System and method for managing a cache pool

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9652394-B2
Application number	US-201514623163-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 16, 2015
Priority date	Feb 16, 2015
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

In one embodiment, a system includes a processor and a memory communicatively coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to receive a write request associated with a cache pool, which comprises a plurality of disks. The write request comprises data associated with the write request. The processor is additionally configured to select a first disk from the plurality of disks using a life parameter associated with the first disk. The processor is further configured to cause the data associated with the write request to be written to the first disk.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving a write request associated with a cache pool comprising a plurality of disks, the write request comprising data associated with the write request;
selecting a first disk from the plurality of disks based on a life parameter and a usage parameter associated with the first disk, wherein the usage parameter indicates the amount of available space on the first disk; and
causing the data associated with the write request to be written to the first disk calculating a priority score for the plurality of disks using the life parameters associated with the plurality of disks; based on the priority score, determining a disk with the greatest priority; and wherein selecting the first disk from the plurality of disks comprises selecting the disk with the greatest priority.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cache pool is a local cache and, the method further comprising:
determining that the local cache is preferred;
determining that each disk in the local cache is full;
receiving a set of parameters associated with a plurality of disks in a remote cache, the set of parameters comprising the life parameter;
calculating a priority score for the plurality of disks in the remote cache using the life parameters associated with the plurality of disks in the remote cache;
based on the priority score, determining a disk with the greatest priority, the disk with the greatest priority having a highest priority of the plurality of disks in the remote cache;
determining that at least two disks of the plurality of disks in the remote cache each have the highest priority;
wherein selecting the first disk from the plurality of disks comprises selecting a first available disk of the at least two disks of the plurality of disks in the remote cache with the highest priority; and
wherein causing the data associated with the write request to be written to the first disk comprises causing the data associated with the write request to be written to the first available disk.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that at least two disks of the plurality of disks each have the highest priority;
wherein selecting the first disk from the plurality of disks comprises selecting a first available disk of the at least two disks of the plurality of disks with the highest priority; and
wherein causing the data associated with the write request to be written to the first disk comprises causing the data associated with the write request to be written to the first available disk with the highest priority.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cache pool is a local cache and, the method further comprising:
determining whether the local cache is preferred;
determining whether each disk in the local cache is full;
if the local cache is preferred and each disk in the local cache is not full, then selecting the first disk based on the life parameter and the usage parameter comprises selecting a local disk based on the life parameter and the usage parameter, the local disk being in the local cache; and
if the local cache is preferred and each disk in the local cache is full, then selecting the first disk based on the life parameter and the usage parameter comprises selecting a remote disk based on the life parameter and the usage parameter, the remote disk being in a remote cache.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a second write request associated with the cache pool;
determining that a fairness cycling policy applies;
in response to determining that the fairness cycling policy applies, selecting a second disk, the second disk identified using the fairness cycling policy; and
causing the data corresponding to the write request to be written to the second disk.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a set of parameters associated with a plurality of disks, the set of parameters comprising the life parameter and the usage parameter; and
updating the set of parameters for each of the plurality of disks using the received set of parameters.

7. An information handling system, comprising:
a memory;
a processor communicatively coupled to the memory, the processor configured to:
receive a write request associated with a cache pool comprising a plurality of disks, the write request comprising data associated with the write request;
select a first disk from the plurality of disks based on a life parameter and a usage parameter associated with the first disk, wherein the usage parameter indicates the amount of available space on the first disk; and
cause the data associated with the write request to be written to the first disk calculating a priority score for the plurality of disks using the life parameters associated with the plurality of disks; based on the priority score, determining a disk with the greatest priority; and wherein selecting the first disk from the plurality of disks comprises selecting the disk with the greatest priority.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the cache pool is a local cache and, the processor is further configured to:
determine that the local cache is preferred;
determine that each disk in the local cache is full;
receive a set of parameters associated with a plurality of disks in a remote cache, the set of parameters comprising the life parameter;
calculate a priority score for the plurality of disks in the remote cache using the life parameters associated with the plurality of disks in the remote cache;
based on the priority score, determine a disk with the greatest priority, the disk with the greatest priority having a highest priority of the plurality of disks in the remote cache;
determine that at least two disks of the plurality of disks in the remote cache each have the highest priority;
wherein selecting the first disk from the plurality of disks comprises selecting a first available disk of the at least two disks of the plurality of disks in the remote cache with the highest priority; and
wherein causing the data associated with the write request to be written to the first disk comprises causing the data associated with the write request to be written to the first available disk.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine that at least two disks of the plurality of disks each have the highest priority;
wherein selecting the first disk from the plurality of disks comprises selecting a first available disk of the at least two disks of the plurality of disks with the highest priority; and
wherein causing the data associated with the write request to be written to the first disk comprises causing the data associated with the write request to be written to the first available disk with the highest priority.

10. The system of claim 7 , wherein the cache pool is a local cache and, the processor is further configured to:
determine whether the local cache is preferred;
determine whether each disk in the local cache is full;
if the local cache is preferred and each disk in the local cache is not full, then selecting the first disk based on the life parameter and the usage parameter comprises selecting a local disk based on the life parameter and the usage parameter, the local disk being in the local cache; and
if the local cache is preferred and each disk in the local cache is full, then selecting the first disk based on the life parameter and the usage parameter comprises selecting a remote disk based on the life parameter and the usage parameter, the remote disk being in a remote cache.

11. The system of claim 7 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
receive a second write request associate

Assignees

• Dell Products Lp

Inventors

• Agarwal Sandeep
• Atluri Anup
• Vellimalai Ashokan
• Sreedhar M Deepu Syam

Classifications

• G06F12/0871 Primary

  Allocation or management of cache space · CPC title

• G06F2212/62

  Details of cache specific to multiprocessor cache arrangements · CPC title

• G06F12/0842 Primary

  for multiprocessing or multitasking · CPC title

• G06F2212/224

  Disk storage · CPC title

• G06F12/0893

  Caches characterised by their organisation or structure · CPC title