Method, electronic equipment and computer program product for managing metadata storage unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11941265-B2
Application number	US-202117464128-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 1, 2021
Priority date	Jan 22, 2021
Publication date	Mar 26, 2024
Grant date	Mar 26, 2024

Abstract

Techniques for managing metadata storage units involve: in response to receiving, from a client, a request for allocating a target number of metadata storage units, determining a first number of available metadata storage units remaining in a metadata storage space of a storage system after the allocation is performed; and if the first number is not less than a reserved number, allocating the target number of metadata storage units from the metadata storage space for the client to use, wherein the reserved number is associated with a usage condition of the metadata storage units in the storage system. Accordingly, such techniques can effectively manage metadata and improve the performance of a system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for managing metadata storage units within a storage system, comprising:
generating metadata corresponding to user data to be written to a user data storage space of a storage system, the metadata to be stored in a target number of metadata storage units;
in response to generating the metadata, receiving, from a client, a request for allocating the target number of metadata storage units;
in response to receiving, from the client, the request for allocating the target number of metadata storage units, determining a first number of available metadata storage units remaining in a metadata storage space of the storage system after the allocation is performed, the first number being not less than a reserved number;
if the first number is not less than the reserved number, allocating, within the storage system, the target number of metadata storage units from the metadata storage space for the client to use, wherein the reserved number is associated with a usage condition of the metadata storage units in the storage system; and
adjusting the reserved number based on a number of user data storage units flushed to the user data storage space within a historical time period, the reserved number being a number of metadata storage units reserved in the metadata storage space.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, from the client, a second request for allocating a second target number of metadata storage units;
generating a number of available metadata storage units should the second target number of metadata storage units be allocated from the metadata storage space, the generated number being less than the reserved number;
if the generated number is less than the reserved number, expanding the metadata storage space; and
if the expansion is successful, allocating the second target number of metadata storage units from the expanded metadata storage space for the client to use.

3. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising:
performing an expansion operation which attempts to expand the metadata storage space, the expansion operation failing;
if the expansion operation fails, determining a second number of metadata storage units released in the storage system, a sum of the first number and the second number being less than a first predetermined threshold associated with the reserved number; and
if the sum of the first number and the second number is less than the first predetermined threshold associated with the reserved number, causing the storage system to enter a write-protected mode, wherein the storage system in the write-protected mode does not respond to a write request.

4. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising:
in response to the storage system entering the write-protected mode, determining a fifth number of the available metadata storage units remaining in the metadata storage space;
determining a sixth number of the metadata storage units released in the storage system, a sum of the fifth number and the sixth number exceeding a second predetermined threshold associated with the reserved number; and
if the sum of the fifth number and the sixth number exceeds the second predetermined threshold associated with the reserved number, causing the storage system to exit the write-protected mode, wherein the second predetermined threshold exceeds the first predetermined threshold.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
determining the reserved number based on the usage condition of the metadata storage units in the storage system.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein determining the reserved number comprises:
determining a third number of metadata storage units used in a historical time period;
determining a fourth number of user data storage units flushed to a persistent storage device of the storage system within the historical time period; and
determining the reserved number based on a ratio of the third number to the fourth number and a seventh number of user data storage units to be flushed to the persistent storage device.

7. The method according to claim 5 , wherein determining the reserved number comprises:
determining the reserved number periodically.

8. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein adjusting the reserved number is further based on (i) a number of metadata storage units allocated from the metadata storage space during a predetermined time period and (ii) a number of metadata storage units made available from a to-be-recycled storage space of the storage system during the predetermined time period.

9. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
storing dirty data in a cache in the storage system; and
during the historical time period, flushing the dirty data from the cache to the user data storage space, the dirty data being stored in the user data storage units.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein storing the dirty data includes adding the dirty data to a first end of the cache; and
wherein flushing the dirty data includes:
removing the dirty data from a second end of the cache that is a different end than the first end; and
storing the dirty data in the user data storage space.

11. An electronic device, comprising:
at least one processing unit; and
at least one memory that is coupled to the at least one processing unit and stores instructions for execution by the at least one processing unit, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processing unit, cause the device to perform actions comprising:
generating metadata corresponding to user data to be written to a user data storage space of a storage system, the metadata to be stored in a target number of metadata storage units;
in response to generating the metadata, receiving, from a client, a request for allocating the target number of metadata storage units;
in response to receiving, from the client, the request for allocating the target number of metadata storage units, determining a first number of available metadata storage units remaining in a metadata storage space of a storage system after the allocation is performed, the first number being not less than a reserved number; and
if the first number is not less than the reserved number, allocating, within the storage system, the target number of metadata storage units from the metadata storage space for the client to use, wherein the reserved number is associated with a usage condition of the metadata storage units in the storage system; and
adjusting the reserved number based on a number of user data storage units flushed to the user data storage space within a historical time period, the reserved number being a number of metadata storage units reserved in the metadata storage space.

12. The electronic device according to claim 11 , wherein the actions further comprise:
receiving, from the client, a second request for allocating a second target number of metadata storage units;
generating a number of available metadata storage units should the second target number of metadata storage units be allocated from the metadata storage space, the generated number being less than the reserved number;
if the generated number is less than the reserved number, expanding the metadata storage space; and
if the expansion is successful, allocating the second target number of metadata storage units from the expanded metadata storage space for the client to use.

13. The electronic device according to claim 12 , wherein the actions further comprise:
performing an expansion operation which attempts to expand the metadata storage space, the expansion

Assignees

• Emc Ip Holding Co Llc
• EMC IP Holding Company LLP

Inventors

• Li Xiongcheng
• Xu Xinlei
• Xia Sihang
• Sun Tianshu
• Ge Ping

Classifications

• G06F3/0631 Primary

  by allocating resources to storage systems · CPC title

• G06F3/0604

  Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management · CPC title

• G06F3/0673

  Single storage device · CPC title

• G06F3/0617 Primary

  in relation to availability · CPC title

• G06F3/0638

  Organizing or formatting or addressing of data · CPC title