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US 8,275,949 B2Granted
System support storage and computer system
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsReiner Rieke, Dieter Staiger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A Common System Storage Repository replaces all the different system support storages distributed across a server system topology transparent to various subsystems by providing a central non-volatile repository for all the different system data. Each of the various subsystems communicate with the Common System Storage Repository via the individual system support storage interfaces.
Claims17
A system for providing a shared high speed persistent storage, the system comprising:
- a common system storage repository (CSSR), the CSSR comprising:
- a CSSR repository, the CSSR repository comprising:
- a non-volatile persistent storage, the non-volatile persistent storage comprising a plurality of partitions of system data;
- and
- a volatile run-time repository comprising a volatile storage in communication with the non-volatile persistent storage;
- and
- a plurality of point-to-point connections, for providing access to respective portions of said volatile run-time repository to subsystems of a computer system;
- wherein the CSSR is configured to perform a method comprising:
- responsive to the CSSR being powered up, copying content of said non-volatile persistent storage into said volatile run-time repository;
- responsive to the CSSR being powered up, assigning unique portions of said volatile run-time repository corresponding to each of the plurality of partitions to each point-to-point connection of the plurality of point-to-point connections;
- prioritizing access to each unique portion of said volatile run-time repository;
- permitting access to each unique portion of said volatile run-time repository by way of only an assigned one of said point-to-point connections according to the prioritization;
- updating at least one of the unique portions of said volatile run-time repository responsive to the permitting;
- identifying the at least one unique portion of said volatile run-time repository that has been updated;
- writing, via a background process, changes in said volatile run-time repository to said non-volatile persistent storage in response to every update to the contents of said volatile run-time repository;
- and
- marking, in a flash update history register, responsive to the updating and identifying, that the at least one of the unique portions of said volatile run-time repository has been updated, the marking causing the change to be preserved after a power loss;
- wherein a size of each of the plurality of partitions is configurable by reprogramming the CSSR.
15 more elements
A method for providing a shared high speed persistent storage, the method comprising:
- responsive to a common subsystem repository (CSSR) being powered up, copying by the CSSR, content of a non-volatile persistent storage of the CSSR into a volatile run-time repository of the CSSR, said volatile run-time repository comprising a volatile storage and said non-volatile persistent storage comprising a plurality of partitions of system data;
- providing access to subsystems of a computer system by the CSSR, by way of a plurality of point-to-point connections to respective portions of said volatile run-time repository;
- responsive to the CSSR being powered up, assigning unique portions of said volatile run-time repository corresponding to each of the plurality of partitions to each point-to-point connection of the plurality of point-to-point connections;
- prioritizing access to each unique portion of said volatile run-time repository;
- permitting access to each unique portion of said volatile run-time repository by way of only an assigned one of said point-to-point connections according to the prioritization;
- updating at least one of the unique portions of said volatile run-time repository responsive to the permitting;
- identifying the at least one unique portion of said volatile run-time repository that has been updated;
- writing, via a background process, changes in said volatile run time repository to said non-volatile persistent storage in response to every update to the contents of said volatile run-time repository;
- and
- marking, in a flash update history register, responsive to the updating and identifying, that the at least one unique portion of said volatile run-time repository has been updated, the marking causing the change to be preserved after a power loss;
- wherein a size of each of the plurality of partitions is configurable by reprogramming the CSSR.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.