Data distribution in continuous replication systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020342000-A1
Application number	US-201916395035-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 25, 2019
Priority date	Apr 25, 2019
Publication date	Oct 29, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

Systems and methods for performing data protection operations including replication operations. A replication operation may automatically learn and predict when a replication system will need to switch modes, such as to a protective mode or to a fast-forward mode. The replication operation ensures that the data is replicated in a manner that optimizes the ability to retain data needed to perform point in time recovery operations while prioritizing the replication operation of new data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . In a computing system that replicates data assets at a source site to a target site, a method for replicating the data assets in a replication operation, the method comprising:
accessing historical data about the data assets at the source site; generating a forecast indicating a replication load at the target site based on the historical data; switching a mode of the replication operation in accordance with the forecast when the forecast indicates; and replicating the data assets according to the mode.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising collecting historical data from the data assets at the source site.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the mode is a normal mode, a protective mode, or a fast-forward mode.

4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising switching the mode to another mode based on the forecast.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein entering a mode includes switching to another mode when the forecast crosses a threshold.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the historical data includes at least one of a seasonality, a bias, and a level for each of the data assets individually and for the data assets as a whole.

7 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising updating the forecast and determining whether to switch to a different mode.

8 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
storing new data in a do stream portion of a journal and storing old data in an undo stream portion of the journal; determining whether to switch the mode based on the forecast and on a state of the journal.

9 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising expiring data in the undo stream.

10 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising switching to a protective mode, wherein data distribution from the DO stream to a replica storage is suspended in the protective mode and data in the undo stream is preserved.

11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising switching to a fast-forward mode when the do stream is expected to fill the journal.

12 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising switching to a normal mode when the forecast allows.

13 . A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, perform a method for replicating data assets from a source site to a target site during a replication operation, the method comprising:
accessing historical data about the data assets at the source site; generating a forecast indicating a replication load at the target site based on the historical data; switching a mode of the replication operation in accordance with the forecast when the forecast indicates; and replicating the data assets according to the mode.

14 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 , further comprising collecting historical data from the data assets at the source site, wherein the mode is a normal mode, a protective mode, or a fast-forward mode.

15 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14 , further comprising switching the mode to one of the normal mode, the protective mode, or the fast-forward mode based on the forecast, wherein the mode is switched based on a relationship of the forecast to a threshold.

16 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the historical data includes at least one of a seasonality, a bias, and a level for each of the data assets individually and for the data assets as a whole.

17 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14 , further comprising updating the forecast and determining whether to switch to a different mode.

18 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14 , further comprising:
storing new data in a do stream portion of a journal and storing old data in an undo stream portion of the journal; determining whether to switch the mode based on the forecast and on a state of the journal.

19 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18 , further comprising switching to a protective mode, wherein data distribution from the DO stream to a replica storage is suspended in the protective mode and data in the undo stream is preserved.

20 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14 , further comprising switching to a fast forward mode when the do stream is expected to fill the journal or switching to a normal mode when the forecast allows.

Assignees

• Emc Ip Holding Co Llc

Inventors

• Savir Amihai
• Natanzon Assaf

Classifications

• G06F2201/855

  Details of asynchronous mirroring using a journal to transfer not-yet-mirrored changes · CPC title

• G06F11/1451

  by selection of backup contents · CPC title

• G06F11/1471 Primary

  involving logging of persistent data for recovery · CPC title

• G06F11/2097

  maintaining the standby controller/processing unit updated (initialisation or re-synchronisation thereof G06F11/1658 and subgroups) · CPC title

• G06F16/27 Primary

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