Patent ID: 7783603

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of deleting a plurality of snapshots from a backing store, comprising: storing, by a controller, an identifier designating each of the plurality of snapshots in the backing store, to a snapshot delete queue, wherein a snapshot delete application is configured to delete the next snapshot identified in the snapshot delete queue; identifying, by the controller, a data map used to indicate assignment of backing store memory locations to snapshot data from the plurality of snapshots; determining, by a snapshot monitoring application, that the plurality of snapshots in the snapshot delete queue are one of being deleted and marked for deletion; in response to the snapshot monitoring application determining that the plurality of snapshots are one of being deleted and marked for deletion, quiescing input and output commands for all master volumes associated with the backing store, preventing the snapshot delete application from deleting the next snapshot identified in the snapshot delete queue and instead substantially simultaneously clearing, by the controller, all entries in the data map, wherein clearing all entries in the data map comprises removing the identifiers from the snapshot delete queue; removing all snapshot data related to the plurality of snapshots from a volume information control block from a controller memory, wherein the volume information control block is separate from the identifier and the data map; deleting all snapshot volume information control blocks associated with the backing store from a storage device; releasing the quiesce on the input and output commands for the master volumes; and maintaining snapshot data from the plurality of snapshots on the backing store until a new snapshot is created on the backing store.