PDSE extended generation grouping for tiered storage systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11237735-B2
Application number	US-201815887185-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 2, 2018
Priority date	Nov 1, 2015
Publication date	Feb 1, 2022
Grant date	Feb 1, 2022

Abstract

A method for storing data includes establishing an extended generation group comprising a plurality of data sets. The plurality of data sets includes a first data set containing primary members and a first number of generations of each of the primary members, and a second data set containing a second number of generations of each of the primary members. The method further indicates, in the metadata of the first data set, a maximum number of generations allowable in each of the first and second data sets When a primary member is modified in the first data set, the method automatically moves an oldest generation in the first data set to the second data set, and deletes an oldest generation in the second data set to ensure that the extended generation group does not exceed the maximum number.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for storing data, the method comprising:
establishing an extended generation group comprising a plurality of data sets, the plurality of data sets comprising a first data set containing primary members and a first number of generations of each of the primary members, and a second data set containing a second number of generations of each of the primary members, wherein the first data set and the second data set are stored on different tiers of a tiered storage system;
indicating, in metadata of the first data set, a first maximum number of generations allowable in the first data set;
deriving, from the first maximum number, a second maximum number of generations allowable in the second data set, such that the second maximum number is directly related to the first maximum number; and
upon modifying a primary member in the first data set, automatically moving an oldest generation in the first data set to the second data set, and deleting an oldest generation in the second data set to ensure that the first number does not exceed the first maximum number, and the second number does not exceed the second maximum number.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein changing the first maximum number automatically changes the second maximum number.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second maximum number is greater than the first maximum number.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the second maximum number is a multiple of the first maximum number.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising indicating, in the metadata of the first data set, that the first data set and the second data set are associated with the extended generation group.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing the first and second data sets on different volumes.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing, in the metadata of the first data set, a root directory that provides a starting point to locate generations in each of the first data set and the second data set.

8. A computer program product for storing data, the computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium having computer-usable program code embodied therein, the computer-usable program code comprising:
computer-usable program code to establish an extended generation group comprising a plurality of data sets, the plurality of data sets comprising a first data set containing primary members and a first number of generations of each of the primary members, and a second data set containing a second number of generations of each of the primary members, wherein the first data set and the second data set are stored on different tiers of a tiered storage system;
computer-usable program code to indicate, in metadata of the first data set, a first maximum number of generations allowable in the first data set;
computer-usable program code to derive, from the first maximum number, a second maximum number of generations allowable in the second data set, such that the second maximum number is directly related to the first maximum number; and
computer-usable program code to, upon modifying a primary member in the first data set, automatically move an oldest generation in the first data set to the second data set, and delete an oldest generation in the second data set to ensure that the first number does not exceed the first maximum number, and the second number does not exceed the second maximum number.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein changing the first maximum number automatically changes the second maximum number.

10. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the second maximum number is greater than the first maximum number.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 , wherein the second maximum number is a multiple of the first maximum number.

12. The computer program product of claim 8 , further comprising computer-usable program code to store the first and second data sets on different volumes.

13. The computer program product of claim 8 , further comprising computer-usable program code to provide, in the metadata of the first data set, a root directory that provides a starting point to locate generations in each of the first data set and the second data set.

14. A system for storing data, the system comprising:
at least one processor;
at least one memory device operably coupled to the at least one processor and storing instructions for execution on the at least one processor, the instructions causing the at least one processor to:
establish an extended generation group comprising a plurality of data sets, the plurality of data sets comprising a first data set containing primary members and a first number of generations of each of the primary members, and a second data set containing a second number of generations of each of the primary members, wherein the first data set and the second data set are stored on different tiers of a tiered storage system;
indicate, in metadata of the first data set, a first maximum number of generations allowable in the first data set;
derive, from the first maximum number, a second maximum number of generations allowable in the second data set, such that the second maximum number is directly related to the first maximum number; and
upon modifying a primary member in the first data set, automatically move an oldest generation in the first data set to the second data set, and delete an oldest generation in the second data set to ensure that the first number does not exceed the first maximum number, and the second number does not exceed the second maximum number.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein changing the first maximum number automatically changes the second maximum number.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the second maximum number is a multiple of the first maximum number.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to indicate, in the metadata of the first data set, that the first data set and the second data set are associated with the extended generation group.

18. The system of claim 14 , wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to store the first and second data sets on different volumes.

19. The system of claim 14 , wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to provide, in the metadata of the first data set, a root directory that provides a starting point to locate generations in each of the first data set and the second data set.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Erdmann Derek L
• Reed David C
• Reed Thomas C
• Smith Max D

Classifications

• G06F3/0689

  Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD · CPC title

• G06F3/0685

  Hybrid storage combining heterogeneous device types, e.g. hierarchical storage, hybrid arrays · CPC title

• G06F3/0631

  by allocating resources to storage systems · CPC title

• G06F3/0665

  at area level, e.g. provisioning of virtual or logical volumes · CPC title

• G06F3/0619 Primary

  in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors · CPC title