Storage allocation based on data set size

• US 8,935,455 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2011
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bohling, Neal E., Malinowski, Joseph V., Reed, David C., Smith, Max D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rones, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): DOAN, HAN V
• Application Number:
  US13/164,652
• Publication Number:
  US 20120324176A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,303 Days
• US Class Current: 711/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0608 Saving storage space on storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0631 by allocating resources to storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0644 Management of space entities, e.g. partitions, extents, pools
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0656 Data buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0671 In-line storage system

Abstract

An approach to allocating storage that has track managed storage and cylinder managed storage. The approach involves receiving a request to allocate a data set for new data and determining if the size of the new data exceeds a breakpoint value. The size of the new data may be determined by allocating a buffer data set that is the size of the breakpoint value, and writing the new data to the buffer data set. If the new data only partially fills the buffer data set, then the size of the new data is smaller than the breakpoint value. If the new data overfills the buffer data set, then the size of the new data set is larger than the breakpoint value. New data that is larger than the breakpoint value is automatically stored in cylinder managed storage, while new data that is smaller than the breakpoint value is automatically stored in track managed storage.

Claims

1. A storage allocation apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a memory comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium;

a receive module for receiving a request to allocate a data set for new data in an extended addressable volume (EAV) comprising track managed storage and cylinder managed storage;

a buffer module for buffering the new data to a buffer data set having a size equal to a breakpoint value;

a storage module for automatically allocating the data set as a cylinder data set in the cylinder managed storage and copying the new data from the buffer data set to the cylinder data set in response to the new data overfilling the buffer data set; and

the storage module further configured for automatically allocating the data set as a track data set in the track managed storage and copying the new data from the buffer data set to the track data set in response to the new data partially filling the buffer data set,

wherein at least a portion of the receive module, the buffer module, and the storage module comprise one or more of hardware and executable code, the executable code stored on the memory and executed by the processor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the buffer module further configured to direct a write operation to write remaining new data to the cylinder data set in response to the new data overfilling the buffer data set.

3. A computer program product comprising non-transitory computer readable media that stores code executable by a processor, the executable code comprising instructions for:

receiving a request to allocate a data set for new data in an extended addressable volume (EAV) comprising track managed storage and cylinder managed storage;

buffering the new data to a buffer data set having a size equal to a breakpoint value;

determining if a size of the new data exceeds the breakpoint value;

automatically allocating the data set as a cylinder data set in the cylinder managed storage and writing the new data to cylinder managed storage in response to the size of the new data exceeding the breakpoint value; and

automatically allocating the data set as a track data set in the track managed storage and writing the new data to track managed storage in response to the size of the new data being smaller than the breakpoint value.

4. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein buffering the new data to a buffer data set comprises allocating a buffer data set with a size equal to the breakpoint value and writing the new data to the buffer data set, wherein determining if the size of the new data exceeds the breakpoint value comprises:

determining that the size of the new data exceeds the breakpoint value in response to the new data overfilling the buffer data set; and

determining that the size of the new data does not exceed the breakpoint value in response to the new data partially filling the buffer data set.

5. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein determining that the size of the new data exceeds the breakpoint value comprises intercepting an end of volume request generated in response to the buffer data set filling.

6. The computer program product of claim 4, further comprising, in response to determining that the new data exceeds the breakpoint value:

copying the new data in the buffer data set to the data set in cylinder managed storage; and

continuing writing the new data to the data set in cylinder managed storage.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein copying the new data further comprises performing a logical copy operation between the buffer data set and the data set in cylinder managed storage.

8. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein determining that the size of the new data does not exceed the breakpoint value further comprises receiving a close command for the new data while the buffer data set is partially filled.

9. The computer program product of claim 4, further comprising copying the new data in the buffer data set to the track managed storage, in response to determining that the size of the new data does not exceed the breakpoint value.

10. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the buffer data set is allocated with a primary allocation amount equal to the breakpoint value and a secondary allocation amount equal to zero.

11. The computer program product of claim 3, further comprising allocating the data set as specified in the request without determining the size of the new data in response to determining that the request lacks a release parameter.

12. The computer program product of claim 3, further comprising allocating the data set in track managed storage without determining the size of the new data in response to the request having a primary allocation and a secondary allocation that sum to a value smaller than the breakpoint value.

13. A system comprising:

a processor;

a storage device comprising;

cylinder managed storage; and

track managed storage; and

a storage allocation apparatus configured to;

receive a request to allocate a data set for new data;

buffering the new data to a buffer data set having a size equal to a breakpoint value;

determine if a size of the new data exceeds the breakpoint value;

automatically allocate the data set as a cylinder data set in the cylinder managed storage and write the new data to the cylinder managed storage in response to the size of the new data exceeding the breakpoint value; and

automatically allocate the data set as a track data set in the track managed storage and write the new data to the track managed storage in response to the size of the new data being smaller than the breakpoint value.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the storage allocation apparatus is further configured to:

allocate a buffer data set with a size equal to the breakpoint value;

write the new data to the buffer data set;

determine that the size of the new data exceeds the breakpoint value in response to the new data overfilling the buffer data set; and

determine that the size of the new data does not exceed the breakpoint value in response to the new data partially filling the buffer data set.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the storage allocation apparatus, in response to determining that the size of the new data exceeds the breakpoint value, is further configured to:

allocate a data set in the cylinder managed storage;

copy the new data in the buffer data set to the data set in the cylinder managed storage; and

continue writing the new data to the data set in the cylinder managed storage.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the storage allocation apparatus, in response to determining that the size of the new data does not exceed the breakpoint value, is further configured to:

allocate a data set in track managed storage; and

copy the new data in the buffer data set to the track managed storage.

17. A method comprising:

a processor;

a memory comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium to store executable code executed by the processor;

receiving a request to allocate a data set for new data;

determining if a size of the new data exceeds a breakpoint value, further comprising;

allocating a buffer data set with a size equal to the breakpoint value;

writing the new data to the buffer data set;

determining that the size of the new data exceeds the breakpoint value in response to the new data overfilling the buffer data set; and

determining that the size of the new data does not exceed the breakpoint value in response to the new data partially filling the buffer data set;

automatically storing the new data to cylinder managed storage in response to the size of the new data exceeding the breakpoint value; and

automatically storing the new data to track managed storage in response to the size of the new data being smaller than the breakpoint value.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein determining that the size of the new data exceeds the breakpoint value comprises intercepting an end of volume request generated in response to the buffer data set filling.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising, in response to determining that the size of the new data exceeds the breakpoint value:

allocating a data set in cylinder managed storage;

copying the new data in the buffer data set to the data set in cylinder managed storage; and

continuing writing the new data to the data set in cylinder managed storage.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising, in response to determining that the size of the new data does not exceed the breakpoint value:

allocating a data set in the track managed storage; and

copying the new data in the buffer data set to the track managed storage.