System to support dynamically flexible data definitions and storage requirements

• US 20020087787A1
• Filed: 12/29/2000
• Published: 07/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Storage Technologies Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Milligan, Charles A., Selkirk, Stephen S.
• Granted Patent: US 6,978,356 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/114
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0629 Configuration or reconfiguration of storage systems
• 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]

Abstract

A system is provided to support dynamically flexible data definitions and storage requirements in a data processing system. The present invention separates processing of data unit requirements from the selection of which storage subsystems to use for storage by using a storage methodologies inventory. The present invention provides a system to support dynamically flexible data definitions and storage requirements in a data processing system. A virtual stored data management subsystem contains one or more hosts. A plurality of virtual data units are functionally coupled to the one or more hosts. The plurality of virtual data units includes associated management information such that the management information provides first and second boundaries. The first and second boundaries limit preferences in which to store the virtual data units with the stored data management subsystem.

Claims

1. A virtual stored data management subsystem, the virtual stored data management subsystem comprising:

one or more hosts; and

a plurality of virtual data units functionally coupled to the one or more hosts, wherein the plurality of virtual data units includes associated management information such that the management information provides first and second boundaries such that the first and second boundaries limit preferences in which to store the virtual data units within the stored data management subsystem.

2. The virtual stored data management subsystem of claim 1, wherein the management information is independent of attributes of the virtual stored data management subsystem.

3. The virtual stored data management subsystem of claim 2, wherein the management information conforms to installation criteria within the virtual stored data management system.

4. The virtual stored data management subsystem of claim 1, wherein the management information is related to attributes of the virtual stored data management subsystem utilizing a plurality of rules.

5. The virtual stored data management subsystem of claim 4, wherein the plurality of rules are variable.

6. The virtual stored data management subsystem of claim 5, wherein the variable rules are an algorithm.

7. The virtual stored management subsystem of claim 1, wherein the management information is processed in accordance with storage element attributes and further comprises:

deriving relationships that define the first and second boundaries; and

stipulating the first and second boundaries, wherein stipulated first and second boundaries includes stated relationships from derived relationships.

8. The virtual stored management subsystem of claim 7, wherein the relationships exist only on demand.

9. The virtual stored management subsystem of claim 7, wherein the relationships are a combination of storage subsystem relationships.

10. The virtual stored management subsystem of claim 9, wherein the combination of storage subsystem relationships includes a redundant array of inexpensive disks (RAID) and a hierarchical storage management (HSM).