Data access management in a hybrid memory server

• US 9,933,949 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2016
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chan, Yuk Lung, Krishnamurthy, Rajaram B., Parris, Carl Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): BILGRAMI, ASGHAR H
• Application Number:
  US15/348,150
• Publication Number:
  US 20170060419A1
• Time in Patent Office: 509 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0862 with prefetch
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0868 Data transfer between cache memory and other subsystems, e.g. storage devices or host systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/177 Initialisation or configuration control processor initialisation G06F9/4405
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/172 Caching, prefetching or hoarding of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/602 Providing cryptographic facilities or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/264 Remote server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/602 Details relating to cache prefetching
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0608 Saving storage space on storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0644 Management of space entities, e.g. partitions, extents, pools
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0653 Monitoring storage devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0685 Hybrid storage combining heterogeneous device types, e.g. hierarchical storage, hybrid arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0688 Non-volatile semiconductor memory arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

Once or more embodiments manage access to data by accelerator systems in an out-of-core processing environment. In one embodiment, a request from an accelerator system is received for access to a given data set. An access context associated with the given data set is determined. The accelerator system is dynamically configured, based on the access context that has been determined, based on the access context that has been determined, to one of access the given data set directly from the server system; locally store a portion of the given data set in a memory; and locally store all of the given data set in the memory.

Claims

1. A method, on a server system in an out-of-core processing environment, for managing access to data by accelerator systems, the method comprising:

receiving a request from an accelerator system for access to a given data set;

determining an access context associated with the given data set, wherein the access context indicates one or more characteristics of an access operation associated with at least one of the accelerator system and a user system when accessing the given data set;

selecting an access configuration from a plurality of different access configurations available for the accelerator system based on the access context that has been determined, wherein different access configurations are selected for one or more different access contexts; and

dynamically configuring the accelerator system according to the access configuration to one of

access the given data set directly from the server system,

locally store a portion of the given data set in a memory, and

locally store all of the given data set in the memory,

wherein at least a first access configuration in the plurality of different access configurations configures the accelerator system differently than a second access configuration in the plurality of different access configurations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the access context further comprises:

identifying at least one of

a set of attributes associated with a user requesting access to the given data set;

a set of security attributes associated with the given data set; and

a set of data ports to be used to transmit and receive the given data set.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

instructing, in response to dynamically configuring the accelerator system to locally store one of the portion or all of the given data set, the accelerator system to maintain a security counter for the given data set; and

associating a threshold value with the security counter, wherein the threshold value indicates to the accelerator system when to remove the one of the portion or all of the given data set from the memory.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a security request from a user associated with the request for access to the given data set;

determining that the security request indicates that the user is requesting a fully encrypted communication link; and

establishing a fully encrypted communication link with the accelerator to transfer information associated with the given data set.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a partially encrypted communication link with the accelerator to transfer information associated with the given data set in response to dynamically configuring the accelerator system to locally store one of a portion or all of the given data set, the partially encrypted communication link comprising a lower encryption strength than a fully encrypted communication link; and

instructing, in response to establishing a partially encrypted communication link, the accelerator system to maintain a security counter that indicates when to remove the one of the portion or all of the given data set from the memory.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a type of processing core associated with the accelerator system; and

transforming the given data set from a first format to a second format that is associated with the type of processing core that has been determined.

7. A server system in an out-of-core processing environment, the server system comprising:

a memory;

a processor communicatively coupled to the memory; and

a data manager communicatively coupled to the memory and the processor, wherein the data manager is configured to perform a method comprising;

receiving a request from an accelerator system for access to a given data set;

determining an access context associated with the given data set, wherein the access context indicates one or more characteristics of an access operation associated with at least one of the accelerator system and a user system when accessing the given data set;

selecting an access configuration from a plurality of different access configurations available for the accelerator system based on the access context that has been determined, wherein different access configurations are selected for one or more different access contexts; and

dynamically configuring the accelerator system according to the access configuration to one of

access the given data set directly from the server system,

locally store a portion of the given data set in a memory, and

locally store all of the given data set in the memory,

wherein at least a first access configuration in the plurality of different access configurations configures the accelerator system differently than a second access configuration in the plurality of different access configurations.

8. The server system of claim 7, wherein determining the access context further comprises:

identifying at least one of

a set of attributes associated with a user requesting access to the given data set;

a set of security attributes associated with the given data set; and

a set of data ports to be used to transmit and receive the give data set.

9. The server system of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises:

instructing, in response to dynamically configuring the accelerator system to locally store one of the portion or all of the given data set, the accelerator system to maintain a security counter for the given data set; and

associating a threshold value with the security counter, wherein the threshold value indicates to the accelerator system when to remove the one of the portion or all of the given data set from the memory.

10. The server system of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a security request from a user associated with the request for access to the given data set;

determining that the security request indicates that the user is requesting a fully encrypted communication link; and

establishing a fully encrypted communication link with the accelerator to transfer information associated with the given data set.

11. The server system of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises:

establishing a partially encrypted communication link with the accelerator to transfer information associated with the given data set in response to dynamically configuring the accelerator system to locally store one of a portion or all of the given data set, the partially encrypted communication link comprising a lower encryption strength than a fully encrypted communication link; and

instructing, in response to establishing a partially encrypted communication link, the accelerator system to maintain a security counter that indicates when to remove the one of the portion or all of the given data set from the memory.

12. The server system of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises:

determining a type of processing core associated with the accelerator system; and

transforming the given data set from a first format to a second format that is associated with the type of processing core that has been determined.

13. A computer program product for managing access to data by accelerator systems, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method comprising;

receiving a request from an accelerator system for access to a given data set;

determining an access context associated with the given data set, wherein the access context indicates one or more characteristics of an access operation associated with at least one of the accelerator system and a user system when accessing the given data set;

selecting an access configuration from a plurality of different access configurations available for the accelerator system based on the access context that has been determined, wherein different access configurations are selected for one or more different access contexts; and

dynamically configuring the accelerator system according to the access configuration to one of

access the given data set directly from the server system,

locally store a portion of the given data set in a memory, and

locally store all of the given data set in the memory,

wherein at least a first access configuration in the plurality of different access configurations configures the accelerator system differently than a second access configuration in the plurality of different access configurations.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein determining the access context further comprises:

identifying at least one of

a set of attributes associated with a user requesting access to the given data set;

a set of security attributes associated with the given data set; and

a set of data ports to be used to transmit and receive the given data set.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

instructing, in response to dynamically configuring the accelerator system to locally store one of the portion or all of the given data set, the accelerator system to maintain a security counter for the given data set; and

associating a threshold value with the security counter, wherein the threshold value indicates to the accelerator system when to remove the one of the portion or all of the given data set from the memory.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a security request from a user associated with the request for access to the given data set;

determining that the security request indicates that the user is requesting a fully encrypted communication link; and

establishing a fully encrypted communication link with the accelerator to transfer information associated with the given data set.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

establishing a partially encrypted communication link with the accelerator to transfer information associated with the given data set in response to dynamically configuring the accelerator system to locally store one of a portion or all of the given data set, the partially encrypted communication link comprising a lower encryption strength than a fully encrypted communication link; and

instructing, in response to establishing a partially encrypted communication link, the accelerator system to maintain a security counter that indicates when to remove the one of the portion or all of the given data set from the memory.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

determining a type of processing core associated with the accelerator system; and

transforming the given data set from a first format to a second format that is associated with the type of processing core that has been determined.