METHODS FOR HOST-SIDE CACHING AND APPLICATION CONSISTENT WRITEBACK RESTORE AND DEVICES THEREOF

• US 20170004082A1
• Filed: 07/02/2015
• Published: 01/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Sehgal, Priya, Basu, Sourav
• Granted Patent: US 9,852,072 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/14 Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in operation G06F11/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1446 Point-in-time backing up or restoration of persistent data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0804 with main memory updating G06F12/0806 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0813 with a network or matrix configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0815 Cache consistency protocols
• 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 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1016 Performance improvement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/154 Networked environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/314 In storage network, e.g. network attached cache
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/463 File
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/466 Metadata, control data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/621 Coherency control relating to peripheral accessing, e.g. from DMA or I/O device
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

A method, non-transitory computer readable medium, and device that assists with file-based host-side caching and application consistent write back includes receiving a write operation on a file from a client computing device. When the file for which the write operation has been received is determined when the file is present in the cache. An acknowledgement is sent back to the client computing device indicating the acceptance of the write operation when the file for which the write operation has been received is determined to be present within the cache. The write-back operation is completed for data present in the cache of the storage management computing device to one of the plurality of servers upon sending the acknowledgement.

Claims

1. A method for file-based host-side caching and application consistent write back, the method comprising:

receiving, by a storage management computing device, a write operation on a file from a client computing device;

determining, by the storage management computing device, when the file for which the write operation has been received is present within a cache of the storage management computing device;

sending, by the storage management computing device, an acknowledgement indicating the acceptance of the write operation back to the client computing device when the file for which the write operation has been received is determined to be present within the cache; and

completing, by the storage management computing device, a write-back operation for data present in the cache of the storage management computing device to one of the plurality of servers upon sending the acknowledgement.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the determining further comprises, obtaining and caching, by the storage management computing device, the file to the cache of the storage management computing device when the file for which the write operation has been received is not determined to be present within the cache.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the completing the write back operation further comprises:

determining, by a storage management computing device, when a current memory size of the cache exceeds a threshold size of the cache based on the data being written into the file in the cache; and

determining, by the storage management computing device, when a write-back timer has expired on the cache when the current memory size is determined not to have exceeded the threshold size.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3 further comprising:

temporarily changing, by the storage management computing device, a status of an application executing in the client computing device performing the write operation on the file in the cache to write-protect when either the current memory size is determined not to have exceeded the threshold size or the write-back timer is determined to have expired;

completing, by the storage management computing device, the write-back operation by transferring data from the cache to one of the plurality of storage servers; and

changing, by the storage management computing device the status of the application executing in the client computing device performing the write operation on the file in the cache to active upon the completion of the write-back operation.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising capturing, by the storage management computing device, a snapshot of the file in one of the plurality of storage servers upon the completion of the write-back operation.

6. The method as set forth in claim 5 further comprising:

determining, by the storage management computing device, when there is a failure to the cache of the storage management computing device; and

re-validating, by the storage management computing device, data present in the failed cache of the storage management computing device using the captured snapshot.

7. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for file-based host-side caching and application consistent write back comprising executable code which when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform steps comprising:

receiving a write operation on a file from a client computing device;

determining when the file for which the write operation has been received is present within a cache of a storage management computing device;

sending an acknowledgement indicating the acceptance of the write operation back to the client computing device when the file for which the write operation has been received is determined to be present within the cache; and

completing a write-back operation for data present in the cache of the storage management computing device to one of the plurality of servers upon sending the acknowledgement.

8. The medium as set forth in claim 7 wherein the determining further comprises, obtaining and caching the file to the cache of the storage management computing device when the file for which the write operation has been received is not determined to be present within the cache.

9. The medium as set forth in claim 7 wherein the completing the write back operation further comprises:

determining when a current memory size of the cache exceeds a threshold size of the cache based on the data being written into the file in the cache; and

determining when a write-back timer has expired on the cache when the current memory size is determined not to have exceeded the threshold size.

10. The medium as set forth in claim 9 further comprising:

temporarily changing a status of an application executing in the client computing device performing the write operation on the file in the cache to write-protect when either the current memory size is determined not to have exceeded the threshold size or the write-back timer is determined to have expired;

completing the write-back operation by transferring data from the cache to one of the plurality of storage servers; and

changing the status of the application executing in the client computing device performing the write operation on the file in the cache to active upon the completion of the write-back operation.

11. The medium as set forth in claim 7 further comprising capturing a snapshot of the file in one of the plurality of storage servers upon the completion of the write-back operation.

12. The medium as set forth in claim 11 further comprising:

determining, by the storage management computing device, when there is a failure to the cache of the storage management computing device; and

re-validating, by the storage management computing device, data present in the failed cache of the storage management computing device using the captured snapshot.

13. A storage management computing device comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor which is configured to be capable of executing programmed instructions comprising and stored in the memory to;

receive a write operation on a file from a client computing device;

determine when the file for which the write operation has been received is present within a cache of a storage management computing device;

send an acknowledgement indicating the acceptance of the write operation back to the client computing device when the file for which the write operation has been received is determined to be present within the cache; and

complete a write-back operation for data present in the cache of the storage management computing device to one of the plurality of servers upon sending the acknowledgement.

14. The device as set forth in claim 13 wherein the processor coupled to the memory is further configured to be capable of executing the programmed instructions further comprising and stored in the memory to determine further comprises obtaining and caching the file to the cache of the storage management computing device when the file for which the write operation has been received is not determined to be present within the cache.

15. The device as set forth in claim 13 wherein the processor coupled to the memory is further configured to be capable of executing the programmed instructions further comprising and stored in the memory to complete the write back operation further comprises:

determining when a current memory size of the cache exceeds a threshold size of the cache based on the data being written into the file in the cache; and

determining when a write-back timer has expired on the cache when the current memory size is determined not to have exceeded the threshold size.

16. The device as set forth in claim 15 wherein the processor coupled to the memory is further configured to be capable of executing at least one additional programmed instruction comprising and stored in the memory to:

temporarily changing a status of an application executing in the client computing device performing the write operation on the file in the cache to write-protect when either the current memory size is determined not to have exceeded the threshold size or the write-back timer is determined to have expired;

completing the write-back operation by transferring data from the cache to one of the plurality of storage servers; and

changing the status of the application executing in the client computing device performing the write operation on the file in the cache to active upon the completion of the write-back operation.

17. The device as set forth in claim 13 wherein the processor coupled to the memory is further configured to be capable of executing at least one additional programmed instruction comprising and stored in the memory to capture a snapshot of the file in one of the plurality of storage servers upon the completion of the write-back operation.

18. The device as set forth in claim 17 wherein the processor coupled to the memory is further configured to be capable of executing at least one additional programmed instruction comprising and stored in the memory to:

determining, by the storage management computing device, when there is a failure to the cache of the storage management computing device; and

re-validating, by the storage management computing device, data present in the failed cache of the storage management computing device using the captured snapshot.