Converting a first address mapping function for mapping addresses to storage locations to a second address mapping function

A system in communication with a storage comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a computer readable storage medium having program code executed by the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:
• initiating an operation to convert a first address mapping function to a second address mapping function, wherein the first address mapping function uses a first address mapping scheme to map logical addresses to physical addresses that is different from a second address mapping scheme used by the second address mapping function to map logical addresses to physical addresses;
• and
• in response to initiating the operation to convert, perform operations comprising:
• for each of a plurality of addresses allocated in the storage using the first address mapping function, generating nodes in the second address mapping function, wherein each node in the second address mapping function associates a logical address with a physical location for the logical address;
• determining addresses having unused space in the second address mapping function;
• freeing storage space for the determined addresses having the unused space;
• and
• indicating in the second address mapping function that the storage space for the determined addresses has been freed.

A method implemented in a computer system for converting a storage using a first address mapping function to use a second address mapping function, comprising:

• initiating an operation to convert the first address mapping function to the second address mapping function, wherein the first address mapping function uses a first address mapping scheme to map logical addresses to physical addresses that is different from a second address mapping scheme used by the second address mapping function to map logical addresses to physical addresses;
• and
• in response to initiating the operation to convert, perform operations comprising:
• for each of a plurality of addresses allocated in the storage using the first address mapping function, generating nodes in the second address mapping function, wherein each node in the second address mapping function associates a logical address with a physical location for the logical address;
• determining addresses having unused space in the second address mapping function;
• freeing storage space for the determined addresses having the unused space;
• and
• indicating in the second address mapping function that the storage space for the determined addresses has been freed.