Memory-efficient metadata organization in a storage array

A method for operating a data storage system, the method comprising:

• analyzing system requirements and data access patterns for the data storage system;
• storing data in one or more cache slots of a random access memory of the data storage system;
• storing metadata entries in a tree structure in the random access memory of the data storage system, wherein the metadata tree structure includes a plurality of slabs, each slab comprising a metadata table including a plurality of metadata entries representing a contiguous range of block addresses, each entry including a cache pointer to one of the caches slots storing a data block corresponding to a block address within the contiguous range of block addresses;
• storing a block address range indicator in the metadata table of each slab to indicate the contiguous range of block addresses associated with the metadata entries in the slab;
• storing at least one slab pointer in the metadata table of each slab, each slab pointer pointing to a parent slab or a child slab in the metadata tree structure;
• determining a number of metadata entries for the metadata table of each slab based upon the system requirements and data access patterns, wherein a portion of available random access memory allocated to the metadata tree structure based upon the number of metadata entries of the plurality of slabs;
• dynamically allocating the portion of the random access memory to the metadata tree structure;
• and
• dynamically allocating a remaining amount of the available random access memory to the data cache slots.

A machine-readable storage medium having one or more executable instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a digital processing system, cause the digital processing system to perform a method, the method comprising:

• analyzing system requirements and data access patterns for the data storage system;
• storing data in one or more cache slots of a random access memory of the data storage system;
• storing metadata entries in a tree structure in the random access memory of the data storage system, wherein the metadata tree structure includes a plurality of slabs, each slab comprising a metadata table including a plurality of metadata entries representing a contiguous range of block addresses, each entry including a cache pointer to one of the caches slots storing a data block corresponding to a block address within the contiguous range of block addresses;
• storing a block address range indicator in the metadata table of each slab to indicate the contiguous range of block addresses associated with the metadata entries in the slab;
• storing at least one slab pointer in the metadata table of each slab, each slab pointer pointing to a parent slab or a child slab in the metadata tree structure;
• determining a number of metadata entries for the metadata table of each slab based upon the system requirements and data access patterns, wherein a portion of available random access memory allocated to the metadata tree structure based upon the number of metadata entries of the plurality of slabs;
• dynamically allocating the portion of the random access memory to the metadata tree structure;
• and
• dynamically allocating a remaining amount of the available random access memory to the data cache slots.

A data storage system comprising:

• a processing system;
• and
• a memory, coupled to the processing system, characterized in that the memory has stored therein instructions which, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to:
• analyze system requirements and data access patterns for the data storage system;
• store data in one or more cache slots of a random access memory of the data storage system;
• store metadata entries in a tree structure in the random access memory of the data storage system, wherein the metadata tree structure includes a plurality of slabs, each slab comprising a metadata table including a plurality of metadata entries representing a contiguous range of block addresses, each entry including a cache pointer to one of the caches slots storing a data block corresponding to a block address within the contiguous range of block addresses;
• store a block address range indicator in the metadata table of each slab to indicate the contiguous range of block addresses associated with the metadata entries in the slab;
• store at least one slab pointer in the metadata table of each slab, each slab pointer pointing to a parent slab or a child slab in the metadata tree structure;
• determine a number of metadata entries for the metadata table of each slab based upon the system requirements and data access patterns, wherein a portion of available random access memory allocated to the metadata tree structure based upon the number of metadata entries of the plurality of slabs;
• dynamically allocate the portion of the random access memory to the metadata tree structure;
• and
• dynamically allocate a remaining amount of the available random access memory to the data cache slots.