Techniques for improving performance of a shared storage by identifying transferrable memory structure and reducing the need for performing storage input/output calls

• US 8,578,373 B1
• Filed: 06/06/2008
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Krishnan, Sasidharan, Urkude, Suhas Girish
• Primary Examiner(s): An, Meng
• Assistant Examiner(s): GHAFFARI, ABU Z
• Application Number:
  US12/134,783
• Time in Patent Office: 1,978 Days
• Field of Search: 718/1, 711/164, 711/173, 711/E12.095, 711/100, 711/153, 711/160
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/084 with a shared cache
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/123 with age lists, e.g. queue, most recently used [MRU] list or least recently used [LRU] list

Abstract

Techniques for improving performance of a shared storage environment are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a method for improving performance of a shared storage environment comprising determining a unit of shared storage utilized by an environment to be migrated, retrieving a storage management memory structure of a source computing platform for the unit of the shared storage, transferring the storage management memory structure to a target computing platform, and building a portion of storage management memory for the target computing platform utilizing the transferred storage management memory structure.

Claims

1. A method for improving performance of a system using shared storage comprising:

determining a unit of shared storage associated with a computing environment to be migrated from a source computing platform, the unit of shared storage utilized by the source computing platform;

identifying, using at least one computer processor of the system, a storage management memory structure of the source computing platform associated with the unit of shared storage, wherein the storage management memory structure improves performance for the environment to be migrated;

retrieving, using the computer processor, the storage management memory structure of the source computing platform for the unit of the shared storage;

transferring the storage management memory structure to a target computing platform; and

building a portion of storage management memory for the target computing platform utilizing the transferred storage management memory structure, wherein building the portion of storage management memory for the target computing platform improves performance for the environment after migration of the environment to the target computing platform, wherein building the portion of storage management memory reduces a need to rebuild storage management memory on the target computing platform utilizing disk reads, and wherein the transfer of the storage management memory structure and the building of the portion of storage management memory for the target computing platform occur during migration of the computing environment prior to a resumption of one or more environment processes at the target computer platform.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the environment to be migrated comprises an environment associated with one or more virtual machines.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the environment to be migrated comprises an environment associated with one or more applications.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the unit of shared storage comprises a mirrored unit of storage.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the storage management memory structure includes one or more portions of a dirty region log.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the storage management memory structure includes data associated with a cache algorithm for improving the dirty region logging memory usage.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the cache algorithm is a least recently used algorithm.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the cache algorithm is a least frequently used algorithm.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the transfer comprises sending the memory structure over a network.

10. At least one non-transitory processor readable storage medium for storing a computer program of instructions configured to be readable by at least one processor for instructing the at least one processor to execute a computer process for performing the method as recited in claim 1.

11. An article of manufacture for improving performance of a system using shared storage, the article of manufacture comprising:

at least one non-transitory processor readable storage medium; and

instructions carried on the at least one non-transitory processor readable storage medium;

wherein the instructions are configured to be readable from the at least one non-transitory processor readable storage medium by at least one processor and thereby cause the at least one processor to operate so as to;

determine a unit of shared storage associated with a computing environment to be migrated from a source computing platform, the unit of shared storage utilized by the source computing platform;

identify a storage management memory structure of the source computing platform associated with the unit of shared storage, wherein the storage management memory structure improves performance for the environment on the source computing platform;

retrieve the storage management memory structure of the source computing platform for the unit of the shared storage;

transfer the storage management memory structure to a target computing platform; and

build a portion of storage management memory for the target computing platform utilizing the transferred storage management memory structure, wherein building the portion of storage management memory for the target computing platform improves performance for the environment after migration of the environment to the target computing platform, wherein building the portion of storage management memory reduces a need to rebuild storage management memory on the target computing platform utilizing disk reads, and wherein the transfer of the storage management memory structure and the building of the portion of storage management memory for the target computing platform occur during migration of the computing environment prior to a resumption of one or more environment processes at the target computer platform.

12. A system for improving performance of a shared storage environment, comprising:

one or more processors communicatively coupled to a network;

wherein the one or more processors are configured to;

determine a unit of shared storage associated with a computing environment to be migrated from a source computing platform, the unit of shared storage utilized by the source computing platform;

identify a storage management memory structure of the source computing platform associated with the unit of shared storage, wherein the storage management memory structure improves performance for the environment on the source computing platform;

retrieve the storage management memory structure of the source computing platform for the unit of the shared storage;

transfer the storage management memory structure to a target computing platform; and

build a portion of storage management memory for the target computing platform utilizing the transferred storage management memory structure, wherein building the portion of storage management memory for the target computing platform improves performance for the environment after migration of the environment to the target computing platform, wherein building the portion of storage management memory reduces a need to rebuild storage management memory on the target computing platform utilizing disk reads, and wherein the transfer of the storage management memory structure and the building of the portion of storage management memory for the target computing platform occur during migration of the computing environment prior to a resumption of one or more environment processes at the target computer platform.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the environment to be migrated comprises an environment associated with one or more virtual machines.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the environment to be migrated comprises an environment associated with one or more applications.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the unit of shared storage comprises a mirrored volume.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the storage management memory structure includes one or more portions of a dirty region log.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the storage management memory structure includes data associated with a cache algorithm for improving the dirty region logging memory usage.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the cache algorithm is a least recently used algorithm.