IP Library › Granted Patent US 8,886,882
Granted Patent B2
US 8,886,882 · App. 13/618,376 · Granted Nov 11, 2014

Method and apparatus of storage tier and cache management

Inventor: Akio Nakajima (Santa Clara, CA)
Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
G06F12/08G06F12/023
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,886,882
App. No.
13/618,376
Granted
Nov 11, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

Storage systems and methods directed to tier management and tier movement. Tier management is conducted based on access frequency of data in a storage subsystem in comparison to the storage subsystem tier. The storage system may then manage cache pre-fetch or tier movement as file location granularity without a special management interface from the host to the storage system.

Claims (57)

1. A storage system, comprising:

a memory configured to store command history information that comprises a history of commands;

an interface configured to receive a command from a computer; and

a controller configured to:

create, as a group, a relationship between a plurality of areas storing a plurality of data accessed by the command;

manage the plurality of data of the plurality of the areas at a same access level based on the relationship, wherein the group is formed from the plurality of areas based on the command history information; and

migrate the plurality of data of the plurality of the areas as a group between tier storage pools based on the same access level.

2. The storage system of claim 1 , wherein when the command is a copy offload command for a first data of the plurality of data in a first tier storage pool, the controller is configured to copy the first data to a copy destination in the first tier storage pool as a second data; and wherein when the interface receives a subsequent read/write command for the second data, the controller is configured to change a tier of a group associated with the first data to a lower tier, and move the first data to a second tier storage pool.

3. The storage system of claim 1 , wherein when the command is a copy offload command for a first data of the plurality of data in a first tier storage pool, the controller copies the first data to a copy destination in the first tier storage pool as a second data;

wherein when the interface receives a subsequent read/write command for the first data, the controller is configured to change a tier of a group associated with the second data to a lower tier, and move the second data to a second tier storage pool.

4. The storage system of claim 1 , wherein when the command is a copy offload command for a first data of the plurality of data in a second tier storage pool, the controller copies the first data to a copy destination in the second tier storage pool as a second data;

wherein when the interface receives a subsequent read/write command for the first data, the controller is configured to change a tier of a group associated with the first data to a higher tier, and move the first data to a first tier storage pool.

5. The storage system of claim 1 , wherein when the command is a copy offload command for a first data of the plurality of data in a second tier storage pool, the controller copies the first data to a copy destination in the second tier storage pool as a second data;

wherein when the interface receives a subsequent read/write command for the second data, the controller is configured to change a tier of a group associated with the second data to a higher tier and move the second data to a first tier storage pool.

6. The storage system of claim 1 , wherein when the command is a copy offload command for a first data of the plurality of data in a second tier storage pool, the controller is configured to move the first data to cache and copy the first data in the cache to a copy destination in the cache as a second data;

wherein when the interface receives a subsequent read/write command for the second data, the controller is configured to change a tier of a group associated with the second data to a higher tier, and move the second data to a first tier storage pool.

7. The storage system of claim 1 , wherein when the command is a copy offload command for a first data of the plurality of data in a second tier storage pool, the controller is configured to move the first data to cache and copy the moved first data to a copy destination in the cache as a second data;

wherein when the interface receives a subsequent read/write command for the first data, the controller is configured to change a tier of a group associated with the first data to a higher tier, move the first data to a first tier storage pool, and move the second data to the second tier storage pool.

8. The storage system of claim 1 , wherein when the command is a copy offload command for a first data of the plurality of data in a first tier storage pool, the controller is configured to move the first data to cache and copy the moved first data to a copy destination in the cache as a second data;

wherein when the interface receives a subsequent read/write command for the first data, the controller is configured to change a tier of a group associated with the second data to a lower tier, move the first data to the first tier storage pool, and move the second data to a second tier storage pool.

9. The storage system of claim 1 , wherein when the command is a copy offload command for a first data of the plurality of data in a first tier storage pool, the controller is configured to move the first data to cache and copy the moved first data to a copy destination in the cache as a second data;

wherein when the interface receives a subsequent read/write command for the second data, the controller is configured to change a tier of a group associated with the first data to a lower tier, move the first data to a second tier storage pool, and move the second data to the first tier storage pool.

10. A method, comprising:

receiving a command from a computer;

creating, as a group, a relationship between a plurality of areas storing a plurality of data accessed by the command;

managing the plurality of data of the plurality of the areas at a same access level based on the relationship, wherein the group is formed from the plurality of areas based on command history information that comprises a history of commands; and

migrating the plurality of data of the plurality of the areas as a group between tier storage pools based on the same access level.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

when the command is a copy offload command for a first data of the plurality of data in a first tier storage pool, copying the first data to a copy destination in the first tier storage pool as a second data; and

wherein when the interface receives a subsequent read/write command for the second data, changing a tier of a group associated with the first data to a lower tier, and moving the first data to a second tier storage pool.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

wherein when the command is a copy offload command for a first data of the plurality of data in a first tier storage pool, copying the first data to a copy destination in the first tier storage pool as a second data; and

wherein when the interface receives a subsequent read/write command for the first data, changing a tier of a group associated with the second data to a lower tier, and moving the second data to a second tier storage pool.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

wherein when the command is a copy offload command for a first data of the plurality of data in a second tier storage pool, copying the first data to a copy destination in the second tier storage pool as a second data;

wherein when the interface receives a subsequent read/write command for the first data, changing a tier of a group associated with the first data to a higher tier, and moving the first data to a first tier storage pool.

14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

wherein when the command is a copy offload command for a first data of the plurality of data in a second tier storage pool, copying the first data to a copy destination in the second tier storage pool as a second data;

wherein when the interface receives a subsequent read/write command for the second data, changing a tier of a group associated with the second data to a higher tier and moving the second data to a first tier storage pool.

15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

wherein when the command is a copy offload command for a first data of the plurality of data in a second tier storage pool, moving the first data to cache and copying the first data in the cache to a copy destination in the cache as a second data;

wherein when the interface receives a subsequent read/write command for the second data, changing a tier of a group associated with the second data to a higher tier, and moving the second data to a first tier storage pool.

16. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

wherein when the command is a copy offload command for a first data of the plurality of data in a second tier storage pool, moving the first data to cache and copying the moved first data to a copy destination in the cache as a second data;

wherein when the interface receives a subsequent read/write command for the first data, changing a tier of a group associated with the first data to a higher tier, moving the first data to a first tier storage pool, and moving the second data to the second tier storage pool.

17. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

wherein when the command is a copy offload command for a first data of the plurality of data in a first tier storage pool, moving the first data to cache and copying the moved first data to a copy destination in the cache as a second data;

wherein when the interface receives a subsequent read/write command for the first data, changing a tier of a group associated with the second data to a lower tier, moving the first data to the first tier storage pool, and moving the second data to a second tier storage pool.

18. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

wherein when the command is a copy offload command for a first data of the plurality of data in a first tier storage pool, moving the first data to cache and copying the moved first data to a copy destination in the cache as a second data;

wherein when the interface receives a subsequent read/write command for the second data, changing a tier of a group associated with the first data to a lower tier, moving the first data to a second tier storage pool, and moving the second data to the first tier storage pool.

19. The method of claim 10 , further comprising creating the group based on a received command token.

20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions for executing a process, the instructions comprising:

receiving a command from a computer;

creating, as a group, a relationship between a plurality of areas storing a plurality of data accessed by the command;

managing the plurality of data of the plurality of the areas at a same access level based on the relationship, wherein the group is formed from the plurality of areas based on command history information that comprises a history of commands; and

migrating the plurality of data of the plurality of the areas as a group between tier storage pools based on the same access level.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 14, 2012
From: NAKAJIMA, AKIO
To: HITACHI, LTD.
Reel/Frame 028985/0064 →
Continuity (1)
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