Systems and methods for compression of data for block mode access storage
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsJonathan AMIT, Noah AMIT, Nadav KEDEM
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Abstract
Methods and systems for creating, reading, and writing compressed data for use with a block mode access storage. The compressed data are packed into a plurality of compressed units and stored in a storage logical unit (LU). One or more corresponding compressed units may be read and/or updated with no need of restoring the entire storage logical unit while maintaining a de-fragmented structure of the LU.
Claims21
For use in a storage network operable with a block mode access storage protocol, a method for operating a compression system operatively coupled with at least one computing device and at least one storage logical unit configured to store compressed data, said method comprising:
- creating in the storage logical unit a corresponding virtual logical unit configured to virtually represent, in non-compressed form, the data stored in the storage logical unit, wherein a size of the virtual logical unit corresponds to an estimated size of raw data which, being compressed, would substantially amount to a size of the storage logical unit;
- intercepting “read given data range” data access related requests from said at least one computer addressed to the storage logical unit and addressing said request to the virtual logical unit;
- and
- facilitating mapping between the compressed data stored in the compressed sections and their representation in the virtual logical unit.
A storage network operable with a block mode access storage protocol, comprising:
- a computing system;
- a storage logical unit configured to store compressed data;
- and
- a compression system comprising a processor, the compression system operatively coupled to the computing system and the storage logical unit, wherein the processor is configured to:
- create in the storage logical unit a corresponding virtual logical unit configured to virtually represent, in non-compressed form, the data stored in the storage logical unit, wherein a size of the virtual logical unit corresponds to an estimated size of raw data which, being compressed, would substantially amount to a size of the storage logical unit,
- intercept “read given data range” data access related requests from the computing system addressed to the storage logical unit and addressing said request to the virtual logical unit;
- and
- facilitate mapping between the compressed data stored in the compressed sections and their representation in the virtual logical unit.
A computer storage medium comprising a computer program product method for operating a compression system operatively coupled with at least one computing device and at least one storage logical unit configured to store compressed data, the computer storage medium comprising:
- code for creating in the storage logical unit a corresponding virtual logical unit configured to virtually represent, in non-compressed form, the data stored in the storage logical unit, wherein a size of the virtual logical unit corresponds to an estimated size of raw data which, being compressed, would substantially amount to a size of the storage logical unit;
- code for intercepting “read given data range” data access related requests from said at least one computer addressed to the storage logical unit and addressing said request to the virtual logical unit;
- and
- code for facilitating mapping between the compressed data stored in the compressed sections and their representation in the virtual logical unit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.