Page allocations for encrypted files

#The present invention relates generally to encrypted files and more particularly to virtual memory page allocations for encrypted files.

#File systems that support file encryption typically encrypt virtual memory pages previous to swapping out pages from working memory to secondary storage and decrypt those pages when swapping in pages from secondary storage to working memory. Encryption and decryption of the stored data may be computationally expensive and increase the latency of virtual memory operations and thereby decrease the performance of a computing system.

#A computer-implemented method includes monitoring page allocations in a file system that includes encrypted files, determining if a page allocation request corresponds to an encrypted file, and balancing encrypted page allocations across a plurality of virtual memory pools in response to determining that the page allocation request corresponds to an encrypted file. In some embodiments, balancing encrypted page allocations across the plurality of virtual memory pools comprises determining a virtual memory pool having a lowest encrypted page count and allocating a page from the virtual memory pool having the lowest encrypted page count. A corresponding computer program product and computer system are also disclosed herein.

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting one example of a page allocation environment in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is a flowchart depicting one example of page allocation method in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention;

#FIG. 3 is a flowchart depicting one example of an encrypted page balancing method in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention;

#The embodiments disclosed herein recognize that swapping virtual memory pages for encrypted files is costly in that swapping a page from main memory to secondary storage requires encrypting the page and swapping a page from secondary storage to main memory requires decrypting the page. The embodiments disclosed herein also recognize that balancing the number of pages that correspond to encrypted files across multiple virtual memory pools may statistically reduce the rate of page swapping for encrypted files.

#It should be noted that references throughout this specification to features, advantages, or similar language herein do not imply that all of the features and advantages that may be realized with the embodiments disclosed herein should be, or are in, any single embodiment of the invention. Rather, language referring to the features and advantages is understood to mean that a specific feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, discussion of the features, advantages, and similar language, throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment.

#Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the invention may be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of the invention.