Managing storage devices in a cloud storage environment

• US 8,924,666 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2012
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Fleming, Mark S., Peng, Jiang, Zhang, Rong, Xin, Zhang
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, DUC T
• Application Number:
  US13/602,051
• Publication Number:
  US 20130086340A1
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 711/161
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2094 Redundant storage or storage space G06F11/2056 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0665 at area level, e.g. provisioning of virtual or logical volumes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

A method of managing storage devices including storage resources that are virtualized and integrated into corresponding intermediate volumes, wherein the intermediate volumes are virtualized and integrated into individual logical volumes. The method comprises acquiring storage resource requirements presented to the logical volumes where the requirements comprise redundancy, obtaining storage resources available from respective intermediate volumes, selecting intermediate volumes to satisfy the storage resource requirements based on the requirements and available storage resources, where a minimum number of the intermediate volumes is determined based on the required redundancy, and storing user data in selected intermediate volumes based on the required redundancy.

Claims

1. A method of managing storage devices comprising storage resources virtually integrated into corresponding intermediate volumes, the intermediate volumes being virtually integrated into individual logical volumes, the method comprising:

acquiring requirements on storage resources presented to the logical volumes, the requirements comprising a requirement on redundancy;

obtaining storage resources respectively available from the intermediate volumes;

selecting the intermediate volumes based on the storage resource requirements and the storage resources respectively available from the intermediate volumes so as to satisfy the storage resource requirements, wherein a minimum number of the intermediate volumes is determined based on the redundancy requirement; and

storing user data into the selected intermediate volumes based on the redundancy requirement.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an instruction to remove a storage resource associated with a particular intermediate volume;

obtaining an idle storage capacity on the particular intermediate volume and a storage capacity of the storage resource to be removed;

allocating other storage resources on the particular intermediate volume to replace the storage resource to be removed if the idle storage capacity is greater than the storage capacity of the storage resource to be removed.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

obtaining logical volumes corresponding to the storage resource to be removed if the idle storage capacity on the particular intermediate volume is less than the storage capacity of the storage resource to be removed;

selecting a target storage resource on other intermediate volumes with respect to each obtained logical volume, wherein the target storage resource has identical performance measurements with a source storage resource, and the source storage resource is a storage resource corresponding to a particular logical volume on the particular intermediate volume; and

allocating the target storage resource to the corresponding particular logical volume.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an instruction to remove one of the intermediate volumes;

obtaining logical volumes related to the intermediate volume to be removed;

selecting a target storage resource on other intermediate volumes with respect to each obtained logical volume, wherein the target storage resource has identical performance measurements with a source storage resource, and the source storage resource is a storage resource corresponding to a particular logical volume on the intermediate volume to be removed; and

allocating the target storage resource to the particular logical volume.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an instruction to increase storage resources with respect to a particular logical volume, the instruction comprising an increment of performance measurements of the storage resources;

calculating a component of the increment for each intermediate volume related to the particular logical volume; and

allocating the increment components to the particular logical volume using idle storage resources of a first intermediate volume.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

selecting a target storage resource on a second intermediate volume if the increment components cannot be allocated using the idle storage resources of the first intermediate volume, wherein the target storage resource has increased performance measurements; and

allocating the selected target storage resource to the particular logical volume.

7. An apparatus for managing storage devices comprising storage resources virtually integrated into corresponding intermediate volumes, the intermediate volumes being virtually integrated into logical volumes, the apparatus comprising:

a requirement acquiring module configured to acquire storage resource requirements presented to the logical volumes, the storage resource requirements comprising a redundancy requirement;

a storage resource obtaining module configured to obtain storage resources available from the intermediate volumes;

an intermediate volume selecting module configured to select intermediate volumes based on the storage resource requirements and the storage resources available from the respective intermediate volumes, wherein a minimum number of the intermediate volumes is determined based on the redundancy requirement; and

a user data storage module configured to store user data in the selected intermediate volumes according the redundancy requirement.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

a first module configured to receive an instruction to remove a first storage resource from a particular intermediate volumes;

a second module configured to obtain an idle storage capacity on the particular intermediate volume and storage capacity of the storage resource to be removed;

a third module configured to allocate a second storage resource from the particular intermediate volume to replace the first storage resource to be removed if the idle storage capacity on the particular intermediate volume is greater than the storage capacity of the first storage resource to be removed.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

a fourth module configured to obtain logical volumes corresponding to the first storage resource to be removed if the idle storage capacity on the particular intermediate volume is less than the storage capacity of the first storage resource to be removed;

a fifth module configured to select a target storage resource on another intermediate volume with respect to each obtained logical volume, wherein the target storage resource has identical performance measurements with a source storage resource, and the source storage resource is a storage resource corresponding to a particular logical volume on the intermediate volume where the storage resource to be removed is located; and

a sixth module configured to allocate the target storage resource to the corresponding particular logical volume.

10. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

a first module configured to receive an instruction to remove one of the intermediate volumes;

a second module configured to obtain logical volumes related to the intermediate volume to be removed;

a third module configured to select a target storage resource on another intermediate volume with respect to each obtained logical volume, wherein the target storage resource has identical performance measurements with a source storage resource, and the source storage resource is a storage resource corresponding to a particular logical volume on the intermediate volume to be removed; and

a fourth module configured to allocate the target storage resource to said corresponding particular logical volume.

11. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

a first module configured to receive an instruction to increase storage resources with respect to a particular logical volume, the instruction comprising an increment of performance measurements of the storage resources;

a second module configured to calculate a component of the increment for each intermediate volume related to the particular logical volume;

a third module configured to allocate the increment components to the particular logical volume using idle storage resources of a first intermediate volume.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:

a fourth module configured to select a target storage resource on a second intermediate volume if the increment components cannot be allocated to the particular logical volume using idle storage resources of a first intermediate volume; and

a fifth module configured to allocate the target storage resource to the particular logical volume.

13. A computer program product for managing storage devices comprising storage resources virtually integrated into corresponding intermediate volumes, the intermediate volumes being virtually integrated into individual logical volumes, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium including computer instructions for:

acquiring requirements on storage resources presented to the logical volumes, the requirements comprising a requirement on redundancy;

obtaining storage resources respectively available from the intermediate volumes;

selecting the intermediate volumes based on the storage resource requirements and the storage resources respectively available from the intermediate volumes so as to satisfy the storage resource requirements, wherein a minimum number of the intermediate volumes is determined based on the redundancy requirement; and

storing user data into the selected intermediate volumes based on the redundancy requirement.

14. The computer program product according to claim 13, further comprising computer instructions for:

receiving an instruction to remove a storage resource associated with a particular intermediate volume;

obtaining an idle storage capacity on the particular intermediate volume and a storage capacity of the storage resource to be removed;

allocating other storage resources on the particular intermediate volume to replace the storage resource to be removed if the idle storage capacity is greater than the storage capacity of the storage resource to be removed.

15. The computer program product according to claim 14, further comprising computer instructions for:

obtaining logical volumes corresponding to the storage resource to be removed if the idle storage capacity on the particular intermediate volume is less than the storage capacity of the storage resource to be removed;

selecting a target storage resource on other intermediate volumes with respect to each obtained logical volume, wherein the target storage resource has identical performance measurements with a source storage resource, and the source storage resource is a storage resource corresponding to a particular logical volume on the particular intermediate volume; and

allocating the target storage resource to the corresponding particular logical volume.

16. The computer program product according to claim 13, further comprising computer instructions for:

receiving an instruction to remove one of the intermediate volumes;

obtaining logical volumes related to the intermediate volume to be removed;

selecting a target storage resource on other intermediate volumes with respect to each obtained logical volume, wherein the target storage resource has identical performance measurements with a source storage resource, and the source storage resource is a storage resource corresponding to a particular logical volume on the intermediate volume to be removed; and

allocating the target storage resource to the particular logical volume.

17. The computer program product according to claim 13, further comprising computer instructions for:

receiving an instruction to increase storage resources with respect to a particular logical volume, the instruction comprising an increment of performance measurements of the storage resources;

calculating a component of the increment for each intermediate volume related to the particular logical volume; and

allocating the increment components to the particular logical volume using idle storage resources of a first intermediate volume.

18. The computer program product according to claim 17, further comprising computer instructions for:

selecting a target storage resource on a second intermediate volume if the increment components cannot be allocated using the idle storage resources of the first intermediate volume, wherein the target storage resource has increased performance measurements; and

allocating the selected target storage resource to the particular logical volume.