Data mirroring for network attached storage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9678679-B2
Application number	US-201414490701-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 19, 2014
Priority date	Sep 19, 2014
Publication date	Jun 13, 2017
Grant date	Jun 13, 2017

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for data mirroring for network attached storage includes duplicating an identity mapping database on a second NAS server and creating a queue of updated data files containing updated elements since a prior synchronization. Data files containing the updated elements are transmitted from the first NAS server to the second NAS server. An updated copy of the identity mapping database from the first NAS server is stored at the second NAS server. The updated data files and metadata information from the first NAS server are written to the second NAS server. The permission entries of the transmitted data files from the first NAS server are translated using the identity mapping databases of the first and second NAS servers, such that the permission entries reflect the local ID mapping database on the second NAS server.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for data mirroring for network attached storage, the method comprising:
duplicating, by one or more processors at a first network attached storage (NAS) server, an identity mapping database file on a second NAS server;
creating, by one or more processors at the first NAS server, a queue of data files containing updated elements since a prior synchronization;
transmitting, by one or more processors at the first NAS server, the data files containing the updated elements to the second NAS server, wherein transmitting the data files further comprises:
transmitting, by one or more processors at the first NAS server, the identity mapping database file to the second NAS server,
transmitting, by one or more processors at the first NAS server, the updated elements of the data files to the second NAS server, and
transmitting, by one or more processors at the first NAS server, updated metadata information of the data files to the second NAS server;

storing, by one or more processors at the second NAS server, an updated copy of the identity mapping database from the first NAS server;
writing, by one or more processors at the second NAS server, the data files and the updated metadata information from the first NAS server; and
translating, by one or more processors at the second NAS server, permission entries of the transmitted data files from the first NAS server using the identity mapping databases of the first and second NAS servers, such that the permission entries reflect a local ID mapping database on the second NAS server.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein creating, by one or more processors at a first NAS server, a queue of data files containing updated elements since a prior synchronization further comprises:
adding, by one or more processors at the first NAS server, the identity mapping database file to the queue;
determining, by one or more processors at the first NAS server, data files for which data elements or metadata have changed since a most recent synchronization; and
adding, by one or more processors at the first NAS server, the determined data files to the queue.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein storing, by one or more processors at the second NAS server, the updated copy of the identity mapping database from the first NAS server further comprises:
writing, by one or more processors at the second NAS server, the copy of the identity mapping database from the first NAS server to a temporary location.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein writing, by one or more processors at the second NAS server, the data files and the updated metadata information from the first NAS server further comprises:
writing, by one or more processors at the second NAS server, the updated data elements of the data files from the first NAS server; and
writing, by one or more processors at the second NAS server, the updated metadata information of the data files from the first NAS server.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein translating, by one or more processors at the second NAS server, permission entries of the transmitted data files from the first NAS server using the identity mapping databases of the first and second NAS servers, such that the permission entries reflect a local ID mapping database on the second NAS server further comprises:
accessing, by one or more processors at a NAS server, both a local and a remote copy of the first NAS server's identity mapping database;
determining, by one or more processors at a NAS server, a user identity of a data file using the local and the remote copy of the identity mapping database; and
restoring, by one or more processors at a NAS server, access control list and owner information and permissions of the data file to match an internal user identity of the second NAS server.

6. A computer program product for data mirroring for network attached storage, the computer program product comprising:
one or more computer readable storage media and program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions comprising:
program instructions to duplicate, by one or more processors at a first network attached storage (NAS) server, an identity mapping database file on a second NAS server;
program instructions to create, by one or more processors at the first NAS server, a queue of data files containing updated elements since a prior synchronization;
program instructions to transmit, by one or more processors at the first NAS server, the data files containing the updated elements to the second NAS server, wherein the program instructions to transmit the data files further comprise:
program instructions to transmit, by one or more processors at the first NAS server, the identity mapping database file to the second NAS server,
program instructions to transmit, by one or more processors at the first NAS server, the updated elements of the data files to the second NAS server, and
program instructions to transmit, by one or more processors at the first NAS server, updated metadata information of the data files to the second NAS server;

program instructions to store, by one or more processors at the second NAS server, an updated copy of the identity mapping database from the first NAS server;
program instructions to write, by one or more processors at the second NAS server, the data files and the updated metadata information from the first NAS server; and
program instructions to translate, by one or more processors at the second NAS server, permission entries of the transmitted data files from the first NAS server using the identity mapping databases of the first and second NAS servers, such that the permission entries reflect a local ID mapping database on the second NAS server.

7. The computer program product of claim 6 , wherein program instructions to create, by one or more processors at a first NAS server, a queue of data files containing updated elements since a prior synchronization further comprise:
program instructions to add, by one or more processors at the first NAS server, the identity mapping database file to the queue;
program instructions to determine, by one or more processors at the first NAS server, data files for which data elements or metadata have changed since a most recent synchronization; and
program instructions to add, by one or more processors at the first NAS server, the determined data files to the queue.

8. The computer program product of claim 6 , wherein program instructions to store, by one or more processors at the second NAS server, the updated copy of the identity mapping database from the first NAS server further comprise:
program instructions to write, by one or more processors at the second NAS server, the copy of the identity mapping database from the first NAS server to a temporary location.

9. The computer program product of claim 6 , wherein program instructions to write, by one or more processors at the second NAS server, the data files and the updated metadata information from the first NAS server further comprise:
program instructions to write, by one or more processors at the second NAS server, the updated data elements of the data files from the first NAS server; and
program instructions to write, by one or more processors at the second NAS server, the updated metadata information of the data files from the first NAS server.

10. The computer program product of claim 6 , wherein program instructions to translate, by one or more processors at the second NAS server, permission entries of the transmitted data files from the first NAS server using the identity mapping databases of the first and second NAS servers, such that the permission entries

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Chen Lior
• Cohen Dan
• Gan-Levi Daniel
• Sapir Nimrod

Classifications

• H04L63/101

  Access control lists [ACL] · CPC title

• G06F3/067

  Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS] · CPC title

• G06F21/6227

  where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries · CPC title

• G06F11/1469

  Backup restoration techniques · CPC title

• G06F3/0619 Primary

  in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors · CPC title