Method and system for efficient format, read, write, and initial copy processing involving sparse logical units
US6697881B2 · kind B2 · utility
32Cited by
5References
19Claims
0Family size
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Key dates
| Filing date | May 29, 2001 |
| Grant date | Feb 24, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 3, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F3/0689
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and system for eliminating null I/O operations that transfer null data during processing of FORMAT and INITIAL-COPY I/O device commands and READ and WRITE I/O requests by an I/O device. Indications of whether or not a particular logical unit is sparsely populated with data are stored in the I/O device, along with bit maps indicating null tracks for sparse logical units. By referencing the stored indications and bit maps, the I/O device controller can recognize null operations that may be safely eliminated, saving processing and data transfer resources and eliminating time delays.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.