Enhanced workload management using internal copy and/or zone-append technologies

Abstract

The present technology enhances workload management of data storage systems by using an internal copy function and/or a zone-append technology. The internal copy function is used, e.g., in merge operations to move data between locations on a disk without using off-disk resources (e.g., processing or memory of a CPU). Zone-append technology uses nameless writes (e.g., write instruction without an assigned destination address on the disk) to combine IO units from different threads to be written to a common zone of a disk (e.g., a shingled magnetic recording (SMR) disk). Sequential addresses are assigned to IO units from different threads based on their order in the write queue, reducing the latency and seek time typically associated with random writes. The zone-append technology, e.g., uses sequential write operations within specified zones, allowing the disk to determine the actual write location and to report post-write logical block addresses (LBAs).