Apparatus and method for transferring data between storages having different access speeds

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9720600-B2
Application number	US-201414278487-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 15, 2014
Priority date	May 23, 2013
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

An apparatus is connected to a first storage and a second storage which is accessed at an access speed lower than an access speed of the first storage. The apparatus accesses each of blocks stored in the second storage, and counts, for each of the blocks, the number of accesses made for the each block. The apparatus determines, based on the number of accesses that has been counted for each of the blocks, a transfer target block that is a target which is to be transferred from the second storage to the first storage, and determines a transfer time at which transfer of the transfer target block is to be performed. The apparatus transfers the determined transfer target block to the first storage at the determined transfer time.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus coupled to a first storage and a second storage, the second storage being accessed at an access speed lower than an access speed at which the first storage is accessed, the apparatus comprising:
a processor configured to: access each of blocks stored in the second storage;
for each of the blocks, count the number of accesses made for the each block and store, in a time record table, a time at which the number of access for each block becomes equal to or larger than a threshold;
based on the number of accesses that has been counted for each of the blocks, determine a transfer target block that is a target which is to be transferred from the second storage to the first storage, and determine a transfer time at which transfer of the transfer target block is to be performed based on an address transfer speed of the transfer target block, the address transfer speed of the transfer target block being determined based on the time stored in the time record table; and
transfer the determined transfer target block to the first storage at the determined transfer time.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the processor counts, as the number of accesses made for each of the blocks, the number of accesses made to each of a plurality of sub-blocks included in the block; and
the processor determines, based on the number of accesses that has been counted for each of the plurality of sub-blocks, the transfer target block and the transfer time at which transfer of the transfer target block is to be performed.

3. A system comprising:
a first storage;
a second storage configured to be accessed at an access speed lower than an access speed at which the first storage is accessed; and
an information processing apparatus including a processor configured to be coupled to the first and second storages, the processor being configured to:
access each of blocks stored in the second storage,
for each of the blocks, count the number of accesses made for the each block and store, in a time record table, a time at which the number of access for each block becomes equal to or larger than a threshold,
based on the number of accesses that has been counted for each of the blocks, determine a transfer target block that is a target which is to be transferred from the second storage to the first storage, and determine a transfer time at which transfer of the transfer target block is to be performed based on an address transfer speed of the transfer target block, the address transfer speed of the transfer target block being determined based on the time stored in the time record table, and
transfer the determined transfer target block to the first storage at the determined transfer time.

4. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus coupled to a first storage and a second storage, the second storage being accessed at an access speed lower than an access speed at which the first storage is accessed, the method being performed by a processor included in the information processing apparatus, the method comprising:
accessing each of blocks stored in the second storage;
counting for each of the blocks, the number of accesses made for the each block;
storing, in a time record table, a time at which the number of access for each block becomes equal to or larger than a threshold;
determining based on the number of accesses that has been counted for each of the blocks, a transfer target block that is a target which is to be transferred from the second storage to the first storage, and determining a transfer time at which transfer of the transfer target block is to be performed based on an address transfer speed of the transfer target block, the address transfer speed of the transfer target block being determined based on the time stored in the time record table; and
transferring the determined transfer target block to the first storage at the determined transfer time.

5. A non-transitory, computer-readable recording medium having stored therein a program for causing a computer to execute a process, the computer being included in an information processing apparatus coupled to a first storage and a second storage, the second storage being accessed at an access speed lower than an access speed at which the first storage is accessed, the process comprising:
accessing each of blocks stored in the second storage;
counting, for each of the blocks, the number of accesses made for the each block;
storing, in a time record table, a time at which the number of access for each block becomes equal to or larger than a threshold;
determining, based on the number of accesses that has been counted for each of the blocks, a transfer target block that is a target which is to be transferred from the second storage to the first storage, and determining a transfer time at which transfer of the transfer target block is to be performed based on an address transfer speed of the transfer target block, the address transfer speed of the transfer target block being determined based on the time stored in the time record table; and
transferring the determined transfer target block to the first storage at the determined transfer time.

6. A method for detecting a sequential access to a storage, the method being performed by an information processing apparatus accessible to the storage, the method comprising:
counting an access count indicating a number of accesses made to each of a plurality of sub-blocks included in a data unit, the data unit being a unit for accessing the storage;
selecting, from among the plurality of sub-blocks, first sub-blocks whose access counts have become equal to or greater than a threshold, and storing, in a time record table, an over-threshold time at which the access count of each of the first sub-blocks becomes equal to or greater than the threshold, in association with an address identifying a position of the each first sub-block;
determining, based on the time record table, an address-time correlation between the addresses for the first sub-blocks and the over-threshold times for the first sub-blocks; and
detecting a sequential access when the determined address-time correlation indicates that the address for the first sub-blocks continues to change in one direction according as the over-threshold time for the first sub-blocks increases.

Assignees

• Fujitsu Ltd

Inventors

• Kawaba Motoyuki
• Oe Kazuichi
• Ogihara Kazutaka

Classifications

• G06F3/0685

  Hybrid storage combining heterogeneous device types, e.g. hierarchical storage, hybrid arrays · CPC title

• G06F3/0659

  Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling · CPC title

• G06F3/0611 Primary

  in relation to response time · CPC title

• G06F3/0616

  in relation to life time, e.g. increasing Mean Time Between Failures [MTBF] · CPC title