Patent ID: 8190832
Filing Date: 2012-05-29
Classification: G06F,Y02D

Abstract:
1. A computer-implemented method for providing high performance block storage metadata containing a write activity level metric for data storage performance enhancement, comprising the steps of: reading a sequence of fixed-size blocks that together define a page, each of the fixed-size blocks comprising a data block and a footer, wherein a confluence of the footers defines a high performance block storage metadata unit that is associated with the page, wherein each footer in the confluence of the footers includes space for application metadata, wherein the space for application metadata in the confluence of the footers includes one or more information units each spanning across at least two of the footers in the confluence of the footers from one of the footers to another of the footers and each of the information units comprising a subtype field, a length field, and a data field, wherein the subtype field distinguishes between different types of the information units, and wherein the high performance block storage metadata unit contains a write activity level metric value, a write timestamp, and a Checksum field; modifying one or more of the data blocks of the page; computing an updated write activity level metric value based on the write activity level metric value read from the high performance block storage metadata unit and a time elapsed since a previous write, wherein the step of computing the updated write activity level metric value includes the steps of: calculating a checksum of all of the data blocks and all of the footers of the entirety of the sequence of fixed-size blocks that together define the revised page, whereby the checksum incorporates the one or more data blocks modified in the modifying step, the updated write activity level metric value, and the current time; writing a sequence of fixed-size blocks that together define a revised page to a data storage medium, each of the fixed-size blocks of the revised page comprising a data block and a footer, wherein the revised page includes the one or more data blocks modified in the modifying step, wherein a confluence of the footers defines a high performance block storage metadata unit associated with the revised page, wherein each footer in the confluence of the footers includes space for application metadata, wherein the space for application metadata in the confluence of the footers includes one or more information units each spanning across at least two of the footers in the confluence of the footers from one of the footers to another of the footers and each of the information units comprising a subtype field, a length field, and a data field, wherein the subtype field distinguishes between different types of the information units, wherein the high performance block storage metadata unit associated with the revised page contains the updated write activity level metric value, and wherein the step of writing the sequence of fixed-size blocks that together define the revised page to the data storage medium includes the steps of: