US 10,380,023 B2Granted

Optimizing the management of cache memory

AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation

InventorsJohn P. Agombar, Ian Boden, Gordon D. Hutchison, Lee J. Sanders

Life of this patent

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Abstract

Cache management. It is determined that a cache operation relating to the transfer of data between a cache memory and a data storage system is required. A state of a utilization model is received, the utilization model including requirements for utilization of resources of the data storage system over a time period, and the state indicating a cost of resource utilization associated with cache operations in the current time period. It is determined whether to perform the cache operation, based on the utilization requirements and the state of a utilization model. If the cache operation is not to be performed, and if the cache operation is a write operation, it is determined whether the cache memory is full. If so, the cache operation is managed according to an emergency cache management process; if not, the data associated with the cache operation is maintained in the cache memory.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A computer implemented method comprising:

determining that a cache operation relating to a transfer of a data between a cache memory and a data storage system is required;
receiving a current state of a utilization model, the utilization model comprising requirements for utilization of resources of the data storage system over a predefined time period and a predefined threshold for a cumulative cost of resource utilization associated with cache operations over the predefined time period, the current state indicating a current cost of resource utilization associated with individual cache operations in a current predefined time period and a cumulative cost of resource utilization associated with cache operations that have been performed in the current predefined time period;
combining a current cost of resource utilization associated with the cache operation with the cumulative cost of resource utilization associated with previous cache operations that have been performed in the current time period;
comparing the combined cost of resource utilization with the predefined threshold;
comparing values of attributes of the cache operation with corresponding values of attributes of the current state of the utilization model;
in response to determining that the utilization requirements of the current state of the utilization model are met, and that the combined cost of resource utilization is below the predefined threshold, and that the values of the attributes of the cache operation meet the requirements of the corresponding values of the attributes of the current state of the utilization model, performing the cache operation;
in response to determining that the utilization requirements of the current state of the utilization model are not met or that the combined cost of resource utilization is below the predefined threshold:
if the cache operation is a cache write operation, determining whether the cache memory is full;
and
in response to determining that the cache memory is not full, maintaining the data associated with the cache operation in the cache memory;
and
in response to determining that the cache memory is full, managing the cache operation according to an emergency cache management process.

9 more elements

A system comprising:

a cache memory;
a processing unit operated to manage cache operations of the cache memory, wherein the processing unit is operated to:
determine that a cache operation relating to a transfer of a data between the cache memory and a data storage system is required;
receive a current state of a utilization model, the utilization model comprising requirements for utilization of resources of the data storage system over a predefined time period and a predefined threshold for a cumulative cost of resource utilization associated with cache operations over the predefined time period, the current state indicating a current cost of resource utilization associated with individual cache operations in a current predefined time period and a cumulative cost of resource utilization associated with cache operations that have been performed in the current predefined time period;
combine a current cost of resource utilization associated with the cache operation with the cumulative cost of resource utilization associated with previous cache operations that have been performed in the current time period;
compare the combined cost of resource utilization with the predefined threshold;
compare values of attributes of the cache operation with corresponding values of attributes of the current state of the utilization model;
in response to determining that the utilization requirements of the current state of the utilization model are met, and that the combined cost of resource utilization is below the predefined threshold, and that the values of the attributes of the cache operation meet the requirements of the corresponding values of the attributes of the current state of the utilization model, perform the cache operation;
in response to determining that the utilization requirements of the current state of the utilization model are not met or that the combined cost of resource utilization is below the predefined threshold:
if the cache operation is a cache write operation, determine whether the cache memory is full;
if the cache memory is not full, maintain the data associated with the cache operation in the cache memory;
and
if the cache memory is full, control the cache memory to manage the cache operation according to an emergency cache management process.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/043,626Filed 24 Jul 2018 · continuation
Priority: 7 Jun 2016
Published: US 2018/0329825 A115 Nov 2018
Granted: 13 Aug 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

G06F 12/0871
For peripheral storage systems, e.g. disk cache: allocation or management of cache space
G06F 12/0831
Cache consistency protocols: using a bus scheme, e.g. with bus monitoring or watching means
G06F 12/0868
For peripheral storage systems, e.g. disk cache: data transfer between cache memory and other subsystems, e.g. storage devices or host systems
G06F 12/0888
Addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means, e.g. caches: using…

Family

Application15/175,973Parent of this continuation · filed 7 Jun 2016
US 2018/0329825 A1Pre-grant publication · published 15 Nov 2018
US 10,067,874 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2017/0351615 A1Published application
US 10,380,023 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.