Method and apparatus for storing transactional information in persistent memory

• US 20010032300A1
• Filed: 02/22/2001
• Published: 10/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stratus Technologies Ireland Ltd. (Stratus Technologies Bermuda Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Stratus Technologies Bermuda Ltd. (Stratus Technologies Bermuda Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Olson, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 6,901,481 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1435 using file system or storage system metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1441 Resetting or repowering

Abstract

A method and apparatus for storing transactional information in persistent memory. In one embodiment, the invention features a persistent volatile memory and an intermediary program in communication with the persistent volatile memory. The intermediary program receives transactional information and stores the information in the persistent volatile memory. A computer uses the intermediary program to enable the contents of the persistent volatile memory to remain unaltered during a failure of the computer. Additionally, the intermediary program may determine whether the transactional information meets a predetermined criteria before storing the information in the persistent volatile memory.

Claims

1. A method for storing transactional information in a computer comprising:

(a) receiving transactional information;

(b) storing the particular transactional information in a persistent volatile memory on the computer; and

(c) retrieving the transactional information after a computer failure by accessing the transactional information stored in the persistent volatile memory on the computer.

2. The method of

claim 1

further comprising identifying particular transactional information.

3. The method of

claim 1

further comprising flushing the persistent volatile memory to a persistent mass storage device.

4. The method of

claim 3

further comprising determining when the transactional information stored in the persistent volatile memory exceeds some predetermined threshold.

5. The method of

claim 3

further comprising determining when a predefined amount of time has elapsed since the storage of the transactional information in the persistent volatile memory.

6. The method of

claim 3

further comprising determining when a program is not busy.

7. The method of

claim 6

wherein the program is an operating system of the computer.

8. The method of

claim 3

further comprising determining when a file is closed.

9. The method of

claim 3

further comprising determining when the computer is being shut down.

10. The method of

claim 1

further comprising making a copy of the transactional information.

11. The method of

claim 10

further comprising transferring the copy of the transactional information to the persistent volatile memory.

12. In a computer comprising predetermined criteria, a persistent volatile memory comprising a persistent cache, and a persistent non-volatile memory, a method for providing persistent mass storage of transactional information, comprising the steps:

(a) receiving transactional information;

(b) determining whether the transactional information meets the predetermined criteria; and

(c) storing the transactional information meeting the predetermined criteria in the persistent cache.

13. The method of

claim 12

further comprising the step of:

(d) updating the contents of the persistent non-volatile memory to mirror the contents of the persistent cache.

14. The method of

claim 12

wherein the transactional information meeting the predetermined criteria comprises unbuffered writes to disk.

15. The method of

claim 12

wherein the transactional information meeting the predetermined criteria comprises one of a file copy, a file backup, a file update, and a file initialization.

16. A computer for committing transactional information, the computer comprising:

(a) a persistent volatile memory;

(b) an intermediary program in communication with the persistent volatile memory, the intermediary program receiving transactional information and storing the transactional information in the persistent volatile memory,

wherein the contents of the persistent volatile memory remain unaltered through a system failure.

17. The computer of

claim 16

further comprising a filter driver module to identify particular transactional information.

18. The computer of

claim 17

further comprising storing the particular transactional information in the persistent volatile memory.

19. The computer of

claim 16

wherein the persistent volatile memory further comprises a persistent cache.

20. The computer of

claim 19

further comprising a persistent non-volatile memory, wherein the computer flushes the contents of the persistent cache to the persistent non-volatile memory.

21. The computer of

claim 19

further comprising a flushing thread to flush the contents of the persistent cache.

22. The computer of

claim 16

wherein the transactional information comprises unbuffered writes to disk.

23. The computer of

claim 16

wherein the transactional information comprises one of a file copy, a file backup, a file update, and a file initialization.

24. The computer of

claim 16

further comprising a data structure to describe the state of the transactional information stored in the persistent volatile memory.