Patent ID: 7249152
Filing Date: 2007-07-24
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method of managing disk space, the method comprising: associating a first set of one or more first-level bitmap blocks with a first second-level bitmap block; associating a second set of one or more first-level bitmap blocks with a second second-level bitmap block; selecting said first second-level bitmap block from a plurality of second-level bitmap blocks based on information that indicates which one of said plurality of second-level bitmap blocks is associated with a first-level bitmap block that indicates a most recent allocation of disk space for use by a server instance; determining an address of said first second-level bitmap block based on information contained in a third-level bitmap block with which said second-level bitmap block is associated; wherein no bitmap block in said first set of one or more first-level bitmap blocks is associated with said second second-level bitmap block; wherein no bitmap block in said second set of one or more first-level bitmap blocks is associated with said first second-level bitmap block; maintaining a plurality of resources that identify available disk space; wherein each resource identifies a different set of available disk space than other resources in the plurality of resources; wherein said plurality includes a first resource set that is associated with a first server instance; determining whether at least one resource in the first resource set satisfies a first set of one or more criteria; wherein determining whether at least one resource satisfies said first set of one or more criteria comprises determining, from information indicated in said first second-level bitmap block, whether at least one first-level bitmap block in said first set of one or more first-level bitmap blocks satisfies one or more particular criteria in said first set of one or more criteria; if at least one resource in the first resource set satisfies said first set of one or more criteria, then, based on information that is indicated in said at least one resource in the first resource set, allocating disk space for use by the first server instance; and if no resource in the first resource set satisfies said first set of one or more criteria, then performing the steps of: