Forced transaction log posting using a least busy storage media without maintaining redundancy of the transaction log

摘要

A transaction log stored in a first memory is posted to one of two separate log areas, selectively, on a storage system having a plurality of storage media such as disk drives. Posting occurs to a "disk log" area when a page-full status of the first memory transaction log is detected. Alternatively, when a posting request occurs before a page- full status of the transaction log has been detected, then posting occurs immediately to a least busy disk of a "staging log" area. Posting occurs to the least busy disk of the "staging log" area by circumventing normal storage system data management and redundancy techniques such that data in the staging log area is not kept redundantly on the storage media. Rather redundancy is maintained by the fact that the transaction log remains with the first memory in addition to being copied to the staging log area. The staging log area includes reserved space on each of the plurality of storage media and is divided into logically separate portions on each of the storage media. This prohibits two consecutive "force" postings from overwriting the same portion of the reserved area, regardless of which disk is the least busy. Finally, sequence numbers and disk set numbers are associated with data records that are posted to the disk log areas for enabling recovery of the transaction log data from the disk log areas.