Erasing data sets without access delay to other data sets

A computer program product comprising:

• one or more computer-readable storage media;
• and
• program instructions stored on the one or more storage media to perform operations comprising:
• causing an erase operation to be performed for a first data set, wherein the erase operation is caused to be performed in response to receiving, from a first user device, a request to erase the first data set, the erase operation including:
• blocking accesses to the first data set and to a locational data structure for a first volume of a first direct-access storage device (DASD) that includes the first data set;
• updating a bitmap of the first DASD to indicate that data tracks of the first data set are to be erased;
• providing first data to a server configured to erase the data tracks of the first data set;
• unblocking accesses to the locational data structure for the first volume of the first DASD, wherein an entry for the first data set is removed from the locational data structure for the first volume of the first DASD prior to the unblocking;
• determining an erase period for the data tracks of the first data set,
• wherein the determined erase period for the data tracks of the first data set is a period of time in which input/output (I/O) operations of the first DASD is forecasted to be less than a predetermined threshold;
• scheduling the data tracks of the first data set to be caused to be erased by the server during the determined erase period;
• returning a confirmation to the first user device in response to the scheduling;
• and
• causing the data tracks of the first data set to be erased by the server during the determined erase period.

A computer system comprising:

• a processor set;
• one or more computer-readable storage media;
• and
• program instructions stored on the one or more storage media to cause the processor set to perform operations comprising:
• causing an erase operation to be performed for a first data set, wherein the erase operation is caused to be performed in response to receiving, from a first user device, a request to erase the first data set, the erase operation including:
• blocking accesses to the first data set and to a locational data structure for a first volume of a first direct-access storage device (DASD) that includes the first data set;
• updating a bitmap of the first DASD to indicate that data tracks of the first data set are to be erased;
• providing first data to a server configured to erase the data tracks of the first data set;
• unblocking accesses to the locational data structure for the first volume of the first DASD, wherein an entry for the first data set is removed from the locational data structure for the first volume of the first DASD prior to the unblocking;
• determining an erase period for the data tracks of the first data set,
• wherein the determined erase period for the data tracks of the first data set is a period of time in which input/output (I/O) operations of the first DASD is forecasted to be less than a predetermined threshold;
• scheduling the data tracks of the first data set to be caused to be erased by the server during the determined erase period;
• returning a confirmation to the first user device in response to the scheduling;
• and
• causing the data tracks of the first data set to be erased by the server during the determined erase period.