Method, system, and data structures for transferring blocks of data from a storage device to a requesting application

A method for transferring data to a requesting application, comprising:

• receiving a request for one or more blocks of data at contiguous addresses in a storage device, wherein each block of data includes customer data and metadata indicating the address of the block in the storage device and an error checking code that is capable of being used to determine whether the customer data in the block has changed;
• setting up a control block indicating the block address of a first requested block at the first address of the requested contiguous addresses and whether to check the address and error code of the block;
• for each requested block:
• (i) determining whether the address of the block of data in the metadata and the requested address match by using the block address in the control block as the requested address to compare with the block address in the metadata;
• (ii) performing an operation on the customer data in the block and the error checking code to determine whether the customer data bas changed;
• (iii) transferring the requested block to the requesting application if the address of the block in the metadata and requested address match and the customer data has not changed;
• and
• (iv) incrementing the block address in the control block before processing a next block, wherein the incremented block address is used as the requested address to compare with the block address in the metadata for the next requested block.

A method for transferring data to a requesting application, comprising:

• receiving a request for one or more blocks of dot at contiguous addresses in a storage device, wherein each block of data includes customer data and metadata indicating the address of the block in the storage device and an error checking code that is capable of being used to determine whether the customer data in the block has changed, wherein the requested blocks at contiguous addresses comprise target blocks at contiguous target addresses in a copy relationship with source blocks at contiguous source addresses that have not yet been copied to the target blocks;
• for each requested block, determining whether the address of the bock of data in the metadata and the requested address match;
• for each requested block, performing an operation on the customer data in the block and the error checking code to determine whether the customer data has changed;
• and
• for each requested block, transferring the requested block to the requesting application if the address of the block in the metadata and requested address match and the customer data has not changed;
• transferring the customer data and metadata in the block at the source address in, the storage device to be copied to the requested target block to the cache;
• and
• replacing the block address in the metadata in the cache with the requested target address before determining whether the address of the block of data in the metadata in the cache and the requested target address match.

A system for transferring data to a requesting application, comprising:

• means for receiving a request for one or more blocks of data at contiguous addresses in a storage device, wherein each block of data includes customer data and metadata indicating the address of the block in the storage device and an error checking code that is capable of being used to determine whether the customer data in the block has changed;
• means for determining for each requested block whether the address of the block of data in the metadata and the requested address match;
• means for performing for each requested block an operation on the customer data in the block and the error checking code to determine whether the customer data has changed;
• and
• means for transferring the requested block to the requesting application if the address of the block in the metadata and requested address match and the customer data has not changed, wherein the means for transferring performs the transferring for each requested block;
• means for setting up a control block indicating the block address of a first requested block;
• and
• means for incrementing the block address in the control block before processing a next block, wherein the incremented block address is used as the requested address to compare with the block address in the metadata for the next requested block.

A system for transferring data to a requesting application, comprising:

• means for receiving a request for one or more blocks of data at contiguous addresses in a storage device, wherein each block of data includes customer data and metadata indicating the address of the block in the storage device and an error checking code that is capable of being used to determine whether the customer data it the block has changed;
• means for determining for each requested block whether the address of the block of data in the metadata and the requested address match;
• means for performing for each requested block an operation on the customer data in the block and the error checking code to determine whether the customer data has changed;
• means for transferring the requested block to the requesting application if the address of the block in the metadata and requested address match and the customer data has not changed, wherein the means for transferring performs the transferring for each requested block;
• means for setting up a control block indicating the block address of a first requested block at the first address of the requested contiguous addresses and whether to check the address and error code of the block, wherein the means for determining whether the block address in the metadata and the requested address match uses the block address in the control block as the requested address to compare with the block address in the metadata;
• and
• means for incrementing the block address in the control block for each requested block before processing a next block, wherein the incremented block address is used as the requested address to compare with the block address in the metadata for the next requested block.

A system for transferring data to a requesting application, comprising:

• means for receiving a request for one or more blocks of data at contiguous addresses in a storage device, wherein each block of data includes customer data and metadata indicating the address of the block in the storage device and an error checking code that is capable of being used to determine whether the customer data in the block has changed, wherein the requested blocks at contiguous addresses comprise target blocks at contiguous target addresses in a copy relationship with source blocks at contiguous source addresses that have not yet been copied to the target blocks;
• means for determining for each requested block whether address of the block of data in the metadata and the requested address match;
• means for performing for each requested block operation on the customer data in the block and the error checking code to determine whether the customer data has changed;
• and
• means for transferring the requested block to the requesting application if the address of the block in the metadata and requested address match and the customer data has not changed, wherein the means for transferring performs the transferring for each requested block;
• means for transferring the customer data and metadata in the block at the source address in the storage device to be copied to the requested target block to the cache;
• and
• means for replacing the block address in the metadata in the cache with the requested target address before determining whether the address of the block of data in the metadata in the cache and the requested target address match.

An integrated circuit device including logic for transferring data to a requesting application, wherein the logic performs:

• receiving a request for one or more blocks of data at contiguous addresses in a storage device, wherein each block of data includes customer data and metadata indicating the address of the block in the storage device and an error checking code that is capable of being used to determine whether the customer data in the block has changed;
• setting up a control block indicating the block address of a first requested block;
• for each requested block, determining whether the address of the block of data in the metadata and the requested address match;
• for each requested block, performing an operation on the customer data in the block and the error checking code to determine whether the customer data has changed;
• and
• for each requested block, transferring the requested block to the requesting application if the address of the block in the metadata and requested address match and the customer data has not changed;
• and
• for each requested block, incrementing the block address in the control block before processing a next block, wherein the incremented block address is used as the requested address to compare with the block address in the metadata for the next requested block.

An integrated circuit device including logic for transferring data to a requesting application, wherein the logic performs:

• receiving a request for one or more blocks of data at contiguous addresses in a storage device, wherein each block of data includes customer data and metadata indicating the address of the block in the storage device and an error checking code that is capable of being used to determine whether the customer data in the block has changed;
• for each requested block, determining whether the address of the block of data in the metadata and the requested address match;
• for each requested block, performing an operation on the customer data in the block and the error checking code to determine whether the customer data has changed;
• and
• for each requested block, transferring the requested block to the requesting application if the address of the block in the metadata and requested address match and the customer data has not changed, wherein a processor generates a control block indicating the block address of a first requested block at the first address of the requested contiguous addresses and whether to check the address and error code of the block, wherein the integrated circuit determines whether the block address in the metadata and the requested address match comprises by using the block address in the control block as the requested address to compare with the block address in the metadata, aid wherein the integrated circuit logic further performs, for each requested block, incrementing the block address in the control block before processing a next block, wherein the incremented block address is used as the requested address to compare with the block address in the metadata for the next requested block.

A integrated circuit device including logic for transferring data to a request application, wherein the logic performs:

• receiving a request for one or more blocks of data at contiguous addresses in a storage device, wherein each block of data includes customer data and metadata indicating the address of the block in the storage device and an error checking code that is capable of being used to determine whether the customer data in the block has changed, wherein the requested blocks at contiguous addresses comprise target blocks at contiguous target addresses in a copy relationship with source blocks at contiguous source addresses that have not yet been copied to the target blocks;
• for each requested block, determining whether the address of the block of data in the metadata and the requested address match;
• for each requested block performing an operation on the customer data in the block and the error checking code to determine whether the customer data has changed;
• and
• for each requested block transferring the requested block to the requesting application if the address of the block in the metadata and requested address match and the customer data has not changed;
• transferring the customer data and metadata in the block at the source address in the storage device to be copied to the requested target block to the cache;
• and
• replacing tile block address in the metadata in the cache with the requested target address before determining whether the address of the block of data in the metadata in the cache and the requested target address match.

A computer readable medium including at least one data structure used in transferring data from a storage device to a requesting application, comprising:

• blocks of customer data;
• a block of metadata for each block of customer data, wherein the metadata includes the address of the block in the storage device and an error checking code, wherein the metadata is used when processing a request for one or more blocks of data at contiguous addresses in a storage device such that the requested block of customer data is only transferred to the requesting application if the address of the block in the metadata and requested address match and an error checking operation using the error checking code indicates that the customer data has not changed;
• and
• a control block set up to indicate She block address of a first requested block, and for each requested block, incrementing the block address in the control block before processing a next block, wherein the incremented block address is used as the requested address to compare with the block address in the metadata for the next requested block.

A computer readable medium including at least one data structure used in transferring data from a storage device to a requesting application, comprising:

• blocks of customer data;
• a block of metadata for each block of customer data, wherein the metadata includes the address of the block in the storage device and an error checking code, wherein the metadata is used when processing a request for one or more blocks of data at contiguous addresses in a storage device such that the requested block of customer data is only transferred to the requesting application if the address of the block in the metadata and requested address match and an error checking operation using the error checking code indicates that the customer data has not changed;
• and
• a control block indicating the block address of a first requested block at the first address of the requested contiguous addresses and whether to check the address and error code of the block, wherein determining whether the block address in the metadata and the requested address match comprises using the block address in the control block as the requested address to compare with the block address in the metadata, and wherein for each requested block, the block address in the control block is incremented before processing a next block, wherein the incremented block address is used as the requested address to compare with the block address in the metadata for the next requested block.

A computer readable medium including east one data structure used in transferring data from a storage device to a requesting application, comprising:

• blocks of customer data;
• a block of metadata for each block of customer data, wherein the metadata includes the address of the block in the storage device and an error checking code, wherein the metadata is used when processing a request for one or more blocks of data at contiguous addresses in a storage device such that the requested block of customer data is only transferred to the requesting application if the address of the block in the metadata and requested address match and an error checking operation using the error checking code indicates that the customer data has not changed;
• and
• a first control block in the cache indicating the block address of a first requested block at the first address of the requested contiguous addresses and whether to check the address and error code of the block, wherein the block address in the first control block in the cache is used as the requested address to compare with die block address in the metadata in the storage device, and wherein, for each requested block, the block address in the first control block is incremented after transferring the block from the storage device to the cache, wherein the incremented block address is used as the requested address to compare with the block address in the metadata for the next requested block;
• and
• a second control block in cache indicating the block address of a first requested block at the first address of the requested contiguous addresses and whether to check the address and error code of the block, wherein the block address in the second control block in the cache is used as the requested address to compare with the block address in the metadata in the cache.