US5890205A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Optimized application installation using disk block relocation
Assignee: Intel Corp
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Filing: 1996-09-27
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Granted: 1999-03-30
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Expires: 2016-09-27
Abstract
Abstract A computer system is programmed with a plurality of programming instructions for implementing a software function, having an installation utility with logic for generating, if possible, an alternative disk block allocation for a current disk block allocation that will yield improved overall access time for a sequence of disk accesses. In some embodiments, the logic includes logic for tracing the sequence of disk accesses to determine the current disk block allocation, logic for generating the alternative disk block allocation, if possible, using the trace results, and logic for effectuating the alternate disk block allocation, if generated. In one particular embodiment, the logic for generating the alternative disk block allocation employs a random search approach, while in another embodiment, the logic for generating the alternative disk block allocation employs a heuristic approach.
Inventors
- 👤 Knut Grimsrud
- 👤 Rick Coulson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 00:30
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F3/00; G06F3/06; G06F3/0601; G06F3/0602; G06F3/0625; G06F1/00; G06F1/26; G06F1/32; G06F1/3203; G06F1/3234; G06F1/325; G06F1/3268; G06F11/00; G06F11/30; G06F11/34; G06F11/3466; G06F11/3485; G06F3/0628; G06F3/0638; G06F3/064; G06F3/0668; G06F3/0671; G06F3/0673; G06F3/0674; G06F3/0676; G11; G11B; G11B20/00; G11B20/10; G11B20/18; G11B20/1883; G11B27/00; G11B27/02; G11B27/031; G11B27/034; G06F11/3442; G11B2220/00; G11B2220/20; Y; Y02; Y02D; Y02D10/00
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 37
Claim 1
Independent Claim
131 words
An apparatus comprising (a) an execution unit for executing programming instructions; and (b) a storage medium coupled to the execution unit and having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions to be executed by the execution unit for implementing a software function, including an installation utility with logic for analyzing trace data of a sequence of disk accesses while installing the software function, the trace data including disk locations accessed and the order the disk locations are accessed, and for generating a new set of disk locations to reallocate the accessed disk locations also as an integral part of installing the software function, such that overall access time will be improved, the new set of disk locations being generated in accordance with at least the order the disk locations are accessed.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
131 words
An apparatus comprising (a) an execution unit for executing programming instructions; and (b) a storage medium coupled to the execution unit and having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions to be executed by the execution unit for implementing a software function, including an installation utility with logic for analyzing trace data of a sequence of disk accesses while installing the software function, the trace data including disk locations accessed and the order the disk locations are accessed, and for generating a new set of disk locations to reallocate the accessed disk locations also as an integral part of installing the software function, such that overall access time will be improved, the new set of disk locations being generated in accordance with at least the order the disk locations are accessed.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
25 words
The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the logic includes logic for tracing the sequence of disk accesses, and generating the trace data.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
30 words
The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the logic includes logic for generating a remapping vector mapping the disk locations accessed to the new set of disk locations.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
30 words
The apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein the logic includes logic for relocating the disk locations accessed to the new set of disk locations using the remapping vector.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
38 words
The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the logic includes logic for optimizing a cost function of overall access time which is functionally dependent on disk locations accessed, to generate the new set of disk locations.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
37 words
The apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein the logic includes logic for generating a new set of disk locations, and determining if the generated new set of disk locations yields improvement on overall access time.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
42 words
The apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein the logic includes logic for repeating the generation of an arbitrary set of disk locations, and the determination of whether the generated arbitrary set of disk locations yields improvement on overall access time.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
21 words
The apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein the logic includes logic for coalescing disk blocks of a disk drive.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
21 words
The apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein the logic includes logic for grouping the disk accesses into access runs.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
28 words
The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein the logic includes logic for generating new disk locations for the disk locations accessed by the various access runs.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
41 words
The apparatus as set forth in claim 10, wherein the logic includes logic for generating new disk locations from top most portions of a disk region in a top down manner for access runs having run lengths of a particular type.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
41 words
The apparatus as set forth in claim 10, wherein the logic includes logic for generating new disk locations from bottom most portions of a disk region in a bottom up manner for access runs having run lengths of a particular type.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
56 words
The apparatus as set forth in claim 10, wherein the logic includes logic for alternatingly generating new disk locations from top most portions of a disk region in a top down manner and from bottom most portions of the disk region in a bottom up manner for access runs having run length of a particular type.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
34 words
The apparatus as set forth in claim 10, wherein logic includes logic for generating new disk locations from center portions of a disk region for access runs having run lengths of a particular type.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
52 words
The apparatus as set forth in claim 14, wherein the logic for generating new disk locations from center portions of a disk region for access runs having run lengths of a particular type, generates the new disk locations factoring into consideration likelihood of occurrence of interrelated access runs of the same type.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
94 words
A machine implemented method comprising the steps of: a) tracing a sequence of disk accesses made by an application, as an integral part of a process for installing the application, and generating trace data for the disk accesses traced including disk locations accessed and the order the disk locations are accessed; b) generating, if possible, also as an integral part of the installation process, a new set of disk locations that yield improvement on overall access time, over the disk locations accessed, in accordance with at least the order the disk locations are accessed.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
94 words
A machine implemented method comprising the steps of: a) tracing a sequence of disk accesses made by an application, as an integral part of a process for installing the application, and generating trace data for the disk accesses traced including disk locations accessed and the order the disk locations are accessed; b) generating, if possible, also as an integral part of the installation process, a new set of disk locations that yield improvement on overall access time, over the disk locations accessed, in accordance with at least the order the disk locations are accessed.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
55 words
The method as set forth in claim 16, wherein the method further includes the step of (c) generating, also as an integral part of the installation process, a remapping vector mapping the disk locations accessed to the new set of disk locations, if step (b) was successful in generating the new set of disk locations.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
48 words
The machine implemented method as set forth in claim 17, wherein the method further includes the step (d) relocating, also as an integral part of the installation process, the disk locations accessed to the new set of disk locations using the remapping vector, if step (c) was performed.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
38 words
The machine implemented method as set forth in claim 16, wherein step (b) includes optimizing, as an integral part of the installation process, a cost function of overall access time which is functionally dependent on disk locations accessed.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
50 words
The machine implemented method as set forth in claim 19, wherein the cost function optimization of step (b) includes generating, as an integral part of the installation process, a new set of disk locations, and determining if the generated arbitrary set of disk locations yields improvement on overall access time.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
48 words
The machine implemented method as set forth in claim 20, wherein the cost function optimization of step (b) further includes repeating the generation of an arbitrary set of disk locations, and the determination of whether the generated arbitrary set of disk locations yields improvement on overall access time.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
30 words
The machine implemented method as set forth in claim 19, wherein step (b) further includes, as an integral part of the installation process, coalescing disk blocks of a disk drive.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
30 words
The machine implemented method as set forth in claim 19, wherein step (b) further includes, as an integral part of the installation process, grouping the disk accesses into access runs.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
37 words
The machine implemented method as set forth in claim 23, wherein the generation of new disk locations for the disk locations accessed of step (b) is performed by generating new disk locations for the various access runs.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
48 words
The machine implemented method as set forth in claim 24, wherein the generation of new disk locations of step (b) includes generating new disk locations from top most portions of a disk region in a top down manner for access runs having run lengths of a particular type.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
48 words
The machine implemented method as set forth in claim 24, wherein the generation of new disk locations of step (b) includes generating new disk locations from bottom most portions of a disk region in a bottom up manner for access runs having run lengths of a particular type.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
63 words
The machine implemented method as set forth in claim 24, wherein the generation of new disk locations of step (b) includes alternatingly generating new disk locations from top most portions of a disk region in a top down manner and from bottom most portions of the disk region in a bottom up manner for access runs having run length of a particular type.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
42 words
The machine implemented method as set forth in claim 24, wherein the generation of new disk locations of step (b) includes generating new disk locations from center portions of a disk region for access runs having run lengths of a particular type.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
49 words
The machine implemented method as set forth in claim 28, wherein the generation of new disk locations from center portions of a disk region for access runs having run lengths of a particular type, includes factoring into consideration likelihood of occurrence of interrelated access runs of the same type.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
112 words
A storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions to be executed by an execution unit for implementing a software function, having an installation utility, including logic for analyzing trace data of a sequence of disk accesses while installing the software function, the trace data including disk locations accessed and the order the disk locations are accessed, and for generating a new set of disk locations to reallocate the accessed disk locations also as an integral part of installing the software function, such that overall access time will be improved, the new set of disk locations being generated in accordance with at least the order the disk locations are accessed.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
112 words
A storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions to be executed by an execution unit for implementing a software function, having an installation utility, including logic for analyzing trace data of a sequence of disk accesses while installing the software function, the trace data including disk locations accessed and the order the disk locations are accessed, and for generating a new set of disk locations to reallocate the accessed disk locations also as an integral part of installing the software function, such that overall access time will be improved, the new set of disk locations being generated in accordance with at least the order the disk locations are accessed.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
39 words
The storage medium as set forth in claim 30, wherein the logic includes logic for optimizing a cost function of overall access time, which is functionally dependent on disk locations accessed, to generate the new set of disk locations.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
38 words
The storage medium as set forth in claim 31, wherein the logic includes logic for generating a new set of disk locations, and determining if the generated new set of disk locations yields improvement in overall access time.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
43 words
The storage medium as set forth in claim 32, wherein the logic includes logic for repeating the generation of an arbitrary set of disk locations, and the determination of whether the generated arbitrary set of disk locations yields improvement in overall access time.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
22 words
The storage medium as set forth in claim 31, wherein the logic includes logic for coalescing disk blocks of a disk drive.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-03-29 | 2002-09-28 | 2003-03-30 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-03-29 | 2006-09-28 | 2007-03-30 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-03-29 | 2010-09-28 | 2011-03-30 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |