# US 12,216,902 B2 · Storage utilization determinations in cloud-based storage systems > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,216,902 B2 - Document ID: US12216902B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/519,528 - Filed: 2023-11-27 - Published: 2024-05-09 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2018-03-05 - Assignees: Pure Storage, Inc. - Applicants: Pure Storage, Inc. - Inventors: Matthew Fay; John Colgrove; Martin Harriman - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12216902B2 ## CPC - G06F 3/0604: {Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management} - G06F 3/0608: {Saving storage space on storage systems} - G06F 3/061: {Improving I/O performance} - G06F 3/064: {Management of blocks} - G06F 3/0644: {Management of space entities, e.g. partitions, extents, pools} - G06F 3/0653: {Monitoring storage devices or systems} - G06F 3/0671: {In-line storage system} - G06F 3/0673: {Single storage device} - G06F 3/0619: {in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors} - G06F 3/065: {Replication mechanisms} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract Determining effective space utilization in a storage system, including: identifying an amount of data stored within the storage system that is associated with a user-visible entity; identifying an amount of data stored within the storage system that is associated with all snapshots of the user-visible entity; and reporting, in dependence upon the an amount of data stored within the storage system that is associated with the user-visible entity and the amount of data stored within the storage system that is associated with all snapshots of the user-visible entity, a total capacity utilization associated with the user-visible entity. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: determining a fractional capacity utilization based on references to deduplicated data associated with a user-visible entity in a cloud-based storage system, wherein the fractional capacity utilization associated with the user-visible entity comprises an amount of data stored within the cloud-based storage system that is exclusively associated with the user-visible entity, determined by: identifying all blocks of data stored within the cloud-based storage system that are unique to the user-visible entity or unique to a snapshot of the user-visible entity; and based on the determination, determining a total capacity utilization for the user-visible entity. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying deduplicated data associated with multiple volumes. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying compressed data associated with multiple volumes. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a fractional portion of data stored within the cloud-based storage system that is associated with a particular user-visible entity by dividing a size of each chunk of the data by a total number of entities associated with that chunk of data. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the fractional portion of data stored within the cloud-based storage system that is associated with the particular user-visible entity is based on a number of references to each chunk of data. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the user-visible entity is a representation of a single accessible storage area. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the user-visible entity is a volume. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the user-visible entity is a logical drive. ### Claim 9 An apparatus comprising a computer processor, a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the apparatus to carry out the steps of: determining a fractional capacity utilization based on references to deduplicated data associated with a user-visible entity in a cloud-based storage system, wherein the fractional capacity utilization associated with the user-visible entity comprises an amount of data stored within the cloud-based storage system that is exclusively associated with the user-visible entity, determined by: identifying all blocks of data stored within the cloud-based storage system that are unique to the user-visible entity or unique to a snapshot of the user-visible entity; and based on the determination, determining a total capacity utilization for the user-visible entity. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the computer program instructions, when executed by the computer processor, cause the apparatus to carry out the step of identifying deduplicated data associated with multiple volumes. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the computer program instructions, when executed by the computer processor, cause the apparatus to carry out the step of identifying compressed data associated with multiple volumes. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the computer program instructions, when executed by the computer processor, cause the apparatus to carry out the step of determining a fractional portion of data stored within the cloud-based storage system that is associated with a particular user-visible entity by dividing a size of each chunk of the data by a total number of entities associated with that chunk of data. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the fractional portion of data stored within the cloud-based storage system that is associated with the particular user-visible entity is based on a number of references to each chunk of data. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the user-visible entity is a representation of a single accessible storage area. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the user-visible entity is a volume. ### Claim 16 A cloud-based storage system comprising a plurality of storage devices, a computer processor, a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the cloud-based storage system to carry out the steps of: determining a fractional capacity utilization based on references to deduplicated data associated with a user-visible entity in the cloud-based storage system, wherein the fractional capacity utilization associated with the user-visible entity comprises an amount of data stored within the cloud-based storage system that is exclusively associated with the user-visible entity, determined by: identifying all blocks of data stored within the cloud-based storage system that are unique to the user-visible entity or unique to a snapshot of the user-visible entity; and based on the determination, determining a total capacity utilization for the user-visible entity. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The cloud-based storage system of claim 16 further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the cloud-based storage system to carry out the step of identifying deduplicated data associated with multiple volumes. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The cloud-based storage system of claim 16 further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the cloud-based storage system to carry out the step of determining a fractional portion of data stored within the cloud-based storage system that is associated with a particular user-visible entity by dividing a size of each chunk of the data by a total number of entities associated with that chunk of data. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The cloud-based storage system of claim 16 wherein the user-visible entity is a representation of a single accessible storage area. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The cloud-based storage system of claim 16 wherein the user-visible entity is a volume.