Apparatus and method for managing storage copy services systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10896199-B2
Application number	US-201715416250-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 26, 2017
Priority date	Nov 27, 2007
Publication date	Jan 19, 2021
Grant date	Jan 19, 2021

Abstract

An apparatus for controlling a storage system having a data replication function, comprises: a storage array component being operable to send notification to a replication engine that a write of data to a primary storage location by a host is subject to data replication; the replication engine being operable to receive the notification and in response to instruct the storage array to copy the data to a secondary storage location; wherein the data is copied to the secondary storage location unmediated by the replication engine.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for controlling a storage system having a data replication function, comprising:
a primary storage location;
a secondary storage location;
a replication engine; and
a storage array component coupled to the primary storage location, the secondary storage location, and the replication engine, the storage array component configured to receive, from a host, a write command to write data to the primary storage location, write the data to the primary storage location, and to send only a command descriptor block (CDB) describing the write command, without sending any portion of the data, to the replication engine in response to receiving the write command, the CDB indicating that the data is subject to data replication in the secondary storage location, wherein:
the replication engine is configured to receive the CDB and, in response thereto, generate metadata for protecting the data based on the CDB and transmit the generated metadata to the storage array component such that the metadata is generated after the data has been written to the primary storage location yet prior to replicating the data to the secondary storage location, and
the storage array component is configured to add the generated metadata to the data as the data and the generated metadata is being written to the secondary storage location.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the replication engine is configured to utilize the generated metadata to manage protection of the data written to the primary storage location and copied to the secondary storage location.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further configured to perform a read of the data, wherein the data is returned by the storage array component to the host without being transmitted to the replication engine.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further configured to write data from the host to the secondary storage location and wherein the data is written by the storage array component to the secondary storage location unmediated by the replication engine.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further configured to resynchronize data between the primary storage location and the secondary storage location and wherein the data is transferred by the storage array component from the primary storage location to the secondary storage location unmediated by the replication engine.

6. A method for controlling a storage system having a data replication function, comprising the steps of:
receiving, by a storage array component, a write command to write data to a primary storage location from a host;
writing the data, by the storage array component, to the primary storage location;
sending, by the storage array component, only a command descriptor block (CDB) describing the write command, without sending any portion of the data, to a replication engine in response to receiving the write command, the CDB indicating that the data is subject to data replication in a secondary storage location;
receiving the CDB by the replication engine;
generating metadata for protecting the data based on the CDB and in response to receiving the CDB such that the metadata is generated after the data has been written to the primary storage location yet prior to replicating the data to the secondary storage location;
transmitting the generated metadata from the replication engine to the storage array component; and
adding, by the storage array component, the generated metadata to the data as the data and the generated metadata is being written to the secondary storage location.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 , further comprising managing the data written to the primary storage location and copied to the secondary storage location, by the replication engine, utilizing the generated metadata.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6 , further comprising performing a read of the data, wherein the data is returned by the storage array component to the host without being transmitted to the replication engine.

9. The method as claimed in claim 6 , further comprising writing data from the host to a secondary storage location and wherein the data is written by the storage array component to the secondary storage location unmediated by the replication engine.

10. The method as claimed in claim 6 , further comprising resynchronizing data between the primary storage location and the secondary storage location and wherein the data is transferred by the storage array component from the primary storage location to the secondary storage location unmediated by the replication engine.

11. A computer program product, stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising computer program code to, when loaded into a computer system and executed thereon, cause the computer system to control a storage system having a data replication function, said computer program code performing the steps of:
receiving, by a storage array component, a write command to write data to a primary storage location from a host;
writing the data, by the storage array component, to the primary storage location;
sending, by the storage array component, only a command descriptor block (CDB) describing the write command, without sending any portion of the data, to a replication engine in response to receiving the write command, the CDB indicating that the data is subject to data replication in a secondary storage location;
receiving the CDB by the replication engine;
generating metadata for the data based on the CDB and in response to receiving the CDB such that the metadata is generated after the data has been written to the primary storage location yet prior to replicating the data to the secondary storage location;
transmitting the generated metadata from the replication engine to the storage array component; and
adding, by the storage array component, the generated metadata to the data as the data and the generated metadata is being written to the secondary storage location.

12. The computer program product as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising managing the data written to the primary storage location and copied to the secondary storage location, by the replication engine, utilizing the generated metadata.

13. The computer program product as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising performing a read of the data, wherein the data is returned by the storage array component to the host without being transmitted to the replication engine.

14. The computer program product as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising writing data from the host to a secondary storage location and wherein the data is written by the storage array component to the secondary storage location unmediated by the replication engine.

15. The computer program product as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising resynchronizing data between the primary storage location and the secondary storage location and wherein the data is transferred by the storage array component from the primary storage location to the secondary storage location unmediated by the replication engine.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Day Kenneth F
• Nicholson Robert B
• Sanders Lee J
• Scales William J

Classifications

• G06F16/27 Primary

  Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor · CPC title

• G06F11/2064 Primary

  while ensuring consistency · CPC title

• G06F16/1844

  Management specifically adapted to replicated file systems · CPC title

• G06F16/2358

  Change logging, detection, and notification (replication G06F16/27) · CPC title

• G06F11/2071

  using a plurality of controllers · CPC title