Abstract: A score is generated for each extent in a storage device based on a plurality of factors including storage capacities, expected compression ratios, and statistics on reads and writes. An extent is moved between a compressed rank and a non-compressed rank based on the generated score.

Abstract: Malware encryption detection for host data are provided. The host data is associated with an expected encryption state which includes at least one of an encrypted state, a partially encrypted state, or an unencrypted state. An actual encryption state for the host data is determined based on a first comparison between an expected compression ratio of the host data and an actual compressed ratio of the host data. A tag is stored for the host data based on a second comparison between the actual encryption state of the host data and the expected encryption state of the host data.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method, according to one approach, includes: receiving an indication that memory has entered a protected state. Additionally, I/O requests intended for target locations in the memory are received. A determination is made as to whether the target locations are permitted to perform I/O requests while the memory is in the protected state. In response to determining one or more of the target locations are not permitted to perform I/O requests while the memory is in the protected state, the respective one or more of the received I/O requests are denied. However, in response to determining one or more of the target locations are permitted to perform I/O requests while the memory is in the protected state, the respective one or more of the received I/O requests are performed at the one or more target locations.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method, according to one approach, includes: receiving an indication that memory has entered a protected state. An I/O request that is intended for a target location in the memory is also received. Moreover, the relative significance of the I/O request is evaluated, and in response to concluding the I/O request is sufficiently significant, the I/O request is performed at the target location. However, in response to concluding the I/O request is insufficiently significant, the I/O request is denied.

Abstract: Described are techniques for selecting compressed or non-compressed data storage using hints for a dataset. The techniques include receiving a dataset at a data storage system that manages storage location on compressed data storage and non-compressed data storage. The techniques further include determining, by the data storage system, that the dataset includes one or more hints for selecting a storage location for the dataset from one of the storage locations managed by the data storage system. The techniques further include selecting, by the data storage system, the storage location for the dataset based in part on the one or more hints and storing the dataset to the storage location.

Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for determining whether to compress data at a source device to transmit to a target device. A determination is made of network bandwidth between the source device and the target device. The source device transmits data to the target device. A determination is made of source available processor resources on the source device and target available processor resources on the target device. A determination is made as to whether to compress data at the source device to transmit to the target device based on the network bandwidth, the source available processor resources, and the target available processor resources. Compression is initiated, on the source device, of the data to transmit to the target device in response to determining that the source device is to compress the data.

Abstract: Provided are techniques for task adjustment for uniform performance of drives. Arrays are created for different drive types. Performance benchmarks are run for each of the arrays to compute a stage maximum value and a destage maximum value for each of the drive types. At run time, in response to determining that a mode indictor indicates a uniform performance mode, a maximum number of stage Task Control Blocks (TCBs) are set to a stage maximum uniform value and a maximum number of destage TCBs are set to a destage maximum uniform value. The stage of first data is performed using an actual number of stage TCBs that do not exceed the maximum number of stage TCBs. The destage of second data is performed using an actual number of destage TCBs that do not exceed the maximum number of destage TCBs.

Abstract: Provided are techniques for task adjustment for uniform performance of drives. Arrays are created for different drive types. Performance benchmarks are run for each of the arrays to compute a stage maximum value and a destage maximum value for each of the drive types. At run time, in response to determining that a mode indictor indicates a uniform performance mode, a maximum number of stage Task Control Blocks (TCBs) are set to a stage maximum uniform value and a maximum number of destage TCBs are set to a destage maximum uniform value. The stage of first data is performed using an actual number of stage TCBs that do not exceed the maximum number of stage TCBs. The destage of second data is performed using an actual number of destage TCBs that do not exceed the maximum number of destage TCBs.

Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for determining a storage device type on which to store extents of data in a storage system. The storage system provides a first storage device type that has native data compression at a first compression ratio and a second storage device type that has native data compression at a second compression ratio. The second compression ratio is higher than the first compression ratio. A determination is made for an extent to store the extent on the first storage device type or the second storage device type based on access frequency to data in the extent and an Input/Output (I/O) priority level for the extent. The extent is stored on the determined first or second storage device type.

Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for determining to migrate data between compressed storage devices and non-compressed storage devices in a storage system. The storage system provides compressed storage devices having native data compression and a non-compressed storage devices not configured to have native compression. A determination is made of storage usage factors for the compressed storage devices and the non-compressed storage devices. A determination is made whether to move data between the compressed storage devices and the non-compressed storage devices based on the storage usage factors. Data is moved between the compressed storage devices and the non-compressed storage devices in response to determining to move the data between the compressed storage devices and the non-compressed storage devices.

Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for using trap cache segments to detect malicious processes. A trap cache segment to the cache for data in the storage and indicated as a trap cache segment. Cache segments are added to the cache having data from the storage that are not indicated as trap cache segments. A memory function call from a process executing in the computer system reads data from a region of a memory device to output the read data to a buffer of the memory device. A determination is made as to whether the region of the memory device includes the trap cache segment. The memory function call is blocked and the process is treated as a potentially malicious process in response to determining that the region includes the trap cache segment.

Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for using trap cache segments to detect malicious processes. A trap cache segment to the cache for data in the storage and indicated as a trap cache segment. Cache segments are added to the cache having data from the storage that are not indicated as trap cache segments. A memory function call from a process executing in the computer system reads data from a region of a memory device to output the read data to a buffer of the memory device. A determination is made as to whether the region of the memory device includes the trap cache segment. The memory function call is blocked and the process is treated as a potentially malicious process in response to determining that the region includes the trap cache segment.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method according to one embodiment includes identifying a request to migrate data associated with a volume from a first storage pool to a second storage pool; identifying entries in a first table corresponding to rank extents in the first storage pool containing the data; allocating and synchronizing a plurality of second tables for the identified entries of the first table that are located in the volume; transferring the data associated with the volume from the rank extents in the first storage pool containing the data to one or more rank extents in the one or more ranks of the second storage pool; and updating the second tables to correspond to the transferred data in the one or more rank extents in the one or more ranks of the second storage pool.

Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for using trap cache segments to detect malicious processes. A trap cache segment to the cache for data in the storage and indicated as a trap cache segment. Cache segments are added to the cache having data from the storage that are not indicated as trap cache segments. A memory function call from a process executing in the computer system reads data from a region of a memory device to output the read data to a buffer of the memory device. A determination is made as to whether the region of the memory device includes the trap cache segment. The memory function call is blocked and the process is treated as a potentially malicious process in response to determining that the region includes the trap cache segment.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method according to one embodiment includes identifying a request to migrate data associated with a volume from a source storage pool having a first rank extent size to a destination storage pool having a second rank extent size smaller than the first rank extent size, creating a correspondence between logical volume extents of the volume and physical offset locations within rank extents of the source storage pool, and migrating data from one or more ranks of the source storage pool to one or more ranks of the destination storage pool, utilizing the correspondence between the logical volume extents of the volume and the physical offset locations within the rank extents of the source storage pool.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method according to one embodiment includes identifying a request to migrate data associated with a volume from a first storage pool to a second storage pool; identifying entries in a first table corresponding to rank extents in the first storage pool containing the data; allocating and synchronizing a plurality of second tables for the identified entries of the first table that are located in the volume; transferring the data associated with the volume from the rank extents in the first storage pool containing the data to one or more rank extents in the one or more ranks of the second storage pool; and updating the second tables to correspond to the transferred data in the one or more rank extents in the one or more ranks of the second storage pool.

Abstract: A method for improving destage performance to a RAID array is disclosed. In one embodiment, such a method periodically scans a cache for first strides that are ready to be destaged to a RAID array. While scanning the cache, the method identifies second strides that are not currently ready to be destaged to the RAID array, but will likely be ready to be destaged during a subsequent scan of the cache. The method initiates preemptive staging of any missing data of the second strides from the RAID array into the cache in preparation for the subsequent scan. Upon occurrence of the subsequent scan, the method destages, from the cache, the second strides from the cache to the RAID array. A corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method according to one embodiment includes identifying a request to migrate data associated with a volume from a source storage pool to a destination storage pool, identifying volume segment table (VST) entries corresponding to rank extents within the source storage pool containing the data, allocating and synchronizing small VSTs for the identified VST entries within the volume, allocating one or more rank extents within the destination storage pool, transferring the data associated with the volume from the rank extents within the source storage pool containing the data to the one or more rank extents in the one or more ranks of the destination storage pool, updating the small VSTs to correspond to the transferred data in the one or more rank extents in the one or more ranks of the destination storage pool, and freeing the data from the one or more rank extents within the source storage pool.

Abstract: A method for reducing incidents of data loss in redundant arrays of independent disks (RAIDs) having the same RAID level is disclosed. In one embodiment, such a method identifies, in a data storage environment, a set of RAIDs having a common RAID level. The method also identifies, in the set of RAIDs, higher risk storage drives having a failure risk above a threshold and lower risk storage drives having a failure risk below the threshold. The method swaps, within the RAIDs, higher risk storage drives with lower risk storage drives to more evenly distribute higher risk storage drives across the RAIDs. A corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed.

Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for a computer program product, system, and method for determining an availability score based on available resources of different resource types in a distributed computing environment of storage servers to determine whether to perform a failure operation for one of the storage servers. A health status monitor program deployed in the storage servers performs: maintaining information indicating availability of a plurality of storage server resources for a plurality of resource types; calculating an availability score as a function of a number of available resources of the resource types; and transmitting information on the availability score to a management program. The management program uses the transmitted information to determine whether to migrate services from the storage server from which the availability score is received to at least one of the other storage servers in the distributed computing environment.