International Business Machines Corporation

Globalfoundries Inc.

Intellectual Business Machines Corporation

Slavisa Sarafijanovic

Ilias Iliadis

Vinodh Venkatesan

Jens Jelitto

Harald Seipp

Yusik Kim

Takeshi Ishimoto

Thomas D Weigold

Simon Lorenz

Evangelos Stavros Eleftheriou

Mark Alfred Lantz

Robert Haas

Robert Beverley Basham

Dominic Mueller-Wicke

Khanh V Ngo

Martin Petermann

Tohru Hasegawa

Nils Haustein

Hiroshi Itagaki

Atsushi Abe

Ioannis Koltsidas

Paul Merrill Greco

Takashi Ashida

Mathias Bjoerkqvist

Alexander Saupp

Thomas Mittelholzer

Joseph W Dain

Michael Edward Factor

Dean Hildebrand

Alessandro Sorniotti

William W Owen

Ning Wang

Bo Zou

Harold Joseph Roberson, Ii

Feng Shao

Edward H W Lin

Jin Yin

Jan Stanek

Jiong Lu

Stan Li

A computer-implemented method and a related tape library system for controlling an operation of a tape library system comprising at least one magnetic-tape drive unit and a plurality of tape cartridges, wherein the operation of the tape library system comprises a usage optimization of available resources of the tape library system, is disclosed. The method comprises determining a load value of the resources of the tape library system, accumulating requests to a tape cartridge in a batch before using tape library system to physically accessing the tape cartridge, and dynamically adjusting a number of requests in the batch before physically accessing the tape cartridge dependent on the load value such that a response time of the tape library system is optimized.

Batch scheme for magnetic-tape operation

A method includes receiving a plurality of files where each file represents an object. The method further combines selected files of the plurality of files into an aggregation file and stores the aggregation file on low-latency storage media, such as disk storage media. The method represents the aggregation file with a single inode that is stored on the low-latency storage media. The method migrates the aggregate file to high-latency storage media, such as tape storage media, while leaving the single inode representing the aggregation file on the low-latency storage media. By collecting files into larger aggregation files, the number of files archived is significantly reduced and the files archived are of larger size. The reduced number of files and increased size of the files improves archival and retrieval performance due to reduced metadata operation overhead. A corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed.

Performance- and cost-efficient archiving of small objects

A method for data storage tape access ordering is provided. The method receives an order request for accessing a plurality of data segments stored on a data storage tape. Each data segment is defined by segment characteristics. The method identifies a number of data segments within the plurality of data segments in the order request. The method determines an order model based on the number of data segments and the segment characteristics of the plurality of data segments. The method generates an access order for the plurality of data segments based on the order model and retrieves a subset of data segments from the data storage tape based on the access order.

Group-based tape storage access ordering

A method includes receiving a plurality of files where each file represents an object. The method further combines selected files of the plurality of files into an aggregation file and stores the aggregation file on low-latency storage media, such as disk storage media. The method represents the aggregation file with a single inode that is stored on the low-latency storage media. The method migrates the aggregate file to high-latency storage media, such as tape storage media. By collecting files into larger aggregation files, the number of files archived is significantly reduced and the files archived are of larger size. The reduced number of files and increased size of the files improves archival and retrieval performance due to reduced metadata operation overhead. A corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed.

A computer-implemented method, according to one embodiment, is for integrating magnetic tape storage with a distributed disk file system. The computer-implemented method includes: registering for a subset of data operations that are recorded at a central location, where the central location is coupled to a plurality of distributed accessor nodes. A subset of available resources in one or more magnetic tape libraries that are coupled to the plurality of distributed accessor nodes are registered for and further managed. Moreover, a performance of the subset of data operations using the registered subset of available resources is scheduled. Supplemental data operations which correspond to the subset of data operations are also automatically received from the central location.

Magnetic tape integration with distributed disk file systems

A computer-implemented method according to one embodiment includes receiving a request to perform a high-latency media (HLM) action on an object or a group of objects, identifying metadata associated with the object or group of objects, and conditionally allowing the HLM action to be performed on the object or group of objects, based on the HLM action and the metadata associated with the object.

Regulating migration and recall actions for high latency media (HLM) on objects or group of objects through metadata locking attributes

A method for data storage tape access optimization is provided. The method identifies a plurality of data segments stored on a data storage tape. Each segment having a location and a size on the data storage tape. The method determines a subset of data segments stored on the data storage tape selected for retrieval. The method determines an access order for the subset of data segments. The access order represents a minimized tape cycle time for retrieving the subset of data segments. The method retrieves the subset of data segments from the data storage tape based on the access order.

Access ordering for tape cycle optimization

A computer program product is provided for efficiently managing storage in a multi-tiered storage system. The computer program product comprises a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith. The program instructions are executable by a processor to cause the processor to receive a command from an application, where the command is directed to at least one object. The program instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the processor to determine storage for the at least one object in a multi-tiered storage system based on the command, and store the at least one object in accordance with the determined storage.

Efficiently managing movement of large amounts object data in a storage hierarchy

A computer-implemented method for managing a tiered storage system having an archive tier and an active storage tier comprises determining a workload for moving data between the active tier and the archive tier; and determining an assignment of data to be stored across the active tier and the archive tier, based on the determined workload.

Data archive tier of a tiered storage system

An embodiment is directed to a method for determining an assignment of data to be stored on at least one storage tier i of a plurality of storage tiers of a tiered storage system. The method including, for the at least one storage tier i, steps of accessing storage device characteristics of the at least one storage tier i of the plurality; based on the accessed storage device characteristics, splitting the at least one storage tier i into Nstorage subtiers of the at least one storage tier i, the Nstorage subtiers having respective storage device characteristics; and based on characteristics of data to be stored on the tiered storage system and the respective storage device characteristics of the Nstorage subtiers, determining an assignment of data to be stored on each of the Nstorage subtiers. Embodiments are directed to related methods, systems and computer program products.

Subtier-level data assignment in a tiered storage system

An object-based data storage system includes a memory and a processor for executing machine executable instructions configured for implementing logical containers for data objects each having a global identifier. The containers are configured for storing metadata including a first parameterization value descriptive of a number of storage nodes and a second parameterization value descriptive of a classification of the data objects. The machine executable instructions are further configured for implementing a first object storage ring for addressing storage locations across the multiple storage nodes using a surjective function. Execution of the instructions causes the processor to: instantiate the first object storage ring, receive the global identifier and the metadata by the first object storage ring, and generate a storage address by the first object storage ring for the data object using the global identifier, the first parameterization value and the second parameterization value as input to the surjective function.

Data object storage across multiple storage nodes

A device and method for determining number of storage devices for each of plurality of storage tiers and assignment of data to be stored in the plurality of storage tiers. The device computes an optimized number of storage devices for each tier including a classifier, which receives units as input data to be stored in the system. Based on the characteristics of the storage devices, the device outputs a data-unit-to-storage tier assignment. An optimizer receives data-unit-to-storage tier assignment from the classifier and a cost budget for the system. Thereafter, an output for the number of storage devices for each storage tier is calculated. A method for determining number of storage devices for each of a plurality of storage tiers and assignment of data to be stored in the plurality of storage tiers are also provided.

Device and method for determining a number of storage devices for each of a plurality of storage tiers and an assignment of data to be stored in the plurality of storage tiers

A system according to one embodiment includes a processor and logic integrated with and/or executable by the processor. The logic is configured to cause the processor to store hierarchically-organized global configuration information for each node and each tape library resource in a storage cluster to at least one memory accessible by each node of the storage cluster. The storage cluster includes at least one tape library. Also, the logic is configured to cause the processor to migrate data to and/or recall data from a tape cartridge pool within a tape library, using the hierarchically-organized global configuration information and via a node which has access to the tape cartridge pool, in response to receiving a migration and/or recall request at any node of the storage cluster. Other systems, methods, and computer program products for management of data and resources in a tiered data storage system are described in more embodiments.

Scalable and efficient access to and management of data and resources in a tiered data storage system

A tape drive system server includes a non-volatile memory used as a cache memory for storing data files, at least part of the cache memory comprising a first region managed using a First In First Out policy management and a second region managed using a Least Recently Used policy management; a file system interface for interacting with data files stored on a tape drive system; an interface for allowing one or more remote systems reading and writing data stored on the cache memory; the server configured to: receive from the one or more remote systems one or more write requests for writing one or more data files; interpret attributes associated to data files instructed to be written by the one or more remote systems; and store data files instructed to be written by the remote systems according to the interpreted attributes.

Tape drive system server

Embodiments include methods for operating a first storage system having a first number of data storage drives for enabling access to a first set of removable media. Aspects include providing a second storage system having a number K of data storage drives for enabling access to a second set of removable media and providing a set of parameters describing operational characteristics of the second storage system. Aspects also include determining an analytical model using the set of parameters, the analytical model describing the variation of average waiting time as a function of system load over a predefined range covering multiple system load regime domains and determining values of the set of parameters using the analytical model and data of the second storage system. Aspects further include using the analytical model and the values of the set of parameters for reconfiguring the first storage system.

Growing community of inventors

Adliswil, Switzerland

Slavisa Sarafijanovic