Methods, devices and computer program products for copying data between storage arrays

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10877685-B2
Application number	US-201916512639-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 16, 2019
Priority date	Jul 20, 2018
Publication date	Dec 29, 2020
Grant date	Dec 29, 2020

Abstract

Techniques for copying data involve: in response to receiving a request for copying data in a source address to a destination address, sending a first query and a second query to a first array associated with the source address and a second array associated with the destination address; receiving, from the first array, a first identifier as a response to the first query, the first identifier indicating a first logical storage unit in the first storage array corresponding to the source address; receiving, from the second array, a second identifier as a response to the second query, the second identifier indicating a second logical storage unit in the second array corresponding to the destination address; and triggering, based on the first and second identifiers, an inter-array data copy to perform copying the data. The first and second identifiers are globally unique at least for the storage array being triggered.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of copying data, comprising:
in response to receiving a request for copying data in a source address to a destination address, sending a first query and a second query to a first storage array associated with the source address and a second storage array associated with the destination address;
receiving, from the first storage array, a first identifier as a response to the first query, the first identifier indicating a first logical storage unit in the first storage array corresponding to the source address;
receiving, from the second storage array, a second identifier as a response to the second query, the second identifier indicating a second logical storage unit in the second storage array corresponding to the destination address; and
triggering, based on the first and second identifiers, a storage array in the first and second storage arrays supporting inter-array data copy to perform copying the data,
the first and second identifiers being globally unique at least for the storage array being triggered.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second identifiers is a worldwide unique name (WWN).

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second identifiers is a logical unit number of a logical storage unit in a corresponding storage array.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the triggering comprises:
determining whether the first and second storage arrays support the inter-array data copy.

5. A method of copying data, comprising:
in response to receiving a command of copying data in a source address to a destination address, obtaining, at a first storage array, a first identifier associated with the source address and a second identifier associated with the destination address;
determining a first logical storage unit associated with the first identifier and a second logical storage unit associated with the second identifier, one of the first and second logical units being located in a second storage array outside the first storage array; and
copying, based on a small computer system interface (SCSI) command, the data in the source address of the first logical storage unit to the destination address of the second logical storage unit,
the first and second identifiers being globally unique at least for the first storage array.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first logical storage unit is located in the second storage array, wherein determining the first logical storage unit associated with the first identifier comprises:
querying a logical storage unit list of at least one external storage array associated with the first storage array;
obtaining identifiers associated with logical storage units in the logical storage unit list; and
determining, from the logical storage list, the first logical storage unit associated with the first identifier.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein copying the data in the source address to the destination address comprises:
reading, through a SCSI command, the data in the source address from the first logical storage unit; and
writing the data into the destination address in the second logical storage unit.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the second logical storage unit is located in the second storage array, wherein determining the second logical storage unit associated with the second identifier comprises:
querying a logical storage unit list of at least one external storage array associated with the first storage array;
obtaining identifiers associated with logical storage units in the logical storage unit list; and
determining, from the logical storage unit list, the second logical storage unit associated with the second identifier.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein copying data in the source address to the destination address comprises:
reading the data in the source address from the first logical storage unit; and
writing, through a SCSI command, the data into the destination address in the second logical storage unit.

10. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
establishing, based on preconfigured login information, a connection with the second storage array.

11. An electronic device, comprising:
at least one processing unit;
at least one memory coupled to the at least one processing unit and storing an instruction executed by the at least one processing unit, the instruction, when executed by the at least one processing unit, causing the device to execute acts of:
in response to receiving a request for copying data in a source address to a destination address, sending a first query and a second query to a first storage array associated with the source address and a second storage array associated with the destination address;
receiving, from the first storage array, a first identifier as a response to the first query, the first identifier indicating a first logical storage unit in the first storage array corresponding to the source address;
receiving, from the second storage array, a second identifier as a response to the second query, the second identifier indicating a second logical storage unit in the second storage array corresponding to the destination address; and
triggering, based on the first and second identifiers, a storage array in the first and second storage arrays supporting inter-array data copy to perform copying the data,
the first and second identifiers being globally unique at least for the storage array being triggered.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the first and second identifiers is a worldwide unique name (WWN).

13. The device of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the first and second identifiers is a logical unit number of a logical storage unit in a corresponding storage array.

14. The device of claim 11 , wherein the triggering comprises:
determining whether the first and second storage arrays support the inter-array data copy.

15. An electronic device, comprising:
at least one processing unit;
at least one memory coupled to the at least one processing unit and storing an instruction executed by the at least one processing unit, the instruction, when executed by the at least one processing unit, causing the device to execute acts of:
in response to receiving a command of copying data in a source address to a destination address, obtaining, at a first storage array, a first identifier associated with the source address and a second identifier associated with the destination address;
determining a first logical storage unit associated with the first identifier and a second logical storage unit associated with the second identifier, one of the first and second logical units being located in a second storage array outside the first storage array; and
copying, based on a Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) command, the data in the source address of the first logical storage unit to the destination address of the second logical storage unit,
the first and second identifiers being globally unique at least for the first storage array.

16. The device of claim 15 , wherein the first logical storage unit is located in the second storage array, wherein determining the first logical storage unit associated with the first identifier comprises:
querying a logical storage unit list of at least one external storage array associated with the first storage array;
obtaining identifiers associated with logical storage units in the logical storage unit list; and
determining, from the logical storage list, the first logical storage unit associated with the first identifier.

Assignees

• Emc Ip Holding Co Llc

Inventors

• Feng Changyu
• Xu Xinlei
• Li Xiongcheng
• Tang Haiying
• Zhang Xiaobo

Classifications

• G06F3/0688

  Non-volatile semiconductor memory arrays · CPC title

• G06F3/065 Primary

  Replication mechanisms · CPC title

• G06F3/0604

  Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management · CPC title

• G06F3/0607

  by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device · CPC title

• G06F3/0659

  Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling · CPC title