsive to a request for transmission received by the server, wherein said server includes at least one file system buffer and at least one server buffer, said at least one server buffer residing outside the file system of the server,

wherein said transmitting comprises at least one of;

receiving, during a write operation, said data by said file system from a sender coupled to the transmission medium, said receiving comprising swapping one or more buffers of the at least one file system buffer with said one or more buffers of the at least one server buffer; and

sending, during a read operation, said data from said file system over said transmission medium to a receiver of said data, said sending comprising executing, by the file system, a callback function referenced by said request to send said data directly over the transmission medium from the one or more buffers of the at least one file system buffer, and

wherein said swapping and said executing the callback function facilitate reducing data movement in said server by bypassing copying the data between one or more buffers of the at least one server non-file system buffer and the one or more buffers of the at least one file system buffer in performing the transmission, said copying the data being bypassed without the server having advance notice of a pattern of access of data in the file system.

12. The at least one program storage device of claim 11, wherein said transmitting comprises sending data from a sender of said computing environment over said transmission medium to said file system to be written to one more storage media coupled to said file system.

13. The at least one program storage device of claim 11, wherein said transmitting comprises sending data from said file system over said transmission medium to a receiver of said data.

14. The at least one program storage device of claim 13, wherein said transmitting comprises sending data from said file system over said transmission wherein said routine is provided one or more pointers to said data to be sent to said receiver.

15. The at least one program storage device of claim 13, wherein said sending comprises providing to said receiver one or more pointers to said data.