Management of destage tasks with large number of ranks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016253107-A1
Application number	US-201615148481-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 6, 2016
Priority date	Sep 20, 2012
Publication date	Sep 1, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A processor, operable in a computing storage environment, for each rank in a storage management device in the computing storage environment, allocates a lower maximum count defined by a predetermined lower maximum count of Task Control Blocks (TCBs) of a rank for performing destage operations, and a higher maximum count of TCBs to be implemented for performing a storage operation, and performs the storage operation using up to the lower maximum count of TCBs, yet only allows those TCBs above the lower maximum count to be allocated for performing the storage operation satisfying at least one criterion.

First claim

1 . A method for data management by a processor device in a computing storage environment, the method comprising, for each rank in a storage management device of the computing storage environment:
allocating a lower maximum count defined by a predetermined lower maximum count of Task Control Blocks (TCBs) of a rank for performing destage operations, and a higher maximum count of TCBs to be implemented for performing a storage operation; and performing the storage operation using up to the lower maximum count of TCBs, yet only allowing those TCBs above the lower maximum count to be allocated for performing the storage operation satisfying at least one criterion.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further including considering at least one criterion for one of the TCBs.

3 . The method of claim 2 , further including, pursuant to considering at least one criterion, considering whether a total number of TCBs presently allocated above the lower maximum count is lower than a total higher maximum count of TCBs for the storage management device minus a total lower maximum count of TCBs for the storage management device.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein performing the storage operation further includes performing a destage operation.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further including establishing the lower maximum count as a function of a total TCB for all ranks in the storage management device and a total number of ranks in the storage management device.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further including, based on an amount of modified data in cache, determining a number of TCBs needed for a particular rank of the storage management device.

7 . The method of claim 6 , further including, based on the determined TCBs needed for the particular rank, determining a number of actual TCBs to be allocated in view of the allocated lower and higher maximum amounts.

8 . A system for data management in a computing storage environment, comprising:
a processor device; and a storage management device in operable communication with the processor device, wherein the processor device, for each rank in the storage management device:
allocates a lower maximum count defined by a predetermined lower maximum count of Task Control Blocks (TCBs) of a rank for performing destage operations, and a higher maximum count of TCBs to be implemented for performing a storage operation,
performs the storage operation using up to the lower maximum count of TCBs, yet only allows those TCBs above the lower maximum count to be allocated for performing the storage operation satisfying at least one criterion.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the processor device considers at least one criterion for one of the TCBs.

10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the processor device, pursuant to considering at least one criterion, considers whether a total number of TCBs presently allocated above the lower maximum count is lower than a total higher maximum count of TCBs for the storage management device minus a total lower maximum count of TCBs for the storage management device.

11 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the processor device, pursuant to performing the storage operation, performs a destage operation.

12 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the processor device establishes the lower maximum count as a function of a total TCB for all ranks in the storage management device and a total number of ranks in the storage management device.

13 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the processor device, determines, based on an amount of modified data in cache, a number of TCBs needed for a particular rank of the storage management device.

14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the processor device determines, based on the determined TCBs needed for the particular rank, a number of actual TCBs to be allocated in view of the allocated lower and higher maximum amounts.

15 . A computer program product for data management in a computing environment by a processor device, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:
an executable portion that, for each rank in the storage management device:
allocates a lower maximum count defined by a predetermined lower maximum count of Task Control Blocks (TCBs) of a rank for performing destage operations, and a higher maximum count of TCBs to be implemented for performing a storage operation,
performs the storage operation using up to the lower maximum count of TCBs, yet only allows those TCBs above the lower maximum count to be allocated for performing the storage operation satisfying at least one criterion.

16 . The computer program product of claim 15 , further including an executable portion that considers at least one criterion for one of the TCBs.

17 . The computer program product of claim 16 , further including an executable portion that, pursuant to considering at least one criterion, considers whether a total number of TCBs presently allocated above the lower maximum count is lower than a total higher maximum count of TCBs for the storage management device minus a total lower maximum count of TCBs for the storage management device.

18 . The computer program product of claim 15 , further including an executable portion that, pursuant to performing the storage operation, performs a destage operation.

19 . The computer program product of claim 15 , further including an executable portion that establishes the lower maximum count as a function of a total TCB for all ranks in the storage management device and a total number of ranks in the storage management device.

20 . The computer program product of claim 15 , further including an executable portion that determines, based on an amount of modified data in cache, a number of TCBs needed for a particular rank of the storage management device.

21 . The computer program product of claim 15 , further including an executable portion that determines, based on the determined TCBs needed for the particular rank, a number of actual TCBs to be allocated in view of the allocated lower and higher maximum amounts.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Ash Kevin John
• Benhase Michael Thomas
• Gupta Lokesh Mohan
• Todd Kenneth Wayne

Classifications

• G06F3/061 Primary

  Improving I/O performance · CPC title

• G06F3/06

  Digital input from, or digital output to, record carriers {, e.g. RAID, emulated record carriers or networked record carriers} · CPC title

• G06F3/064

  Management of blocks · CPC title

• G06F3/0613 Primary

  in relation to throughput · CPC title

• G06F9/5016

  the resource being the memory · CPC title