Patent ID: 8671253

Claim:
A method for storage initialization and data destage in a computing storage environment by a processor device, comprising: initializing at least a portion of storage on a storage device operable in the computing storage environment using a background process, while performing one of simultaneously and subsequently destaging at least a portion of data to the storage device using a foreground process, wherein: a persistent metadata bitmap, adapted to indicate whether the at least the portion of the data has been initialized, is read to a memory structure operable in the computing storage environment, and the background process maintains a volatile bitmap indicating a status of the initialization of the at least the portion of the data in direct correspondence to the persistent metadata bitmap, the volatile bitmap examined in conjunction with the read metadata bitmap to determine if a data collision has occurred, further wherein as the background process initializes the at least the portion of the data, an applicable bit on the read metadata bitmap is cleared and a corresponding bit is set on the volatile bitmap; further wherein: a background initialization work on one of a plurality of extents is quiesced, previous to commencing destaging the at least the portion of the data, the value of the applicable bit on the read data bitmap is determined, and if the bit in the read metadata bitmap is found to be clear and the corresponding bit on the volatile bitmap is not set a work queue lock is placed on the at least the portion of the data.