Increasing serial read performance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10936223-B2
Application number	US-201916538872-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 13, 2019
Priority date	Mar 22, 2018
Publication date	Mar 2, 2021
Grant date	Mar 2, 2021

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provides methods, computer program products, and a system for improving serial performance of a computer system storage volume. Embodiments of the present invention can be used to reduce a partition scheme of a storage volume to allow for a computer system to read the storage volume using additional system resources that were previously idle during a serial read operation. Embodiments of the present invention can be used to reserve random-access memory (RAM) to store metadata describing data stored on a storage volume that utilizes a reduced partition scheme. Once the serial read of the storage volume is complete, the embodiments of the present invention can revert the partition scheme back to the original partition scheme for normal, non-serial read operations.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
reducing a first partition size of an original partition scheme of a first storage volume to a second partition size by an amount less than the first partition size;
splitting data of the first storage volume into a plurality of partitions, wherein the plurality of partitions each have a second partition size such that, when added together, equals the first partition size of the original partition scheme;
copying the data of the plurality of partitions of the first storage volume to a second storage volume; and
reverting the data associated with the second partition size to the first partition size.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein receiving a serial read request for a first storage volume having data partitioned according to an original partition scheme comprises:
receiving a serial read request from a user instructing that the first storage volume is to be copied to a second storage volume, wherein the serial read request is entered into a read request queue.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the serial read request is a scheduled data backup request to be performed by a computer system at a designated time.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein splitting the data of the first storage volume into a plurality of partitions comprises:
reserving random-access memory (RAM) for the metadata based on the second partition size of the reduced partition scheme;
converting the metadata of the first storage volume to fit within limitations specified by the reduced partition scheme;
instructing a computer system to read the first storage volume using the converted metadata corresponding to the reduced partition scheme by designating the first storage volume as beginning a serial read mode for reading the data of the reduced partition scheme; and
reading the first storage volume serially based on instructions to the computer system for the first storage volume.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein reserving RAM for the metadata based on the second partition size of the reduced partition scheme is based, at least in part, on a RAM calculation and the I/O batch size of the computer system.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein reverting the data associated with the second partition size to the first partition size comprises:
determining whether a serial read of the first volume has completed;
responsive to determining that a serial read of the first volume has completed, instructing a computer system to read the first storage volume using the metadata corresponding to the original partition scheme; and
recombining the split data to the original partition scheme.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein reducing the first partition size of the partition scheme to a second partition size by an amount less than the first partition size further comprises:
reducing the first partition size of the partition scheme to a second partition size based, at least in part, on an input/output (I/O) batch size of a computer system containing the first storage volume.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein reducing the first partition size of the partition scheme to a second partition size by an amount less than the first partition size further comprises:
reducing the first partition size of the partition scheme to a second partition size based, at least in part, on a predetermined size set by a user.

9. A computer program product comprising:
one or more computer readable storage media and program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions comprising:
program instructions to reduce a first partition size of an original partition scheme of a first storage volume to a second partition size by an amount less than the first partition size;
program instructions to split data of the first storage volume into a plurality of partitions, wherein the plurality of partitions each have a second partition size such that, when added together, equals the first partition size of the original partition scheme;
program instructions to copy the data of the plurality of partitions of the first storage volume to a second storage volume; and
program instructions to revert the data associated with the second partition size to the first partition size.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein the program instructions to receive a serial read request for a first storage volume having data partitioned according to an original partition scheme comprise:
program instructions to receive a serial read request from a user instructing that the first storage volume is to be copied to a second storage volume, wherein the serial read request is entered into a read request queue.

11. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein the serial read request is a scheduled data backup request to be performed by the computer system at a designated time.

12. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein the program instructions to split the data of the first storage volume into a plurality of partitions comprise:
program instructions to reserve random-access memory (RAM) for the metadata based on the second partition size of the reduced partition scheme;
program instructions to convert the metadata of the first storage volume to fit within limitations specified by the reduced partition scheme;
program instructions to instruct a computer system to read the first storage volume using the converted metadata corresponding to the reduced partition scheme by designating the first storage volume as beginning a serial read mode for reading the data of the reduced partition scheme; and
program instructions to read the first storage volume serially based on instructions to the computer system for the first storage volume.

13. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein the program instructions to revert the data associated with the second partition size to the first partition size comprise:
program instructions to determine whether a serial read of the first volume has completed;
responsive to determining that a serial read of the first volume has completed, program instructions to instruct the computer system to read the first storage volume using the metadata corresponding to the original partition scheme; and
program instructions to recombine the split data to the original partition scheme.

14. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein the program instructions to reduce the first partition size of the partition scheme to a second partition size by an amount less than the first partition size further comprise:
program instructions to reduce the first partition size of the partition scheme to a second partition size based, at least in part, on an input/output (I/O) batch size of a computer system containing the first storage volume.

15. A computer system comprising:
one or more computer processors;
one or more computer readable storage media; and
program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, the program instructions comprising:
program instructions to reduce a first partition size of an original partition scheme of a first storage volume to a second partition size by an amount less than the first partition size;
program instructions to split data of the first storage volume into a plurality of partitions, wherein the plurality of partitions each have a second partition size such tha

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Messing Deborah A
• Mcgregor Harry R
• Goldberg Itzhack
• Moore Christopher B

Classifications

• G06F3/0644

  Management of space entities, e.g. partitions, extents, pools · CPC title

• Y02D10/00

  Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management · CPC title

• G06F2213/16

  Memory access · CPC title

• G06F13/1668 Primary

  Details of memory controller · CPC title

• G06F3/0632 Primary

  by initialisation or re-initialisation of storage systems · CPC title