Technique for data transfer

• US 7,120,746 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2002
• Issued: 10/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Roberts, Haakon Philip, Surman, David Harold, Josten, Jeffrey William, Campbell, John Joseph, Elko, David Arlen
• Primary Examiner(s): Sparks, Donald
• Assistant Examiner(s): Farrokh, Hashem
• Application Number:
  US10/238,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20040049636A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,492 Days
• Field of Search: 711/4, 711/112, 711113-148, 711/154, 711161-162, 700200-205, 709/203, 709/224
• US Class Current: 711/130
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/084 with a shared cache
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0866 for peripheral storage systems, e.g. disk cache
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0891 using clearing, invalidating or resetting means

Abstract

Disclosed is a system, method, and program for transferring data. When a transaction commits, multiple data objects that have been changed by the transaction are identified. The multiple data objects are written from local storage to a cache structure using a batch write command. When changed data objects at a first system that are not cached in the shared external storage are written to disk, a batch cross invalidation command is used to invalidate the data objects at a second system. Additionally, multiple data objects are read from the cache structure into a processor storage using a batch castout command.

Claims

1. A method for transferring data, comprising:

identifying multiple data objects that have been changed by one or more transactions;

using heuristics to determine whether to use a batch write command or several single write commands; and

transferring the multiple data objects from local storage to a shared cache structure using the determined batch write command or single write commands.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple data objects are identified using a transaction data object list.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the batch write command is used with a “

no force”

protocol.

4. A method for transferring data, comprising:

identifying multiple data objects that have been changed by one or more transactions; and

transferring the multiple data objects from local storage to a shared cache structure using a batch write command with a “

force at commit”

protocol.

5. A method for transferring data, comprising:

identifying multiple data objects that have been changed by one or more transactions; and

transferring the multiple data objects from local storage to a shared cache structure using a batch write command, wherein the batch write command takes as input an input data buffer comprising a list of write-operation blocks that describe entries to be written, a list of entry data contents to be written, a start of list index, an end of list index, and a data offset and returns as output a list of write operation response blocks for each write operation block that indicates the outcome of each write operation block, wherein each of the entries is associated with one of the data objects.

6. A method for transferring data, comprising:

when changed data objects at a first system that are not cached in shared cache are transferred to disk, sending a batch cross invalidation command identifying the changed data objects transferred to disk.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the batch cross invalidation command invalidates the changed data objects at a second system.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving the batch cross invalidation at a shared external storage; and

sending the cross invalidation signals one data object at a time.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the batch cross invalidation command takes as input a data buffer that includes a list of entries, a start of list index, and an end of list index, wherein each of the entries is associated with one of the data objects.

10. A method for transferring data, comprising:

transferring multiple data objects from a cache structure to a processor storage using a single batch castout command; and

transferring multiple data objects from the processor storage to disk.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the batch castout command takes as input a list of entries to be read for castout, a start of list index, an end of list index, and an output buffer that contains information read for each entry in the list, wherein each of the entries is associated with one of the data objects.

12. A system for transferring data, comprising:

means for identifying multiple data objects that have been changed by one or more transactions; and

means for using heuristics to determine whether to use a batch write command or several single write commands to transfer the multiple data objects from local storage to a shared cache structure using the batch write command.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the multiple data objects are identified using a transaction data object list.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the batch write command is used with a “

force at commit”

protocol.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the batch write command takes as input an input data buffer comprising a list of write-operation blocks that describe entries to be written, a list of entry data contents to be written, a start of list index, an end of list index, and a data offset and returns as output a list of write operation response blocks for each write operation block that indicates the outcome of each write operation block, wherein each of the entries is associated with one of the data objects.

16. A system for transferring data, comprising:

means for identifying multiple data objects that have been changed by one or more transactions; and

means for transferring the multiple data objects from local storage to a shared cache structure using a batch write command with a “

no force”

protocol.

17. A system for transferring data, comprising:

means for, when changed data objects at a first system that are not cached in shared cache are transferred to disk, sending a batch cross invalidation command identifying the changed data objects transferred to disk.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the batch cross invalidation command invalidates the changed data objects at a second system.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

means for receiving the batch cross invalidation at a shared external storage; and

means for sending the cross invalidation signals one data object at a time.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the batch cross invalidation command takes as input a data buffer that includes a list of entries, a start of list index, and an end of list index, wherein each of the entries is associated with one of the data objects.

21. A system for transferring data, comprising:

means for transferring multiple data objects from a cache structure to a processor storage using a single batch castout command; and

means for transferring multiple data objects from the processor storage to disk.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the batch castout command takes as input a list of entries to be read for castout, a start of list index, an end of list index, and an output buffer that contains information read for each entry in the list, wherein each of the entries is associated with one of the data objects.

23. An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable storage medium including code for transferring data, wherein the code is capable of causing operations, the operations comprising:

identifying multiple data objects that have been changed by one or more transactions; and

using heuristics to determine whether to use a batch write command or several single write commands to transfer the multiple data objects from local storage to a shared cache structure using the batch write command.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 23, wherein the multiple data objects are identified using a transaction data object list.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 23, wherein the batch write command is used with a “

no force”

protocol.

26. An article of manufacture including code for transferring data, wherein the code is capable of causing operations, the operations comprising:

identifying multiple data objects that have been changed by one or more transactions; and

transferring the multiple data objects from local storage to a shared cache structure using a batch write command with a “

force at commit”

protocol.

27. An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable storage medium including code for transferring data, wherein the code is capable of causing operations, the operations comprising:

identifying multiple data objects that have been changed by one or more transactions; and

transferring the multiple data objects from local storage to a shared cache structure using a batch write command, wherein the batch write command takes as input an input data buffer comprising a list of write-operation blocks that describe entries to be written, a list of entry data contents to be written, a start of list index, an end of list index, and a data offset and returns as output a list of write operation response blocks for each write operation block that indicates the outcome of each write operation block, wherein each of the entries is associated with one of the data objects.

28. An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable storage medium including code for transferring data, wherein the code is capable of causing operations, the operations comprising:

when changed data objects at a first system that are not cached in shared cache are transferred to disk, sending a batch cross invalidation command identifying the changed data objects transferred to disk.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 28, wherein the batch cross invalidation command invalidates the changed data objects at a second system.

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

receiving the batch cross invalidation at a shared external storage; and

sending the cross invalidation signals one data object at a time.

31. The article of manufacture of claim 28, wherein the batch cross invalidation command takes as input a data buffer that includes a list of entries, a start of list index, and an end of list index, wherein each of the entries is associated with one of the data objects.

32. An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable storage medium including code for transferring data, wherein the code is capable of causing operations, the operations comprising:

transferring multiple data objects from a cache structure to a processor storage using a single batch castout command; and

transferring multiple data objects from the processor storage to disk.

33. The article of manufacture of claim 32, wherein the batch castout command takes as input a list of entries to be read for castout, a start of list index, an end of list index, and an output buffer that contains information read for each entry in the list, wherein each of the entries is associated with one of the data objects.