# US 10,372,347 B2 · Selectively limiting throughput of test objects that share system resources with production objects > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,372,347 B2 - Document ID: US10372347B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/798,558 - Filed: 2017-10-31 - Published: 2019-05-02 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2017-10-31 - Assignees: EMC IP Holding Company LLC - Applicants: EMC IP Holding Company LLC - Inventors: Philippe Armangau - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10372347B2 ## CPC - G06F 3/0613: {in relation to throughput} - G06F 3/0619: {in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors} - G06F 3/065: {Replication mechanisms} - G06F 3/0659: {Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling} - G06F 3/0665: {at area level, e.g. provisioning of virtual or logical volumes} - G06F 3/067: {Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]} - G06F 3/0689: {Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD} - G06F 9/5055: {considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine} - G06F 11/368: {for test version control, e.g. updating test cases to a new software version} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A technique for managing I/O (input/output) requests in a data storage system includes receiving a set of I/O requests directed to (i) a production data object stored in the data storage system and (ii) a set of test versions of the production data object, each of the set of test versions stored in the data storage system. The technique further includes identifying, from among the set of received I/O requests, I/O requests directed to the set of test versions of the production data object and selectively throttling a throughput of the identified I/O requests directed to the test versions relative to a throughput of I/O requests directed to the production data object. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of managing I/O (input/output) requests in a data storage system, the method comprising: receiving a set of I/O requests directed to (i) a production data object stored in the data storage system and (ii) a set of test versions of the production data object, each of the set of test versions stored in the data storage system; identifying, from among the set of received I/O requests, I/O requests directed to the set of test versions of the production data object; and selectively throttling a throughput of the identified I/O requests directed to the test versions relative to a throughput of I/O requests directed to the production data object. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein selectively throttling the throughput of the identified I/O requests includes enforcing a minimum delay in processing each of the identified I/O requests directed to the set of test versions. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein enforcing the minimum delay in processing each of the identified I/O requests is achieved via a delay interposed in an I/O stack of the data storage system prior to performing a read or write operation prescribed by the respective I/O request. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising varying the minimum delay enforced when processing each of the identified I/O requests in response to changes in a level of activity of the data storage system. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the production data object is a production LUN (Logical UNit) and wherein each of the set of test versions is a thin clone of the production LUN. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein each of the set of test versions is user-accessible from the data storage system using a respective logical unit number, and wherein identifying the I/O requests directed to the set of test versions includes: maintaining a list of logical unit numbers by which each of the set of test versions is made user-accessible; upon receiving each of the set of I/O requests, performing a testing operation configured to (i) produce a first result in response to the I/O request being directed to a logical unit number on the list of logical unit numbers and (ii) produce a second result in response to the I/O request being directed to a logical unit number not on the list of logical unit numbers; and for each I/O request for which the testing operation produces the first result, providing the I/O request as one of the identified I/O requests directed to the set of test versions. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the data storage system stores the LUN as a file within a container file system, and wherein the data storage system stores each of the set of thin clones as a respective other file within the container file system. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the measurements of activity within the data storage system include at least one of (i) measurements CPU (central processing unit) activity within a storage processor that receives the I/O requests directed to the set of test versions and (ii) measurements of memory utilization within the storage processor that receives the I/O requests directed to the set of test versions. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the measurements of activity within the data storage system further include measurements of activities performed on the container file system. ### Claim 10 A data storage system, comprising control circuitry that includes a set of processing units coupled to memory, the control circuitry constructed and arranged to: receive a set of I/O requests directed to (i) a production data object stored in the data storage system and (ii) a set of test versions of the production data object, each of the set of test versions stored in the data storage system; identify, from among the set of received I/O requests, I/O requests directed to the set of test versions of the production data object; and selectively throttle a throughput of the identified I/O requests directed to the test versions relative to a throughput of I/O requests directed to the production data object. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The data storage system of claim 10, wherein each of the set of test versions is user-accessible from the data storage system using a respective logical unit number, and wherein the control circuitry constructed and arranged to identify the I/O requests directed to the set of test versions is further constructed and arranged to: maintain a list of logical unit numbers by which each of the set of test versions is made user-accessible; upon receipt of each of the set of I/O requests, perform a testing operation configured to (i) produce a first result in response to the I/O request being directed to a logical unit number on the list of logical unit numbers and (ii) produce a second result in response to the I/O request being directed to a logical unit number not on the list of logical unit numbers; and for each I/O request for which the testing operation produces the first result, provide the I/O request as one of the identified I/O requests directed to the set of test versions. ### Claim 12 A computer program product including a set of non-transitory, computer-readable media having instructions which, when executed by control circuitry of a data storage system, cause the control circuitry to perform a method for managing I/O (input/output) requests, the method comprising: receiving a set of I/O requests directed to (i) a production data object stored in the data storage system and (ii) a set of test versions of the production data object, each of the set of test versions stored in the data storage system; identifying, from among the set of received I/O requests, I/O requests directed to the set of test versions of the production data object; and selectively throttling a throughput of the identified I/O requests directed to the test versions relative to a throughput of I/O requests directed to the production data object. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The computer program product of claim 12, wherein selectively throttling the throughput of the identified I/O requests includes enforcing a minimum delay in processing each of the identified I/O requests directed to the set of test versions. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The computer program product of claim 13, wherein enforcing the minimum delay in processing each of the identified I/O requests is achieved via a delay interposed in an I/O stack of the data storage system prior to performing a read or write operation prescribed by the respective I/O request. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises varying the minimum delay enforced when processing each of the identified I/O requests in response to changes in a level of activity of the data storage system. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the production data object is a production LUN (Logical UNit) and wherein each of the set of test versions is a thin clone of the production LUN. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The computer program product of claim 16, wherein each of the set of test versions is user-accessible from the data storage system using a respective logical unit number, and wherein identifying the I/O requests directed to the set of test versions includes: maintaining a list of logical unit numbers by which each of the set of test versions is made user-accessible; upon receiving each of the set of I/O requests, performing a testing operation configured to (i) produce a first result in response to the I/O request being directed to a logical unit number on the list of logical unit numbers and (ii) produce a second result in response to the I/O request being directed to a logical unit number not on the list of logical unit numbers; and for each I/O request for which the testing operation produces the first result, providing the I/O request as one of the identified I/O requests directed to the set of test versions. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises storing the LUN as a file within a container file system, and wherein the data storage system stores each of the set of thin clones as a respective other file within the container file system. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the measurements of activity within the data storage system include at least one of (i) measurements CPU (central processing unit) activity within a storage processor that receives the I/O requests directed to the set of test versions and (ii) measurements of memory utilization within the storage processor that receives the I/O requests directed to the set of test versions. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the measurements of activity within the data storage system further include measurements of activities performed on the container file system.