Emc IP Holding Company LLC

Dell Products Inc.

Ellacoya Networks, Inc.

Arbor Networks, Inc.

Bruce E Caram

Philippe Armangau

Vamsi K Vankamamidi

Christopher Alan Seibel

Ajay Karri

Alexei Karaban

Jean-Pierre Bono

Yubing Wang

Kurt A Dobbins

John F Gillono

Brett A Miller

Yining Si

Rustem Rafikov

David Ruffen

Christopher Jones

Henry A Spang, Iv

A technique consolidates data at multiple levels of granularity, the levels including a first level based on whole PLBs (physical large blocks) and a second level based on portions of donor PLBs. The technique further includes tracking PLBs in multiple PLB queues arranged based on storage utilization of the PLBs, and tracking PLB portions in multiple portion queues arranged based on storage utilization of the portions. When consolidating data to create a new PLB, a set of whole PLBs is selected, based on utilization, from the PLB queues, and a set of portions of donor PLBs is selected, based on utilization, from the portion queues. The selections are performed such that the total data size of the selected whole PLB(s) and the selected portion(s) fit within the new PLB.

Managing data storage consolidation

A method, computer program product, and computing system for compartmentalizing a SSD storage tier within a storage platform into a plurality of SSD portions including a first SSD portion, a second SSD portion and a third SSD portion; reducing the size of the third SSD portion if the first SSD portion and/or the second SS portion needs to expand; and reducing the size of the second SSD portion if the first SSD portion needs to expand; wherein the storage platform includes an HDD storage tier.

Data tiering system and method

A method, computer program product, and computing system for tracking the utilization of a plurality of PLBs within a storage platform to generate PLB utilization information, wherein each PLB is associated with one or more VLBs; and tracking the utilization of the one or more VLBs associated with each of the plurality of PLBs within the storage platform to generate VLB utilization information.

Storage management system and method

A method, computer program product, and computing system for defining a quantity of discrete storage portions within a storage system; entering an expansion mode during which the discrete storage portions are incrementally assigned to at least one processing node until a first assignment level target is achieved; once the first assignment level target is achieved, entering a utilization mode during which the utilization of the assigned discrete portions is increased until a first utilization level target is achieved; and once the first utilization level target is achieved, reentering the expansion mode during which additional discrete storage portions are incrementally assigned to the at least one processing node until a second assignment level target is achieved.

Memory management system and method

A method, computer program product, and computing system for identifying a first memory device source that includes first content; identifying a second memory device source that include second content; and initiating a first iteration of a memory device cleansing procedure wherein first content and at least a first portion of the second content are moved to a first unused memory device.

System and method for memory management using memory device cleansing

A method, computer program product, and computing system for maintaining a first cursor pointer for a memory system, wherein the first cursor pointer concerns a first search criteria and identifies an initial first cursor starting location; receiving a first search request for the memory system that satisfies the first search criteria; executing the first search request within an initial first search window starting at the initial first cursor starting location; and updating the first cursor pointer to identify an updated first cursor starting location based, at least in part, upon the initial first search window.

An allocation history is maintained for each node in a multi-node data storage system. The allocation history for each node indicates sets of physical blocks previously allocated to the node to store dirty pages of user data flushed from a cache of the node. The allocation history indicates non-quarantined sets of physical blocks that are currently being used to provide non-volatile data storage to cache flush operations, and quarantined sets of physical blocks not currently being used to provide non-volatile data storage to cache flush operations. Allocation is prevented to any node of any set of physical blocks that is indicated as non-quarantined by any of the allocation histories, and of any set of physical blocks that is indicated as quarantined by any of the allocation histories.

Sharing blocks of non-volatile data storage to support cache flushes in a multi-node data storage system

A method is used in managing inline data de-duplication in storage systems. The method receives a request to write data at a logical address of a file in a file system of a storage system. The method determines whether the data can be de-duplicated to matching data residing on the storage system in a compressed format. Based on the determination, the method uses a block mapping pointer associated with the matching data to de-duplicate the data. The block mapping pointer includes a block mapping of a set of compressed data extents and information regarding location of the matching data within the set of compressed data extents.

Managing inline data de-duplication in storage systems

Embodiments are directed to techniques for performing deduplication. A method includes (a) obtaining a digest of a data block logically-positioned within a filesystem, the digest providing a hash value of data of the data block, (b) searching a Most Wanted Digest Cache (MWDC) within system memory for the digest, (c) locating an entry in the MWDC using the digest, wherein this locating indicates that the data block has the same data as another data block located elsewhere within the filesystem, the other data block having been previously persistently-stored, the entry having been added to the MWDC in response to the other data block having been deduplicated at least a plurality number of times, (d) locating a mapping structure referenced by the entry located from the MWDC, the mapping structure providing metadata about the other data block, and (e) deduplicating the data block and the other data block with reference to the located mapping structure.

Speeding deduplication using a most wanted digest cache

A technique for managing metadata in a data storage system includes receiving a set of data to be stored in a file system of the data storage system and calculating values of metadata blocks that the file system will use to organize the set of data in the file system. The technique aggregates values of the metadata blocks and sends them in a single, atomic transaction to a persistent cache. The transaction either succeeds, in which case the persistent cache stores the values of all of the metadata blocks, or it fails, in which case the persistent cache stores none of the values of the metadata blocks. Over time, the persistent cache flushes the values of the metadata blocks to a set of non-volatile storage devices that back the metadata blocks in the data storage system.

Managing file system metadata using persistent cache

A method of assigning I/O requests to CPU cores of a data storage system includes, in a first operating mode, assigning I/O requests to CPU cores based on port affinity while maintaining a current I/O completion count, and regularly performing a first test-and-switch operation that includes (i) for a sample interval, temporarily assigning the I/O requests to the CPU cores based on core availability while obtaining a sample I/O completion count, (ii) comparing the first sample I/O completion count to the current I/O completion count, and (iii) based on the sample I/O completion count being greater than the current I/O completion count, switching to a second operating mode. In the second operating mode, I/O requests are assigned to the CPU cores based on core availability, and similar operations are performed for periodically testing whether to switch to the first operating mode.

Data storage system with performance-based distribution of I/O requests to processing cores

A technique for processing IO (Input/Output) requests includes executing a first set of instructions for processing an IO request using a first thread on a CPU core and providing the first thread with an option, based on how busy the CPU core is, either (i) to execute a second set of instructions for further processing the IO request itself or (ii) to pass the IO request to a second thread on the CPU core, such that the second thread executes the second set of instructions instead of the first thread.

Adaptive thread processing of IO requests

A storage technique includes selectively tagging a set of write requests by applying tags to write requests that are pursuant to copy operations and not applying tags to at least some write requests that are not pursuant to copy operations. For each of the set of write requests, the technique further includes performing a decision operation configured to (i) direct the write request down a first processing path that supports inline deduplication in response to the write request satisfying a set of criteria and (ii) direct the write request down a second processing path that does not support inline deduplication in response to the write request failing to satisfy the set of criteria. The set of criteria include whether the write request has a tag applied, such that the decision operation preferentially directs write requests down the first processing path in response to the write requests being tagged.

Tagging write requests to avoid data-log bypass and promote inline deduplication during copies

A technique writes data to a storage array. The technique involves operating storage circuitry in a 'FILL HOLE' mode in which the circuitry writes a stream of first data portions within storage portions of used storage stripes of the array. The technique further involves, after operating the circuitry in the 'FILL HOLE' mode and in response to a first event, transitioning the circuitry from the &#x201c;FILL HOLE&#x201d; mode to a &#x201c;STRIPE WRITE&#x201d; mode in which the circuitry writes a stream of second data portions within unused storage stripes of the array. The technique further involves, after operating the circuitry in the &#x201c;STRIPE WRITE&#x201d; mode and in response to a second event, transitioning the circuitry from the &#x201c;STRIPE WRITE&#x201d; mode back to the &#x201c;FILL HOLE&#x201d; mode in which the circuitry writes a stream of third data portions within storage portions of used storage stripes of the array.

Selectively operating data storage equipment in a 'stripe write' mode and a 'fill hole' mode

A technique for controlling acceptance of host application data into a data log in a data storage system includes selectively accepting or refusing newly arriving host data into the data log based on a comparison between an oldest entry in the data log and an age threshold. The age threshold is dynamically updated based on system heuristics. As long as the oldest log entry is younger than the age threshold, the data log continues to accept newly arriving host application data, acknowledging IO requests to host applications as the data specified in those requests is entered into the log. However, when the oldest log entry is older than the age threshold, new log entries are temporarily refused entry into the data log. Instead, newly arriving data are placed in a pending list, where they are kept until the data log is again accepting new log entries.

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Hudson, MA, United States of America

Bruce E Caram