International Business Machines Corporation

International Business Corporation

Machines Corporation

David Brent Schreiber

Lokesh M Gupta

Theresa Mary Brown

Nicolas Marc Clayton

Matthew Sanchez

Theodore Timothy Harris, Jr

Brian D Hatfield

Matthew J Kalos

Kevin J Ash

Kyler A Anderson

Gail Andrea Spear

Matthew John Ward

Joshua J Crawford

Thomas Charles Jarvis

Earle Ellsworth

Sangram Singh Ghoman

Lisa Phan

Ralph O'Neill

Laura Hepner Evans

Gregory E McBride

Carol Santich Mellgren

Nedlaya Yazzie Francisco

Enrique Q Garcia

Raul Eduardo Saba

Olympia Gluck

James Chien-Chiung Chen

Mark L Lipets

Jared Michael Minch

William Henry Travis

Lourdes Magally Gee

Richard Alan Schaeffer

Gabriel G Walder

Chuong H Tran

Brian Dewayne Watson

A computer-implemented method according to one aspect includes receiving an indication of a track range to be released within a storage volume; identifying a data backup within a backup storage space for the storage volume that corresponds to the track range; and releasing the track range within the storage volume in response to determining that the corresponding data backup has expired within the backup storage space.

Releasing data storage tracks while maintaining logical corruption protection

A method for improving asynchronous data replication between a primary storage system and a secondary storage system is disclosed. In one embodiment, such a method includes monitoring, in a cache of the primary storage system, unmirrored data elements needing to be mirrored, but that have not yet been mirrored, from the primary storage system to the secondary storage system. The method maintains a regular LRU list designating an order in which data elements are demoted from the cache. The method determines whether a data element at an LRU end of the regular LRU list is an unmirrored data element. In the event the data element at the LRU end of the regular LRU list is an unmirrored data element, the method moves the data element to a transfer-pending LRU list dedicated to unmirrored data elements in the cache. A corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed.

Auxilary LRU list to improve asynchronous data replication performance

A method for improving asynchronous data replication between a primary storage system and a secondary storage system is disclosed. In one embodiment, such a method includes monitoring, in a cache of the primary storage system, unmirrored data elements needing to be mirrored, but that have not yet been mirrored, from the primary storage system to the secondary storage system. The method maintains an LRU list designating an order in which data elements are demoted from the cache. The method determines whether a data element at an LRU end of the LRU list is an unmirrored data element. In the event the data element at the LRU end of the LRU list is an unmirrored data element, the method moves the data element to an MRU end of the LRU list. A corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed.

Data re-MRU to improve asynchronous data replication performance

A synchronization of data is performed via remote copy operations from a primary storage controller to a secondary storage controller, wherein input/output (I/O) requests are received at the primary storage controller from a host both via a bus interface and a network interface while the remote copy operations are in progress. A first data structure stores identification of tracks written via the network interface that are to be copied from the primary storage controller to the secondary storage controller for the synchronization of data. A second data structure stores identification of tracks written via the bus interface that are to be copied from the primary storage controller to the secondary storage controller for the synchronization of data.

Management of a data written via a bus interface to a storage controller during remote copy operations

A method for enabling point-in-time-copy target volumes to be primary volumes in PPRC relationships is disclosed. In one embodiment, such a method includes reserving, on a first storage device, first resources needed to establish a first point-in-time-copy relationship between a first source volume and a first target volume. The method further sends a reservation request to a second storage device to reserve second resources needed to establish, on the second storage device, a second point-in-time-copy relationship between a second source volume and a second target volume. In the event the reservation request is successfully executed, the method establishes the first point-in-time-copy relationship on the first storage device using the first resources, and sends a check-in request to the second storage device to establish the second point-in-time-copy relationship on the second storage device using the second resources. A corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed.

Enabling point-in-time-copy target volumes to be primary volumes in cascaded data replication systems

Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for using queues corresponding to attribute values associated with units of work to select the units of work to process. A plurality of queues for each of a plurality of attribute types of attributes are associated with the units of work to process, wherein there are queues for different possible attribute values for each of the attribute types. A unit of work to process is received. A determination is made for each of the attribute types at least one of the queues corresponding to at least one attribute value for the attribute type associated with the received unit of work. A record for the received unit of work is added to each of the determined queues.

Using queues corresponding to attribute values associated with units of work to select the units of work to process

Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for using queues corresponding to attribute values and priorities associated with units of work and sub-units of the unit of work to select the units of work and their sub-units to process. There are a plurality of work unit queues, wherein each of the work unit queues are associated with different work unit attribute values that are associated with units of work, wherein a plurality of the work unit queues include records for units of work to process having work unit attribute values associated with the work unit attribute values of the work unit queues, and wherein the work unit queues are each associated with a different priority. A record for a unit of work to perform is added to the work unit queue associated with a priority and work unit attribute value associated with the work unit.

Using queues corresponding to attribute values and priorities associated with units of work and sub-units of the unit of work to select the units of work and their sub-units to process

Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for using queues corresponding to attribute values associated with units of work and sub-units of the unit of work to select the units of work and their sub-units to process. There are a plurality of work unit queues, each associated with different work unit attribute values that are associated with units of work, wherein the work unit queues include records for units of work to process having work unit attribute values associated with the work unit attribute values of the work unit queues. There are a plurality of work sub-unit queues, wherein each are associated with different work sub-unit attribute values that are associated with sub-units of work. Records are added for work sub-units of a unit of work to the work sub-unit queues, and records are selected from the work sub-unit queues to process the sub-units of work.

Using queues corresponding to attribute values associated with units of work and sub-units of the unit of work to select the units of work and their sub-units to process

Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for concurrently processing parts of cells of a data structure with multiple processes. Information is provided to indicate a partitioning of the cells of the data structure into a plurality of parts, and having a cursor pointing to a cell in the part. Processes concurrently process different parts of the data structure by performing: determining from the cursor for the part one of the cells in the part to process; processing the cells from the cursor to determine whether to process the unit of work corresponding to the cell; and setting the cursor to identify one of the cells from which processing is to continue in a subsequent iteration in response to processing the units of work for a plurality of the processed cells.

Concurrently processing parts of cells of a data structure with multiple processes

An apparatus, system, and method are provided for controlling link status changes across multiple independent control modules. The apparatus includes a copy services module configured to control multiple link adapters, each configured to establish multiple communication links between a source and a target storage device. The adapter transmits a link status change notification to the copy services module and starts a timer upon transmitting the link status change notification. The copy services module simultaneously processes link status change notifications from a plurality of communication links. The system includes a communications network and a plurality of storage devices having the above described apparatus. The method includes controlling a plurality of link adapters configured to establish multiple communication links between storage devices, transmitting a link status change notification, starting a timer upon transmitting the link status change notification, and simultaneously processing link status change notifications from a plurality of communication links.

Apparatus, system, and method for controlling link status changes

A data processing system provides a method and apparatus for managing a shared resource between multiple processors. The data processing system includes a first processor for producing, or supplying, available sections of the shared resource, and a second processor for consuming, or allocating, the available sections within the system. The first and second processor share a memory containing a circular queue, a resource queue, for referencing available shared resource sections. The resource queue is initialized by storing a pointer to an available shared resource section in each entry of the resource queue. The second processor consumes an available section of shared resource by removing a resource pointer from a resource queue entry and sending a message signal to a mailbox message subsystem of the first processor. The first processor produces an additional section of available shared resource by servicing the resource message signal and adding a pointer to the additional shared resource section in an empty resource queue entry.

Managing a shared resource in a multi-processor system

A mailbox message system is coupled between a processor having a mailbox and one or more peripheral devices or circuits communicating information to the processor. The mailbox message system in the present invention reports events which occur in the peripheral devices or circuits to the mailbox within the processor to be serviced by the processor. The mailbox message system receives inputs from the processor indicating which events are allowed to be currently serviced by the processor and stores these inputs in a first memory. The mailbox message system further receives unique signals representing distinct events from the peripheral devices and stores these signals in a second memory. The generated events which are pending service in the second memory are then compared with the allowed events in the first memory. When a match exists, a message is encoded and transmitted to the mailbox of the processor indicating that the processor has an event to be serviced. The processor then must service all the pending events in the second memory.

Programmable hardware mailbox message technique and system

Growing community of inventors

Tucson, AZ, United States of America

David Brent Schreiber