Method to efficiently track I/O access history using efficient memory data structures

摘要

An embodiment is described in which a memory device stores a record of I/O accesses to data blocks. And each access record indicates which data block was accessed and during which time period the access occurred. A memory-efficient data structure (MEDS) may be generated and stored in a cache or storage device and the access data moved from the memory device into the MEDS. The MEDS represents blocks that were accessed during a particular time period. When a second data block is accessed, a query function is applied to the second block's identifier to return a value based on data stored in the MEDS. The return value from the query function indicates whether the second data block was accessed during the particular time period associated with the MEDS. A storage management action is performed based on whether the second data block was accessed during the particular time period.