Patents by Inventor Michael T. Benhase

Michael T. Benhase has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Adaptive record caching for solid state disks
    Patent number: 9069678
    Abstract: A storage controller receives a request that corresponds to an access of a track. A determination is made as to whether the track corresponds to data stored in a solid state disk. Record staging to a cache from the solid state disk is performed, in response to determining that the track corresponds to data stored in the solid state disk, wherein each track is comprised of a plurality of records.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael T. Benhase, Lokesh M. Gupta, Joseph S. Hyde, II, Lee C. LaFrese
  • Systems and methods for destaging storage tracks from cache
    Patent number: 9069683
    Abstract: A system includes a cache and a processor coupled to the cache. The cache stores data in multiple storage tracks and each storage track includes an associated multi-bit counter. The processor is configured to perform the following method. One method includes incrementing the multi-bit counter on each respective storage track a predetermined amount each time the processor writes to a respective storage track. The method further includes decrementing each multi-bit counter each scan cycle, and destaging each storage track including a zero count.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Brent C. Beardsley, Michael T. Benhase, Lokesh M. Gupta, Sonny E. Williams
  • Preferential CPU utilization for tasks
    Patent number: 9063786
    Abstract: A set of like tasks to be performed is organized into a first group. Upon a determined imbalance between dispatch queue depths greater than a predetermined threshold, the set of like tasks is reassigned to an additional group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kevin J. Ash, Michael T. Benhase, Lokesh M. Gupta, Trung N. Nguyen
  • Systems and methods for background destaging storage tracks
    Patent number: 9063863
    Abstract: Storage tracks are destaged from the write cache if the host(s) is/are idle and are not destaged from the write cache if one or more of the hosts is/are not idle. The storage tracks are refrained from being destaged from the write cache if the at least one host is not idle. Each rank is monitored for write operations from the at least one host, and a determination is made if the at least one host is idle with respect to each respective rank based on monitoring each rank for write operations from the at least one host such that the at least one host may be determined to be idle with respect to a first rank and not idle with respect to a second rank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Brent C. Beardsley, Michael T. Benhase, Binny S. Gill, Lokesh M. Gupta, Sonny E. Williams
  • Replicating tracks from a first storage site to a second and third storage sites
    Patent number: 9058121
    Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for replicating tracks from a first storage to a second and third storages. A determination is made of a track in the first storage to transfer to the second storage as part of a point-in-time copy relationship and of a stride of tracks including the target track. The stride of tracks including the target track is staged from the first storage to a cache according to the point-in-time copy relationship. The staged stride is destaged from the cache to the second storage. The stride in the cache is transferred to the third storage as part of a mirror copy relationship. The stride of tracks in the cache is demoted in response to destaging the stride of the tracks in the cache to the second storage and transferring the stride of tracks in the cache to the third storage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael T. Benhase, Lokesh M. Gupta, Brian D. Hatfield, Gail A. Spear
  • Efficient processing of cache segment waiters
    Patent number: 9043551
    Abstract: For a plurality of input/output (I/O) operations waiting to assemble complete data tracks from data segments, a process, separate from a process responsible for the data assembly into the complete data tracks, is initiated for waking a predetermined number of the waiting I/O operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin J. Ash, Michael T. Benhase, Lokesh M. Gupta, David B. Whitworth
  • Writing of new data of a first block size in a raid array that stores both parity and data in a second block size
    Patent number: 9043544
    Abstract: A Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) controller receives new data that is to be written, wherein the new data is indicated in blocks of a first block size. The RAID controller reads old data, and old parity that corresponds to the old data, stored in blocks of a second block size that is larger in size than the first block size. The RAID controller computes new parity based on the new data, the old data, and the old parity. The RAID controller writes the new data and the new parity aligned to the blocks of the second block size, wherein portions of the old data that are not overwritten by the RAID controller are also written to the blocks of the second block size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael T. Benhase, Ian D. Judd, Daniel F. Moertl, Karl A. Nielsen
  • Writing of new data of a first block size in a raid array that stores both parity and data in a second block size
    Patent number: 9043543
    Abstract: A Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) controller receives new data that is to be written, wherein the new data is indicated in blocks of a first block size. The RAID controller reads old data, and old parity that corresponds to the old data, stored in blocks of a second block size that is larger in size than the first block size. The RAID controller computes new parity based on the new data, the old data, and the old parity. The RAID controller writes the new data and the new parity aligned to the blocks of the second block size, wherein portions of the old data that are not overwritten by the RAID controller are also written to the blocks of the second block size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael T. Benhase, Ian David Judd, Daniel F. Moertl, Karl A. Nielsen
  • Adjustment of the number of task control blocks allocated for discard scans
    Patent number: 9043550
    Abstract: A controller receives a request to perform a release space operation. A determination is made that a new discard scan has to be performed on a cache, in response to the received request to perform the release space operation. A determination is made as to how many task control blocks are to be allocated to the perform the new discard scan, based on how many task control blocks have already been allocated for performing one or more discard scans that are already in progress.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael T. Benhase, Lokesh M. Gupta
  • Automatically preventing large block writes from starving small block writes in a storage device
    Patent number: 9043572
    Abstract: A mechanism is provided in a storage device for performing a write operation. The mechanism configures a write buffer memory with a plurality of write buffer portions. Each write buffer portion is dedicated to a predetermined block size category within a plurality of block size categories. For each write operation from an initiator, the mechanism determines a block size category of the write operation. The mechanism performs each write operation by writing to a write buffer portion within the plurality of write buffer portions corresponding to the block size category of the write operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael T. Benhase, Andrew D. Walls
  • Tiered caching and migration in differing granularities
    Patent number: 9037791
    Abstract: For data processing in a computing storage environment by a processor device, the computing storage environment incorporating at least high-speed and lower-speed caches, and managed tiered levels of storage, groups of data segments are migrated between the tiered levels of storage such that uniformly hot ones of the groups of data segments are migrated to use a Solid State Drive (SSD) portion of the tiered levels of storage, clumped hot ones of the groups of data segments are migrated to use the SSD portion while using the lower-speed cache for a remaining portion of the clumped hot ones, and sparsely hot ones of the groups of data segments are migrated to use the lower-speed cache while using a lower one of the tiered levels of storage for a remaining portion of the sparsely hot ones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael T. Benhase, Lokesh M. Gupta, Cheng-Chung Song
  • Use of flash cache to improve tiered migration performance
    Patent number: 9032153
    Abstract: For data processing in a computing storage environment by a processor device, the computing storage environment incorporating at least high-speed and lower-speed caches, and tiered levels of storage, and at a time in which at least one data segment is to be migrated from one level to another level of the tiered levels of storage, a data migration mechanism is initiated by copying data resident in the lower-speed cache corresponding to the at least one data segment to be migrated to a target on the another level, and reading remaining data, not previously copied from the lower-speed cache, from a source on the one level, and writing the remaining data to the target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael T. Benhase, Lokesh M. Gupta
  • EFFICIENT PROCESSING OF CACHE SEGMENT WAITERS
    Publication number: 20150127913
    Abstract: For a plurality of input/output (I/O) operations waiting to assemble complete data tracks from data segments, a process, separate from a process responsible for the data assembly into the complete data tracks, is initiated for waking a predetermined number of the waiting I/O operations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2014
    Publication date: May 7, 2015
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kevin J. ASH, Michael T. BENHASE, Lokesh M. GUPTA, David B. WHITWORTH
  • ASSIGNING DEVICE ADAPTORS TO USE TO COPY SOURCE EXTENTS TO TARGET EXTENTS IN A COPY RELATIONSHIP
    Publication number: 20150127904
    Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for assigning device adaptors to use to copy source extents in source ranks to target extents in target ranks in a copy relation. A determination is made of an order of the target ranks in the copy relation. Target ranks in the copy relation are selected according to the determined order. For each selected target rank, indication is made in a device adaptor assignment data structure of a source device adaptor and target device adaptor of the device adaptors to use to copy the source rank to the selected target rank indicated in the copy relation, wherein indication is made for the selected target ranks according to the determined order. The source ranks are copied to the selected target ranks using the source and target device adaptors indicated in the device adaptor assignment data structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2015
    Publication date: May 7, 2015
    Inventors: Michael T. Benhase, Theresa M. Brown, Lokesh M. Gupta, Carol S. Mellgren
  • Demoting partial tracks from a first cache to a second cache
    Patent number: 9026732
    Abstract: A determination is made of a track to demote from the first cache to the second cache, wherein the track in the first cache corresponds to a track in the storage system and is comprised of a plurality of sectors. In response to determining that the second cache includes a the stale version of the track being demoted from the first cache, a determination is made as to whether the stale version of the track includes track sectors not included in the track being demoted from the first cache. The sectors from the track demoted from the first cache are combined with sectors from the stale version of the track not included in the track being demoted from the first cache into a new version of the track. The new version of the track is written to the second cache.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin J. Ash, Michael T. Benhase, Lokesh M. Gupta
  • ADJUSTMENT OF THE NUMBER OF TASK CONTROL BLOCKS ALLOCATED FOR DISCARD SCANS
    Publication number: 20150121007
    Abstract: A controller receives a request to perform a release space operation. A determination is made that a new discard scan has to be performed on a cache, in response to the received request to perform the release space operation. A determination is made as to how many task control blocks are to be allocated to the perform the new discard scan, based on how many task control blocks have already been allocated for performing one or more discard scans that are already in progress.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 2, 2015
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Inventors: Michael T. Benhase, Lokesh M. Gupta
  • Cascaded, point-in-time-copy architecture with data deduplication
    Patent number: 9021221
    Abstract: A method for performing a write to a volume x in a cascaded architecture is described. In one embodiment, such a method includes determining whether the volume x has a child volume, wherein each of the volume x and the child volume have a target bit map (TBM) associated therewith. The method then determines whether the TBMs of both the volume x and the child volume are set. If the TBMs are set, the method finds a higher source (HS) volume from which to copy the desired data to the child volume. Finding the HS volume includes travelling up the cascaded architecture until the source of the data is found. Once the HS volume is found, the method copies the data from the HS volume to the child volume and performs the write to the volume x. A method for performing a read is also disclosed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael T. Benhase, Theresa M. Brown, Lokesh M. Gupta, Carol S. Mellgren
  • Demoting partial tracks from a first cache to a second cache
    Patent number: 9021201
    Abstract: A determination is made of a track to demote from the first cache to the second cache, wherein the track in the first cache corresponds to a track in the storage system and is comprised of a plurality of sectors. In response to determining that the second cache includes a the stale version of the track being demoted from the first cache, a determination is made as to whether the stale version of the track includes track sectors not included in the track being demoted from the first cache. The sectors from the track demoted from the first cache are combined with sectors from the stale version of the track not included in the track being demoted from the first cache into a new version of the track. The new version of the track is written to the second cache.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin J. Ash, Michael T. Benhase, Lokesh M. Gupta
  • PROMOTION OF PARTIAL DATA SEGMENTS IN FLASH CACHE
    Publication number: 20150095561
    Abstract: For efficient track destage in secondary storage in a more effective manner, for temporal bits employed with sequential bits for controlling the timing for destaging the track in a primary storage, a preference of movement to lower speed cache level is implemented based on at least one of an amount of holes and a data heat metric. If a first bit has at least one of a lower amount of holes and a hotter data heat metric, it is moved to the lower speed cache level ahead of a second bit that has at least one of a higher amount of holes and a cooler data heat. If the first bit has a hotter data heat and greater than a predetermined number of holes, the first bit is discarded.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2014
    Publication date: April 2, 2015
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael T. BENHASE, Stephen L. BLINICK, Evangelos S. ELEFTHERIOU, Lokesh M. GUPTA, Robert HAAS, Xiao-Yu HU, Matthew J. KALOS, Ioannis KOLTSIDAS, Karl A. NIELSEN, Roman A. PLETKA
  • Systems and methods for managing destage conflicts
    Patent number: 8996813
    Abstract: Destaging storage tracks from each rank that includes a greater than a predetermined percentage of a predetermined amount of storage space with respect to a current amount of storage space allocated to each rank until the current amount of storage space used by each respective rank is equal to the predetermined percentage of the predetermined amount of storage space. The destage storage tracks are declined from being destaged from each rank that includes less than or equal to the predetermined percentage of the predetermined amount of storage space rank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Brent C. Beardsley, Michael T. Benhase, Binny S. Gill, Lokesh M. Gupta, Sonny E. Williams