US 12,124,407 B2
Merging objects in a snapshot mapping structure characterizing data dependencies between a storage volume and its snapshots
Yosef Shatsky, Karnei Shomron (IL); and Doron Tal, Geva Carmel (IL)
Assigned to Dell Products L.P., Round Rock, TX (US)
Filed by Dell Products L.P., Round Rock, TX (US)
Filed on Apr. 15, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/721,584.
Prior Publication US 2023/0334012 A1, Oct. 19, 2023
Int. Cl. G06F 16/11 (2019.01)
CPC G06F 16/128 (2019.01) 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus comprising:
at least one processing device comprising a processor coupled to a memory;
the at least one processing device being configured to perform steps of:
receiving a request to perform merging of a plurality of objects in a snapshot mapping structure associated with a given storage volume, the plurality of objects representing the given storage volume and a plurality of snapshots of the given storage volume, the plurality of objects being organized in a tree structure representing data dependencies between the given storage volume and the plurality of snapshots;
analyzing the snapshot mapping structure to identify ones of the plurality of objects that are candidates for deletion, wherein the identified ones of the plurality of objects that are candidates for deletion comprise ones of the plurality of objects which are nodes having a single child object in the tree structure;
determining one or more merge groups, a given one of the one or more merge groups comprising two or more of the plurality of objects, the two or more objects in the given merge group comprising (i) a chain of two or more of the plurality of objects identified as candidates for deletion and (ii) a given one of the plurality of objects that is a child object of a last one of the chain of the two or more of the plurality of objects identified as candidates for deletion; and
performing merging of the plurality of objects in the snapshot mapping structure by merging data items in the given merge group to a selected one of the two or more objects in the given merge group.