Patent ID: 8090701

Claim:
An apparatus for managing data stores, the apparatus comprising: a first control module executed by a processor and configured to access a plurality of data stores in a single management structure of a mainframe coupling facility through a control block of a mainframe Cross System Operating System having a single physical communication channel limiting the first control module to communication with a single connection module, the single management structure comprising a cache structure within the coupling facility, each data store configured to communicate with a mainframe data processing system through a single physical communication channel; a first connection module executed by a processor and configured to communicate with the first control module and the plurality of data stores wherein the first connection module comprises a single physical connection from the first control module to the first connection module and then to the coupling facility; a first association module executed by a processor and configured to communicate with the first connection module and a first data store wherein the first association module comprises a linked array mapping data addresses into the first data store, and wherein the first control module accesses the first data store exclusively through a single physical connection, the first connection module directly physically connected exclusively to the first association module; and a second association module executed by a processor and configured to communicate with the first association module and a second data store, wherein the first control module accesses the second data store exclusively through the first connection module, the first association module, and the second association module in a series connection.