VMware, Inc.
Reclaiming storage resources

Abstract:

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for reclaiming one or more portions of storage resources in a computer system serving one or more virtual computing instances, where the storage resources in the computer system are organized in clusters of storage blocks. In one aspect, a method includes maintaining a respective block tracking value for each storage block that indicates whether a call to reclaim the storage block is outstanding; determining, from the block tracking values, a respective cluster priority value for each of the clusters based on a count of storage blocks in the respective cluster for which a call to reclaim is outstanding; and reclaiming a first portion of storage resources in the computer system in accordance with the cluster priority values.