Selectively storing data into allocation areas using streams

A non-transitory machine readable medium comprising instructions for performing a method, which when executed by a machine, causes the machine to:

• perform a negotiation, by a file system, with a storage device to specify that data of a first stream tagged with a first stream identifier are to be stored within a first allocation area of the storage device and that data of a second stream tagged with a second stream identifier are to be stored within a second allocation area of the storage device;
• in response to receiving first data to write to the storage device, sort and rank allocation areas of the storage device into a first sorted set of allocation areas based upon first sorting criteria corresponding to first available free space of the allocation areas, a first characteristic of the first data, and policies assigning characteristics to the allocation areas;
• select a first allocation area from the first sorted set of allocation areas based upon the first allocation area having a first sorted rank above a first threshold;
• in response to receiving second data to write to the storage device, re-sort and re-rank the allocation areas of the storage device into a second sorted set of allocation areas based upon second sorting criteria corresponding to second current available free space of the allocation areas, a second characteristic of the second data, and the policies;
• select a second allocation area from the second sorted set of allocation areas based upon the second allocation area having a second sorted rank above a second threshold;
• and
• send the first data to the storage device through the first stream tagged with the first stream identifier and the second data through the second stream tagged with the second stream identifier.

A computing device comprising:

• a memory comprising machine executable code;
• and
• a processor coupled to the memory, the processor configured to execute the machine executable code to cause the processor to:
• perform a negotiation, by a file system, with a storage device to specify that data of a first stream tagged with a first stream identifier are to be stored within a first allocation area of the storage device and that data of a second stream tagged with a second stream identifier are to be stored within a second allocation area of the storage device;
• in response to receiving first data to write to the storage device, sort and rank allocation areas of the storage device into a first sorted set of allocation areas based upon first sorting criteria corresponding to first available free space of the allocation areas, a first characteristic of the first data, and policies assigning characteristics to the allocation areas;
• select a first allocation area from the first sorted set of allocation areas based upon the first allocation area having a first sorted rank above a first threshold;
• in response to receiving second data to write to the storage device, re-sort and re-rank the allocation areas of the storage device into a second sorted set of allocation areas based upon second sorting criteria corresponding to second current available free space of the allocation areas, a second characteristic of the second data, and the policies;
• select a second allocation area from the second sorted set of allocation areas based upon the second allocation area having a second sorted rank above a second threshold;
• and
• send the first data to the storage device through the first stream tagged with the first stream identifier and the second data through the second stream tagged with the second stream identifier.