Managing unequal network shared disks (NSD) in a computer network

A system for managing unequal workloads between Network Shared Disks (NSD) in a computing environment, comprising:

• one or more computers with executable instructions that when executed cause the system to:
• at a first time, maintain a first plurality of NSDs, each comprising a physical storage drive having a matching first total capacity, in a computing cluster that together form a cluster file system, wherein the first plurality of NSDs operate according to a performance profile of a first level of performance with respect to a type of drive and a read/write speed associated with the type of drive, and wherein the first plurality of NSDs aggregately comprise a first storage tier of a first storage size presented to the cluster file system in which primary data of the cluster file system is stored;
• at a second time subsequent the first time and responsive to adding a second plurality of NSDs, each comprising the physical storage drive having a matching second total capacity higher than the matching first total capacity, to the computing cluster, incorporate only a capacity equal to the matching first total capacity of each added NSD to the first storage tier to increase the first storage size of the first storage tier, wherein, upon incorporating the storage capacity, a remaining capacity comprising a mismatched difference between the matching first total capacity and the matching second total capacity of each added NSD exists for each of the second plurality of NSDs, and wherein a predetermined level of usage according to the performance profile is maintained for the first storage tier subsequent to adding the second plurality of NSDs;
• use the remaining capacity of each of the second plurality of NSDs to automatically create a second storage tier presented to the cluster file system, the second storage tier having a second storage size less than the first storage size of the first storage tier and consisting of only the mismatched difference in capacity between the first plurality of NSDs and the second plurality of NSDs, wherein the second storage tier operates at an additional level of usage having a second level of performance, with respect to the type of drive and the read/write speed associated with the type of drive, commensurate with the performance profile capable by a lowest performing NSD of the second plurality of NSDs, and wherein any of the NSDs in the second storage tier operating at a performance level above the lowest performing NSD are throttled to the second level of performance capable by the lowest performing NSD to match each of the second plurality of NSDs to an equal level of performance;
• and
• responsive to automatically creating the second storage tier, restripe the primary data of the cluster file system across the first plurality of NSDs and the second plurality of NSDs corresponding to only the first storage tier while isolating, from the restriping, those portions of the second plurality of NSDs of the second storage tier.

A computer program product for, by a processor, managing unequal workloads between Network Shared Disks (NSD) in a computing environment, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

• an executable portion that, at a first time, maintains a first plurality of NSDs, each comprising a physical storage drive having a matching first total capacity, in a computing cluster that together form a cluster file system, wherein the first plurality of NSDs operate according to a performance profile of a first level of performance with respect to a type of drive and a read/write speed associated with the type of drive, and wherein the first plurality of NSDs aggregately comprise a first storage tier of a first storage size presented to the cluster file system in which primary data of the cluster file system is stored;
• an executable portion that, at a second time subsequent the first time and responsive to adding a second plurality of NSDs, each comprising the physical storage drive having a matching second total capacity higher than the matching first total capacity, to the computing cluster, incorporates only a capacity equal to the matching first total capacity of each added NSD to the first storage tier to increase the first storage size of the first storage tier, wherein, upon incorporating the storage capacity, a remaining capacity comprising a mismatched difference between the matching first total capacity and the matching second total capacity of each added NSD exists for each of the second plurality of NSDs, and wherein a predetermined level of usage according to the performance profile is maintained for the first storage tier subsequent to adding the second plurality of NSDs;
• an executable portion that uses the remaining capacity of each of the second plurality of NSDs to automatically create a second storage tier presented to the cluster file system, the second storage tier having a second storage size less than the first storage size of the first storage tier and consisting of only the mismatched difference in capacity between the first plurality of NSDs and the second plurality of NSDs, wherein the second storage tier operates at an additional level of usage having a second level of performance, with respect to the type of drive and the read/write speed associated with the type of drive, commensurate with the performance profile capable by a lowest performing NSD of the second plurality of NSDs, and wherein any of the NSDs in the second storage tier operating at a performance level above the lowest performing NSD are throttled to the second level of performance capable by the lowest performing NSD to match each of the second plurality of NSDs to an equal level of performance;
• and
• an executable portion that, responsive to automatically creating the second storage tier, restripes the primary data of the cluster file system across the first plurality of NSDs and the second plurality of NSDs corresponding to only the first storage tier while isolating, from the restriping, those portions of the second plurality of NSDs of the second storage tier.