Method and system for allocating multiple attribute storage properties to selected data storage resources

• US 7,599,905 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2007
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Schutzman, Neil F., Pillai, Ananthan K., Dings, Thomas L., Shekhar, Ajay, Mutalik, Madhav
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANNAVAJJALA, SRIRAMA T
• Application Number:
  US11/673,060
• Publication Number:
  US 20070143367A1
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 3, 707/100, 707/102, 707/200, 707/203, 707204-206, 709220-225, 711/100, 711111-114, 711147-148, 711207-209, 714 4- 7
• US Class Current: 707/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5016 the resource being the memory
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A method of attribute based resource allocation is presented. A resource such as a pool of storage has certain properties or attributes associated with portions of the pool. When a request for storage is needed, the requester provides a selection expression which comprises properties and logical operators. From the selection expression a determination is made to allocate portions of the storage pool which meet the requirements of the selection expression.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of creating a data storage pool, comprising:

providing information for a plurality of storage resources in response to a user query;

assigning, in a computer having a processor, at least one storage property to selected ones of the plurality of storage resources in response to user instructions to define the data storage pool;

receiving a logical expression to identify respective ones of the storage resources that are available for a requested store operation based upon the storage properties assigned to the selected ones of the storage resources;

determining which ones of the identified storage resources have preferred characteristics;

allocating selected ones of the identified storage resources for the requested store operation;

receiving, prior to the step of allocating selected ones of the identified storage resources, a new storage property for the logical expression if a desired storage property is not present in the assigned storage properties,

wherein the logical expression includes a storage property not assigned to any of the storage resources, and further including;

receiving an identification of a first one of the plurality of storage resources having the unassigned storage property; and

allocating the first one of the storage resources based upon the logical expression.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the logical expression includes at least one logical operator and at least two storage properties.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the logical expression includes an amount of storage needed for the requested store operation.

4. The method according to claim 1, further including assigning a particular one of the at least one storage properties to a particular type of storage resource.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of storage resources includes logical volumes.

6. The method according to claim 1, further including receiving a user instruction to identify a storage resource as hand-off storage.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user query is generated by a storage administrator.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the logical expression is generated by a database administrator.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the preferred characteristics include storage resources having multiple disk spindles.

10. An article, comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that when executed by a computer result in the following;

providing information for a plurality of storage resources in response to a user query;

assigning at least one storage property to selected ones of the plurality of storage resources in response to user instructions to define the data storage pool;

receiving a logical expression to identify respective ones of the storage resources that are available for a requested store operation based upon the storage properties assigned to the selected ones of the storage resources;

determining which ones of the identified storage resources have preferred characteristics;

allocating selected ones of the identified storage resources for the requested store operation; and

receiving, prior to the step of allocating selected ones of the identified storage resources, a new storage property for the logical expression if a desired storage property is not present in the assigned storage properties, wherein the logical expression includes a storage property not assigned to any of the storage resources, and further including;

receiving an identification of a first one of the plurality of storage resources having the unassigned storage property; and

allocating the first one of the storage resources based upon the logical expression.

11. The article according to claim 10, wherein the logical expression includes at least one logical operator and at least two storage properties.

12. The article according to claim 10, wherein the logical expression includes an amount of storage needed for the requested store operation.

13. The article according to claim 10, further instructions to include assigning a particular one of the at least one storage properties to a particular type of storage resource.

14. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory including instructions that when executed result in the following;

providing information for a plurality of storage resources in response to a user query;

assigning at least one storage property to selected ones of the plurality of storage resources in response to user instructions to define the data storage pool;

receiving a logical expression to identify respective ones of the storage resources that are available for a requested store operation based upon the storage properties assigned to the selected ones of the storage resources;

determining which ones of the identified storage resources have preferred characteristics;

allocating selected ones of the identified storage resources for the requested store operation; and

receiving, prior to the step of allocating selected ones of the identified storage resources, a new storage property for the logical expression if a desired storage property is not present in the assigned storage properties, wherein the logical expression includes a storage property not assigned to any of the storage resources, and further including;

receiving an identification of a first one of the plurality of storage resources having the unassigned storage property; and

allocating the first one of the storage resources based upon the logical expression.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the logical expression includes at least one logical operator and at least two storage properties.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein the logical expression includes an amount of storage needed for the requested store operation.

17. The system according to claim 14, further including instructions to assign a particular one of the at least one storage properties to a particular type of storage resource.