Data storage resource allocation by performing abbreviated resource checks of certain data storage resources to detrmine whether data storage requests would fail

Abstract

A resource allocation system begins with an ordered plan for matching requests to resources that is sorted by priority. The resource allocation system optimizes the plan by determining those requests in the plan that will fail if performed. The resource allocation system removes or defers the determined requests. In addition, when a request that is performed fails, the resource allocation system may remove requests that require similar resources from the plan. Moreover, when resources are released by a request, the resource allocation system may place the resources in a temporary holding area until the resource allocation returns to the top of the ordered plan so that lower priority requests that are lower in the plan do not take resources that are needed by waiting higher priority requests higher in the plan.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 maintaining, by at least one computing device comprising one or more processors and one or more computer memory, a queue of data storage requests to be performed in a data storage management environment,
 wherein a first data storage request from the queue of data storage requests requires a plurality of first physical resources to perform the first data storage request; 
   performing an abbreviated resource check for the first data storage request, wherein the abbreviated resource check comprises:
 (i) performing a first physical check of the plurality of first physical resources in an order based on at least one of: (a) relative scarcity of the first physical resources in the data storage management environment, and (b) relative chances of failure of the first physical resources, and 
 (ii) based on the first physical checks indicating that at least one of the plurality of first physical resources would cause the first data storage request to fail if attempted, generating an indication that the first data storage request should not be performed in the queue of data storage requests; and 
   based on the abbreviated resource check, not performing the first data storage request in the queue of data storage requests, and without attempting any further physical checks of at least one other of the plurality of first physical resources required to perform the first data storage request.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising updating the queue of data storage requests to indicate that the first data storage request should not be performed and performing at least one other data storage request in the queue of data storage requests without performing the first data storage request. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 wherein based on the determining that at least one of the physical resources that would cause the first data storage request to fail if attempted, (i) identifying from the queue of data storage requests, one or more second data storage requests wherein the one or more second data storage requests is in an association with the first data storage request and (ii) further updating the ordered list of data storage requests to indicate that the one or more second data requests should not be performed.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the association comprises preestablished groupings of data storage request members that share common data storage resources and rules for allocating resources. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the preestablished groupings are based on a storage policy. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the storage policy corresponds to a defined storage location and a set of preferences for performing the data storage request. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the further updating of the queue of data storage requests occurs without attempting any abbreviated resource check to determine whether the one or more second data storage requests in association with the first data storage request would fail if attempted, and wherein the further updating of the ordered list occurs without attempting to perform the one or more second data storage requests if the abbreviated resource check determines that the one or more second data storage request would fail if attempted. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the queue of data storage requests comprises a priority ordering of the data storage requests and wherein the step of not performing the first data storage request in the queue of data storage requests, and without attempting any further physical checks of at least one other of the plurality of first physical resources required to perform the first data storage request, further comprises defer performance of the first storage request until at least one other data storage request in the queue of data storage requests has been performed. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the abbreviated resource check further comprises:
 based on the first physical checks indicating that the first physical resources would not cause the first data storage request to fail if attempted, performing one or more logical checks of the plurality of first physical resources, and   based on at least one of the one or more logical checks indicating that the first physical resources would cause the first data storage request to fail if attempted, generating an indication that the first data storage request should not be performed in the queue of data storage requests; and:   based on the abbreviated resource check generating an indication that the first data storage request should not be performed in the queue of data storage requests, not performing the first data storage request in the queue of data storage requests, and without attempting any further logical checks of at least one other of the first physical resources required to perform the first data storage request.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the one or more logical checks are performed in an order based on relative scarcity of the given physical resources in the data storage environment. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the operation of not performing the first data storage request in the queue of data storage requests further comprises defer performance of the first storage request until at least one other data storage request in the queue of data storage requests has been performed. 
     
     
         12 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one computer comprising one or more processors and computer memory, cause the at least one computer to perform operations comprising:
 maintaining a queue of data storage requests to be performed in a data storage management environment,
 wherein a first data storage request from the queue of data storage requests requires a plurality of first physical resources to perform the first data storage request; 
   performing an abbreviated resource check for the first data storage request, wherein the abbreviated resource check comprises:
 (i) performing a first physical check of the plurality of first physical resources in an order based on at least one of: (a) relative scarcity of the first physical resources in the data storage management environment, and (b) relative chances of failure of the first physical resources, and 
 (ii) based on the first physical checks indicating that at least one of the plurality of first physical resources would cause the first data storage request to fail if attempted, generating an indication that the first data storage request should not be performed in the queue of data storage requests; and 
   based on the abbreviated resource check, not performing the first data storage request in the queue of data storage requests, and without attempting any further physical checks of at least one other of the plurality of first physical resources required to perform the first data storage request.   
     
     
         13 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 12 , further comprising updating the queue of data storage requests to indicate that the first data storage request should not be performed and performing at least one other data storage request in the queue of data storage requests without performing the first data storage request. 
     
     
         14 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 12 , wherein based on the determining that at least one of the physical resources that would cause the first data storage request to fail if attempted, (i) identifying from the queue of data storage requests, one or more second data storage requests wherein the one or more second data storage requests is in an association with the first data storage request and (ii) further updating the ordered list of data storage requests to indicate that the one or more second data requests should not be performed. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the association comprises preestablished groupings of data storage request members that share common data storage resources and rules for allocating resources. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the groupings are based on a storage policy. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the further updating of the queue of data storage requests occurs without attempting any abbreviated resource check to determine whether the one or more second data storage requests in association with the first data storage request would fail if attempted, and wherein the further updating of the ordered list occurs without attempting to perform the one or more second data storage requests if the abbreviated resource check determines that the one or more second data storage request would fail if attempted. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the queue of data storage requests comprises a priority ordering of the data storage requests and wherein the step of not performing the first data storage request in the queue of data storage requests, and without attempting any further physical checks of at least one other of the plurality of first physical resources required to perform the first data storage request, further comprises defer performance of the first storage request until at least one other data storage request in the queue of data storage requests has been performed. 
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 12 ,
 based on the first physical checks indicating that the first physical resources would not cause the first data storage request to fail if attempted, performing one or more logical checks of the plurality of first physical resources, and   based on at least one of the one or more logical checks indicating that the first physical resources would cause the first data storage request to fail if attempted, generating an indication that the first data storage request should not be performed in the queue of data storage requests; and:   based on the abbreviated resource check generating an indication that the first data storage request should not be performed in the queue of data storage requests, not performing the first data storage request in the queue of data storage requests, and without attempting any further logical checks of at least one other of the first physical resources required to perform the first data storage request.   
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 12 , wherein the operation of not performing the first data storage request in the queue of data storage requests further comprises defer performance of the first storage request until at least one other data storage request in the queue of data storage requests has been performed.