Non-intrusive automated storage tiering using information of front end storage activities

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9323682-B1
Application number	US-201313857548-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Apr 5, 2013
Priority date	Apr 5, 2013
Publication date	Apr 26, 2016
Grant date	Apr 26, 2016

Abstract

A system and techniques are provided for evaluating front end activity of a storage device in connection with storage tiering and management operations at the back end without the need to collect new sub-LUN metrics/statistics on the front end or querying the front end. The system avoids demotions of extents that are hot on the front end even when seemingly cool on the back end. The result is improved system performance since data that is hot on the front end will not be demoted to a lower storage tier. The system provides that there is little to no additional performance impact on the front end because there is no requirement to collect any new front end statistics or query the front end, and there is no increase in the meta data collected by the automated tiering system as there is no new sub-LUN metrics collected on the front end.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for managing data in a storage device having a front end and a back end, comprising:
determining an extent of data stored on storage of the back end of the storage device as an extent demotion candidate subject to demotion at the back end;
searching a cache memory of the front end of the storage device for at least some of the data of the demotion candidate;
performing an evaluation algorithm based on result of the searching of the cache memory, wherein the evaluation algorithm includes determining whether any data of the demotion candidate stored in the cache memory has been accessed within a threshold amount of time; and
based on the evaluation algorithm, determining whether demotion of the demotion candidate is to be delayed at the back end, wherein if it is determined by the evaluation algorithm that any data of the demotion candidate stored in the cache has been accessed within the threshold amount of time, demotion of the demotion candidate at the back end is delayed.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the demotion includes moving data from a first storage tier to a second storage tier of the storage device.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the second storage tier has a lower access speed than the first storage tier.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the evaluation algorithm includes determining an amount of the data of the demotion candidate that is present in the cache.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the evaluation algorithm includes performing a weighted decision algorithm in accordance with weighting criteria including the amount of data of the demotion candidate that is present in cache.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the evaluation algorithm includes determining a length of time in which the data of the demotion candidate has been present in the cache.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the evaluation algorithm determines demotion of the demotion candidate is to be delayed at the back end by a specified time.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein determining extent demotion candidates at the back end includes determining an access characteristic of the data stored at the back end.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software for managing data in a storage device having a front end and a back end, the software comprising:
executable code that determines an extent of data stored on storage of the back end of the storage device as an extent demotion candidate subject to demotion at the back end;
executable code that searches a cache memory of the front end of the storage device for at least some of the data of the demotion candidate;
executable code that performs an evaluation algorithm based on result of the searching of the cache memory, wherein the evaluation algorithm includes determining whether any data of the demotion candidate stored in the cache memory has been accessed within a threshold amount of time; and
executable code that, based on the evaluation algorithm, determines whether demotion of the demotion candidate is to be delayed at the back end, wherein if it is determined by the evaluation algorithm that any data of the demotion candidate stored in the cache has been accessed within the threshold amount of time, demotion of the demotion candidate at the back end is delayed.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9 , wherein the demotion includes moving data from a first storage tier to a second storage tier of the storage device.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 10 , wherein the second storage tier has a lower access speed than the first storage tier.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9 , wherein the evaluation algorithm includes determining an amount of the data of the demotion candidate that is present in the cache.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9 , wherein the evaluation algorithm includes determining a length of time in which the data of the demotion candidate has been present in the cache.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9 , wherein the evaluation algorithm determines demotion of the demotion candidate is to be delayed at the back end by a specified time.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9 , wherein the executable code that determines extent demotion candidates at the back end includes executable code that determines an access characteristic of the data stored at the back end.

16. A storage device system, comprising:
a front end having a cache;
a back end having a physical storage area;
a controller, wherein the controller includes at least one processor that executes software for managing data of the storage device, the software including:
executable code that determines an extent of data stored on storage of the back end of the storage device as an extent demotion candidate subject to demotion at the back end;
executable code that searches a cache memory of the front end of the storage device for at least some of the data of the demotion candidate;
executable code that performs an evaluation algorithm based on result of the searching of the cache memory, wherein the evaluation algorithm includes determining whether any data of the demotion candidate stored in the cache memory has been accessed within a threshold amount of time; and
executable code that, based on the evaluation algorithm, determines whether demotion of the demotion candidate is to be delayed at the back end, wherein if it is determined by the evaluation algorithm that any data of the demotion candidate stored in the cache has been accessed within the threshold amount of time, demotion of the demotion candidate at the back end is delayed.

17. The system according to claim 16 , wherein the demotion includes moving data from a first storage tier to a second storage tier of the storage device, wherein the second storage tier has a lower access speed than the first storage tier.

18. The system according to claim 16 , wherein the evaluation algorithm includes determining an amount of the data of the demotion candidate that is present in the cache.

19. The system according to claim 16 , wherein the evaluation algorithm includes determining a length of time in which the data of the demotion candidate has been present in the cache.

20. The system according to claim 16 , wherein the evaluation algorithm determines demotion of the demotion candidate is to be delayed at the back end by a specified time.

21. The system according to claim 16 , wherein the executable code that determines extent demotion candidates at the back end includes executable code that determines an access characteristic of the data stored at the back end.

Assignees

• Emc Corp

Inventors

• Marshak Marik
• Veprinsky Alexandr
• Ives Stephen Richard
• Don Arieh

Classifications

• G06F12/121 Primary

  using replacement algorithms · CPC title

• G06F12/0871

  Allocation or management of cache space · CPC title

• G06F12/0866 Primary

  for peripheral storage systems, e.g. disk cache · CPC title

• G06F2212/1016

  Performance improvement · CPC title

• G06F2212/601

  Reconfiguration of cache memory · CPC title