System and method for quasi-compacting garbage collection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017285952-A1
Application number	US-201615367666-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 2, 2016
Priority date	Mar 31, 2016
Publication date	Oct 5, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method, computer program product, and computer system for identifying, by a computing device, a plurality of used chunks, wherein the plurality of used chunks may include a plurality of free blocks and at least one non-free block. A capacity of the plurality of free blocks that is available to reclaim may be verified. The capacity of the plurality of free blocks may be reclaimed. A composite chunk from the plurality of free blocks may be created.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
identifying a plurality of used chunks, wherein the plurality of used chunks includes a plurality of free blocks and at least one non-free block; verifying that a capacity of the plurality of free blocks is available to reclaim; reclaiming the capacity of the plurality of free blocks; and creating a composite chunk from the plurality of free blocks.

2 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of used chunks includes at least one repository chunk, wherein the at least one repository chunk includes user data.

3 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the capacity of the plurality of free blocks is reclaimed while at least one of the plurality of used chunks is in use by the at least one non-free block.

4 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein verifying that the capacity of the plurality of free blocks is available to reclaim includes ignoring at least a portion of the plurality of free blocks that is below a threshold size.

5 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein verifying that the capacity of the plurality of free blocks is available to reclaim includes shortening a free block of the plurality of free blocks that is above a threshold size.

6 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the composite chunk includes a first portion of the plurality of free blocks from a first chunk of the plurality of used chunks, and a second portion of the plurality of free blocks from a second chunk of the plurality of used chunks.

7 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the composite chunk is created without moving the plurality of free blocks and the at least one non-free block.

8 . A computer program product residing on a computer readable storage medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon which, when executed across one or more processors, cause at least a portion of the one or more processor to perform operations comprising:
identifying a plurality of used chunks, wherein the plurality of used chunks includes a plurality of free blocks and at least one non-free block; verifying that a capacity of the plurality of free blocks is available to reclaim; reclaiming the capacity of the plurality of free blocks; and creating a composite chunk from the plurality of free blocks.

9 . The computer program product of claim 8 wherein the plurality of used chunks includes at least one repository chunk, wherein the at least one repository chunk includes user data.

10 . The computer program product of claim 8 wherein the capacity of the plurality of free blocks is reclaimed while at least one of the plurality of used chunks is in use by the at least one non-free block.

11 . The computer program product of claim 8 wherein verifying that the capacity of the plurality of free blocks is available to reclaim includes ignoring at least a portion of the plurality of free blocks that is below a threshold size.

12 . The computer program product of claim 8 wherein verifying that the capacity of the plurality of free blocks is available to reclaim includes shortening a free block of the plurality of free blocks that is above a threshold size.

13 . The computer program product of claim 8 wherein the composite chunk includes a first portion of the plurality of free blocks from a first chunk of the plurality of used chunks, and a second portion of the plurality of free blocks from a second chunk of the plurality of used chunks.

14 . The computer program product of claim 8 wherein the composite chunk is created without moving the plurality of free blocks and the at least one non-free block.

15 . A computing system including one or more processors and one or more memories configured to perform operations comprising:
identifying a plurality of used chunks, wherein the plurality of used chunks includes a plurality of free blocks and at least one non-free block; verifying that a capacity of the plurality of free blocks is available to reclaim; reclaiming the capacity of the plurality of free blocks; and creating a composite chunk from the plurality of free blocks.

16 . The computing system of claim 15 wherein the plurality of used chunks includes at least one repository chunk, wherein the at least one repository chunk includes user data.

17 . The computing system of claim 15 wherein the capacity of the plurality of free blocks is reclaimed while at least one of the plurality of used chunks is in use by the at least one non-free block.

18 . The computing system of claim 15 wherein verifying that the capacity of the plurality of free blocks is available to reclaim includes ignoring at least a portion of the plurality of free blocks that is below a threshold size.

19 . The computing system of claim 15 wherein verifying that the capacity of the plurality of free blocks is available to reclaim includes shortening a free block of the plurality of free blocks that is above a threshold size.

20 . The computing system of claim 15 wherein the composite chunk includes a first portion of the plurality of free blocks from a first chunk of the plurality of used chunks, and a second portion of the plurality of free blocks from a second chunk of the plurality of used chunks.

Assignees

• Emc Ip Holding Co Llc

Inventors

• Danilov Mikhail
• Malygin Mikhail
• Tchoub Ivan
• Fomin Andrey
• Trusov Maxim

Classifications

• G06F3/0652 Primary

  Erasing, e.g. deleting, data cleaning, moving of data to a wastebasket · CPC title

• G06F3/067

  Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS] · CPC title

• G06F3/064 Primary

  Management of blocks · CPC title

• G06F3/0608

  Saving storage space on storage systems · CPC title

• G06F12/0253

  Garbage collection, i.e. reclamation of unreferenced memory · CPC title